Covert face recognition in congenital prosopagnosia: a group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Rivolta, Davide; Palermo, Romina; Schmalzl, Laura; Coltheart, Max

2012-03-01

Even though people with congenital prosopagnosia (CP) never develop a normal ability to "overtly" recognize faces, some individuals show indices of "covert" (or implicit) face recognition. The aim of this study was to demonstrate covert face recognition in CP when participants could not overtly recognize the faces. Eleven people with CP completed three tasks assessing their overt face recognition ability, and three tasks assessing their "covert" face recognition: a Forced choice familiarity task, a Forced choice cued task, and a Priming task. Evidence of covert recognition was observed with the Forced choice familiarity task, but not the Priming task. In addition, we propose that the Forced choice cued task does not measure covert processing as such, but instead "provoked-overt" recognition. Our study clearly shows that people with CP demonstrate covert recognition for faces that they cannot overtly recognize, and that behavioural tasks vary in their sensitivity to detect covert recognition in CP. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Trace-Level Screening of Chemicals Related to Clandestine Desomorphine Production with Ambient Sampling, Portable Mass Spectrometry

OpenAIRE

Hall, Seth E.; O’Leary, Adam E.; Lawton, Zachary E.; Bruno, Alessandra M.; Mulligan, Christopher C.

2017-01-01

Desomorphine is a semisynthetic opioid that is responsible for the psychoactive effects of a dangerous homemade injectable mixture that goes by street name “Krokodil.” Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI) and paper spray ionization (PSI) are implemented on a portable mass spectrometer for the direct analysis of desomorphine and precursor reagent codeine from multiple substrates of potential relevance to clandestine drug laboratory synthesis and paraphernalia seizure. Minimal sample prepa...

Controlling covert integration in EU politics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Adriaensen, J.; Coremans, E.; Bursens, Peter; De Landtsheer, Christl; Braeckmans, Luc; Segaert, Barbara

2017-01-01

Without the prospect of new treaty revisions, integration in the European Union is often believed to come at a standstill. However, recent research suggests that deepening integration still continues, albeit in more covert ways. The risk associated with such covert integration is that it is not

Playing it Safe: Legal and Clandestine Abortions Among Adolescents in Ethiopia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sully, Elizabeth; Dibaba, Yohannes; Fetters, Tamara; Blades, Nakeisha; Bankole, Akinrinola

2018-06-01

The 2005 expansion of the Ethiopian abortion law provided minors access to legal abortions, yet little is known about abortion among adolescents. This paper estimates the incidence of legal and clandestine abortions and the severity of abortion-related complications among adolescent and nonadolescent women in Ethiopia in 2014. This paper uses data from three surveys: a Health Facility Survey (n = 822) to collect data on legal abortions and postabortion complications, a Health Professionals Survey (n = 82) to estimate the share of clandestine abortions that resulted in treated complications, and a Prospective Data Survey (n = 5,604) to collect data on abortion care clients. An age-specific variant of the Abortion Incidence Complications Method was used to estimate abortions by age-group. Adolescents have the lowest abortion rate among all women below age 35 (19.6 per 1,000 women). After adjusting for lower levels of sexual activity among adolescents however, we find that adolescents have the highest abortion rate among all age-groups. Adolescents also have the highest proportion (64%) of legal abortions compared with other age-groups. We find no differences in the severity of abortion-related complications between adolescent and nonadolescent women. We find no evidence that adolescents are more likely than older women to have clandestine abortions. However, the higher abortion and pregnancy rates among sexually active adolescents suggest that they face barriers in access to and use of contraceptive services. Further work is needed to address the persistence of clandestine abortions among adolescents in a context where safe and legal abortion is available. Copyright © 2018 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McConnell, J. M

2007-01-01

.... Our adversaries -- foreign intelligence services, terrorists, foreign criminal enterprises and cyber intruders -- use overt, covert, and clandestine activities to exploit and undermine US national security interests...

Overt and covert attention to location-based reward.

Science.gov (United States)

McCoy, Brónagh; Theeuwes, Jan

2018-01-01

Recent research on the impact of location-based reward on attentional orienting has indicated that reward factors play an influential role in spatial priority maps. The current study investigated whether and how reward associations based on spatial location translate from overt eye movements to covert attention. If reward associations can be tied to locations in space, and if overt and covert attention rely on similar overlapping neuronal populations, then both overt and covert attentional measures should display similar spatial-based reward learning. Our results suggest that location- and reward-based changes in one attentional domain do not lead to similar changes in the other. Specifically, although we found similar improvements at differentially rewarded locations during overt attentional learning, this translated to the least improvement at a highly rewarded location during covert attention. We interpret this as the result of an increased motivational link between the high reward location and the trained eye movement response acquired during learning, leading to a relative slowing during covert attention when the eyes remained fixated and the saccade response was suppressed. In a second experiment participants were not required to keep fixated during the covert attention task and we no longer observed relative slowing at the high reward location. Furthermore, the second experiment revealed no covert spatial priority of rewarded locations. We conclude that the transfer of location-based reward associations is intimately linked with the reward-modulated motor response employed during learning, and alternative attentional and task contexts may interfere with learned spatial priorities. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The EU Migration Regime and West African Clandestine Migrants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hannah M. Cross

2009-08-01

Full Text Available This article examines the relationship between the EU migration regime and clandestine migration from West Africa to Europe. A review of the development of EU border and immigration policy reveals significant and sustained moves towards securitisation of migrants and the externalisation of border controls to countries of origin and transit. This emphasis on repression limits the scope of cooperation with ‘third countries’ (those outside Europe in co-development, labour mobility, sea patrols and repatriation, which are examined separately as deterrents to uncontrolled emigration. This paper then analyses the motivations and intentions of Senegalese youth around the Cap Vert peninsula. This analysis includes the role of emigration in development and more recently, the impact of human losses and repatriations resulting from the clandestine journey by pirogue (open fishing boat to the Canary Islands. This article argues that in this case, youth are excluded both from labour and asylum policies and instead are managed as a security threat, contradicting the factors driving this journey.

Remediation of Manufactured Methamphetamine in Clandestine Laboratories. A Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

The purpose of the current literature review was to identify, collect, review, and organize all available information concerning the remediation of methamphetamine found in clandestine laboratories through an analysis of routinely collected data sources. There were numerous peer ...

A new sensors-based covert channel on android.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Haiqi, Ahmed; Ismail, Mahamod; Nordin, Rosdiadee

2014-01-01

Covert channels are not new in computing systems, and have been studied since their first definition four decades ago. New platforms invoke thorough investigations to assess their security. Now is the time for Android platform to analyze its security model, in particular the two key principles: process-isolation and the permissions system. Aside from all sorts of malware, one threat proved intractable by current protection solutions, that is, collusion attacks involving two applications communicating over covert channels. Still no universal solution can countermeasure this sort of attack unless the covert channels are known. This paper is an attempt to reveal a new covert channel, not only being specific to smartphones, but also exploiting an unusual resource as a vehicle to carry covert information: sensors data. Accelerometers generate signals that reflect user motions, and malware applications can apparently only read their data. However, if the vibration motor on the device is used properly, programmatically produced vibration patterns can encode stolen data and hence an application can cause discernible effects on acceleration data to be received and decoded by another application. Our evaluations confirmed a real threat where strings of tens of characters could be transmitted errorless if the throughput is reduced to around 2.5-5 bps. The proposed covert channel is very stealthy as no unusual permissions are required and there is no explicit communication between the colluding applications.

A New Sensors-Based Covert Channel on Android

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed Al-Haiqi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Covert channels are not new in computing systems, and have been studied since their first definition four decades ago. New platforms invoke thorough investigations to assess their security. Now is the time for Android platform to analyze its security model, in particular the two key principles: process-isolation and the permissions system. Aside from all sorts of malware, one threat proved intractable by current protection solutions, that is, collusion attacks involving two applications communicating over covert channels. Still no universal solution can countermeasure this sort of attack unless the covert channels are known. This paper is an attempt to reveal a new covert channel, not only being specific to smartphones, but also exploiting an unusual resource as a vehicle to carry covert information: sensors data. Accelerometers generate signals that reflect user motions, and malware applications can apparently only read their data. However, if the vibration motor on the device is used properly, programmatically produced vibration patterns can encode stolen data and hence an application can cause discernible effects on acceleration data to be received and decoded by another application. Our evaluations confirmed a real threat where strings of tens of characters could be transmitted errorless if the throughput is reduced to around 2.5–5 bps. The proposed covert channel is very stealthy as no unusual permissions are required and there is no explicit communication between the colluding applications.

A New Sensors-Based Covert Channel on Android

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Covert channels are not new in computing systems, and have been studied since their first definition four decades ago. New platforms invoke thorough investigations to assess their security. Now is the time for Android platform to analyze its security model, in particular the two key principles: process-isolation and the permissions system. Aside from all sorts of malware, one threat proved intractable by current protection solutions, that is, collusion attacks involving two applications communicating over covert channels. Still no universal solution can countermeasure this sort of attack unless the covert channels are known. This paper is an attempt to reveal a new covert channel, not only being specific to smartphones, but also exploiting an unusual resource as a vehicle to carry covert information: sensors data. Accelerometers generate signals that reflect user motions, and malware applications can apparently only read their data. However, if the vibration motor on the device is used properly, programmatically produced vibration patterns can encode stolen data and hence an application can cause discernible effects on acceleration data to be received and decoded by another application. Our evaluations confirmed a real threat where strings of tens of characters could be transmitted errorless if the throughput is reduced to around 2.5–5 bps. The proposed covert channel is very stealthy as no unusual permissions are required and there is no explicit communication between the colluding applications. PMID:25295311

[Understanding and reaching young clandestine sex workers in Burkina Faso to improve response to HIV].

Science.gov (United States)

Berthé, Abdramane; Huygens, Pierre; Ouattara, Cécile; Sanon, Anselme; Ouédraogo, Abdoulaye; Nagot, Nicolas

2008-01-01

In 1998, researchers in Burkina Faso enrolled 300 women more or less involved in commercial sex work in an open cohort to determine whether adequate management of their sexually transmitted infections and exposure to well-designed, well-delivered, and plentiful communication for behaviour change (CBC) might reduce their vulnerability to HIV. In 2000, they observed that the non-professional sex workers (occasional or clandestine sex workers) were more difficult to reach, to mobilize and to keep involved in the project's different activities. This group was also infected at the same or higher rates than professional sex workers because they did not use condoms routinely. To accomplish the project objectives, they therefore chose to recruit more non-professional sex workers in the new cohort of 700 women. This social-anthropological study was conducted to help them to enrol young clandestine sex workers. The overall objective of this study was to understand the life of this category of sex workers and to identify strategic actors to reach them. Using a qualitative method, social anthropologists reviewed literature, identified and geo-referenced all local places suitable to encountering these women, obtained life stories from some of them and interviewed key informants and participants in the field. The results showed that in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso): - most young women who are clandestine sex workers are Burkinabe, and girls entering the sex trade are increasingly young and increasingly uneducated; - most of them come from families with low capital (financial, cultural, or social). The parents' socioeconomic status (contextual poverty) results in unmet financial needs, which in turn exposes them to starting work early, including commercial sex work; - of all the income-generating activities available to unskilled young girls, commercial sex work is one of the most profitable and easily accessible; - in the three-fold context of an HIV epidemic, poverty, and

Anonymous Agencies, Backstreet Businesses and Covert Collectives

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krause Hansen, Hans; Schoeneborn, Dennis

2015-01-01

Book review of: Anonymous Agencies, Backstreet Businesses and Covert Collectives: rethinking Organizations in the 21st Century, C. R. Scott. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2013. 272 pp. £45.90. ISBN 9780804781381......Book review of: Anonymous Agencies, Backstreet Businesses and Covert Collectives: rethinking Organizations in the 21st Century, C. R. Scott. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2013. 272 pp. £45.90. ISBN 9780804781381...

CovertCast: Using Live Streaming to Evade Internet Censorship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McPherson Richard

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We design, implement, and evaluate CovertCast, a censorship circumvention system that broadcasts the content of popular websites in real-time, encrypted video streams on common live-streaming services such as YouTube. CovertCast does not require any modifications to the streaming service and employs the same protocols, servers, and streaming software as any other user of the service. Therefore, CovertCast cannot be distinguished from other live streams by IP address filtering or protocol fingerprinting, raising the bar for censors.

Design of Transport Layer Based Hybrid Covert Channel Detection Engine

OpenAIRE

K, Anjan; Abraham, Jibi; Jadhav V, Mamatha

2010-01-01

Computer network is unpredictable due to information warfare and is prone to various attacks. Such attacks on network compromise the most important attribute, the privacy. Most of such attacks are devised using special communication channel called "Covert Channel". The word "Covert" stands for hidden or non-transparent. Network Covert Channel is a concealed communication path within legitimate network communication that clearly violates security policies laid down. The non-transparency in cov...

Covert Channel Pada Aliran Data Websocket untuk Komunikasi Messaging XMPP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoga Dwitya Pramudita

2015-07-01

Abstract Instant Messaging communication services provide a variety of communication features that can be used by the user, such as text messaging (text messages both online and offline. One of the standard protocol that supports this service is XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol. XMPP communication using XML documents, making it vulnerable to passive attacks monitoring content of  communications. To overcome this drawback the solution is encrypted communications. The other solutions that try to offer in this research is the use of a covert channel to send hidden messages. In this research will create a browser based XMPP client application that is capable to deliver XMPP communication and also provide covert channel communication. XMPP communication can be built on a web-based application using WebSocket protocol. This protocol will exploit field masking-key to load the covert channel messages that is sent during the session XMPP communication takes place. From the test results, the client application is able to produce a covert channel communication with a data width of 3 bytes in each packet. The client application is also able to perform covert communication channel in a communication link with the condition of the probability of packet loss rate below 10%.   Keywords— WebSocket, XMPP, masking-key, Covert Channel, browser based application.

Encryption of covert information into multiple statistical distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venkatesan, R.C.

2007-01-01

A novel strategy to encrypt covert information (code) via unitary projections into the null spaces of ill-conditioned eigenstructures of multiple host statistical distributions, inferred from incomplete constraints, is presented. The host pdf's are inferred using the maximum entropy principle. The projection of the covert information is dependent upon the pdf's of the host statistical distributions. The security of the encryption/decryption strategy is based on the extreme instability of the encoding process. A self-consistent procedure to derive keys for both symmetric and asymmetric cryptography is presented. The advantages of using a multiple pdf model to achieve encryption of covert information are briefly highlighted. Numerical simulations exemplify the efficacy of the model

Moral perspectives on covert research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anton van Niekerk

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The term ‘covert research’ refers to research on human subjects for which informed consent is not, and allegedly cannot, be solicited – not because of wilful negligence or the deliberate transgression of research ethics guidelines on the part of the researcher(s, but because the revelation of the nature of the research to the involved research participants would necessarily invalidate the research results. While covert research is deemed necessary in a number of sciences, such as ethnography, such research nevertheless elicits major ethical concern due to the fact that it seemingly violates the values of respect for autonomy and the protection of research subjects – values that have, since the first formulations of the Nuremberg Code, the Belmont Declaration and the series of Helsinki accords, become almost axiomatic in our understanding of the basic tenets of responsible and ethical research on human subjects. In this article, I contend that while subject autonomy is a pivotal value in morally legitimate research generally, there is more to morally legitimate research than informed consent. I conclude by formulating a few guidelines for the identification of circumstances under which covert research might and might not be morally in order.

Calling Out Cheaters : Covert Security with Public VerifiabilitySecurity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Asharov, Gilad; Orlandi, Claudio

2012-01-01

We introduce the notion of covert security with public verifiability, building on the covert security model introduced by Aumann and Lindell (TCC 2007). Protocols that satisfy covert security guarantee that the honest parties involved in the protocol will notice any cheating attempt with some...... constant probability ε. The idea behind the model is that the fear of being caught cheating will be enough of a deterrent to prevent any cheating attempt. However, in the basic covert security model, the honest parties are not able to persuade any third party (say, a judge) that a cheating occurred. We...... propose (and formally define) an extension of the model where, when an honest party detects cheating, it also receives a certificate that can be published and used to persuade other parties, without revealing any information about the honest party’s input. In addition, malicious parties cannot create fake...

The Technique to Prevent the Data Leakage using Covert Channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Vasilievna Arkhangelskaya

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the article was to analyze technique to prevent information leakage using covert channels. The main steps are as follows: involving covert channels identification, data throughput estimation, its elimination or limitation, audit and detection. Three schemes of identification had been analyzed: shared resources methodology, covert flow tree method, message sequence diagram method. Ways of guarantee information delivery from systems with low security level to systems with high security level have been investigated.

Pupillary correlates of covert shifts of attention during working memory maintenance.

Science.gov (United States)

Unsworth, Nash; Robison, Matthew K

2017-04-01

The pupillary light reflex (PLR) was used to track covert shifts of attention to items maintained in visual working memory (VWM). In three experiments, participants performed a change detection task in which rectangles appeared on either side of fixation and at test participants indicated if the cued rectangle changed its orientation. Prior to presentation or during the delay, participants were cued to the light or dark side of the screen. When cued to the light side, the pupil constricted, and when cued to the dark side, the pupil dilated, suggesting that the PLR tracked covert shifts of attention. Similar covert shifts of attention were seen when the target stimuli remained onscreen and during a blank delay period, suggesting similar effects for attention to perceptual stimuli and attention to stimuli maintained in VWM. Furthermore, similar effects were demonstrated when participants were pre-cued or retro-cued to the prioritized location, suggesting that shifts of covert attention can occur both before and after target presentation. These results are consistent with prior research, suggesting an important role of covert shifts of attention during VWM maintenance and that the PLR can be used to track these covert shifts of attention.

The effect of offset cues on saccade programming and covert attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Daniel T; Casteau, Soazig

2018-02-01

Salient peripheral events trigger fast, "exogenous" covert orienting. The influential premotor theory of attention argues that covert orienting of attention depends upon planned but unexecuted eye-movements. One problem with this theory is that salient peripheral events, such as offsets, appear to summon attention when used to measure covert attention (e.g., the Posner cueing task) but appear not to elicit oculomotor preparation in tasks that require overt orienting (e.g., the remote distractor paradigm). Here, we examined the effects of peripheral offsets on covert attention and saccade preparation. Experiment 1 suggested that transient offsets summoned attention in a manual detection task without triggering motor preparation planning in a saccadic localisation task, although there were a high proportion of saccadic capture errors on "no-target" trials, where a cue was presented but no target appeared. In Experiment 2, "no-target" trials were removed. Here, transient offsets produced both attentional facilitation and faster saccadic responses on valid cue trials. A third experiment showed that the permanent disappearance of an object also elicited attentional facilitation and faster saccadic reaction times. These experiments demonstrate that offsets trigger both saccade programming and covert attentional orienting, consistent with the idea that exogenous, covert orienting is tightly coupled with oculomotor activation. The finding that no-go trials attenuates oculomotor priming effects offers a way to reconcile the current findings with previous claims of a dissociation between covert attention and oculomotor control in paradigms that utilise a high proportion of catch trials.

Noiseless Steganography The Key to Covert Communications

CERN Document Server

Desoky, Abdelrahman

2012-01-01

Among the features that make Noiseless Steganography: The Key to Covert Communications a first of its kind: The first to comprehensively cover Linguistic Steganography The first to comprehensively cover Graph Steganography The first to comprehensively cover Game Steganography Although the goal of steganography is to prevent adversaries from suspecting the existence of covert communications, most books on the subject present outdated steganography approaches that are detectable by human and/or machine examinations. These approaches often fail because they camouflage data as a detectable noise b

Electrophysiological dynamics of covert and overt visual attention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ordikhani-Seyedlar, Mehdi

Attention is a key neural function for choosing certain information to receive more processing than others. Attention is allocated either by directly looking at the target (overt) or without eye movement towards the target (covert). The current study was designed to extract relevant features...... by using steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) task. SSVEP task was presented to subjects at the same time that the electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded by the scalp electrodes. Subjects were instructed to respond to a certain stimulus by pressing a button. This way attention...... was measure in continuous manner. Results showed that the amplitude of SSVEP frequencies is higher in overt than covert attention. This indicates that by overt attention events are registered with larger power. However, exploring the harmonics of frequencies showed that covert attention generates larger 2nd...

Brutality under cover of ambiguity: activating, perpetuating, and deactivating covert retributivism.

Science.gov (United States)

Fincher, Katrina M; Tetlock, Philip E

2015-05-01

Five studies tested four hypotheses on the drivers of punitive judgments. Study 1 showed that people imposed covertly retributivist physical punishments on extreme norm violators when they could plausibly deny that is what they were doing (attributional ambiguity). Studies 2 and 3 showed that covert retributivism could be suppressed by subtle accountability manipulations that cue people to the possibility that they might be under scrutiny. Studies 4 and 5 showed how covert retributivism can become self-sustaining by biasing the lessons people learn from experience. Covert retributivists did not scale back punitiveness in response to feedback that the justice system makes false-conviction errors but they did ramp up punitiveness in response to feedback that the system makes false-acquittal errors. Taken together, the results underscore the paradoxical nature of covert retributivism: It is easily activated by plausible deniability and persistent in the face of false-conviction feedback but also easily deactivated by minimalist forms of accountability. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

One-mode projection analysis and design of covert affiliation networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lindelauf, R.; Borm, P.E.M.; Hamers, H.J.M.

2012-01-01

Within the field of national security and counterterrorism a great need exists to understand covert organizations. To better understand these cellular structures we model and analyze these cells as a collection of subsets of all participants in the covert organization, i.e., as hypergraphs or

A GIS-based Quantitative Approach for the Search of Clandestine Graves, Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

Somma, Roberta; Cascio, Maria; Silvestro, Massimiliano; Torre, Eliana

2018-05-01

Previous research on the RAG color-coded prioritization systems for the discovery of clandestine graves has not considered all the factors influencing the burial site choice within a GIS project. The goal of this technical note was to discuss a GIS-based quantitative approach for the search of clandestine graves. The method is based on cross-referenced RAG maps with cumulative suitability factors to host a burial, leading to the editing of different search scenarios for ground searches showing high-(Red), medium-(Amber), and low-(Green) priority areas. The application of this procedure allowed several outcomes to be determined: If the concealment occurs at night, then the "search scenario without the visibility" will be the most effective one; if the concealment occurs in daylight, then the "search scenario with the DSM-based visibility" will be most appropriate; the different search scenarios may be cross-referenced with offender's confessions and eyewitnesses' testimonies to verify the veracity of their statements. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Fate of 1-(1′,4′-cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP) in soil: Route-specific by-product in the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal, Raktim; Megharaj, Mallavarapu; Kirkbride, K. Paul; Naidu, Ravi

2012-01-01

We investigated the fate of 1-(1′,4′-cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP) in soil. CMP is the major route-specific byproduct in the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine (MAP) by the use of excess alkali metal (e.g., lithium) in liquid ammonia, which is commonly referred to as the “Nazi method”. This is one of the most common methods used in many countries for the illicit production of MAP. Knowledge on the fate of CMP in the terrestrial environment is essential to combat potential threats arising from illegal dumping of clandestine laboratory wastes. We report on the sorption–desorption, degradation, and metabolism patterns of CMP in three South Australian soils investigated in laboratory scale. CMP sorption in the test soils followed a Freundlich isotherm in the concentration range of 5 to 100 μg mL −1 . Degradation studies showed that CMP was fairly unstable in both non-sterile and sterile soils, with half-life values typically less than one week. The role of biotic and abiotic soil processes in the degradation of CMP also varied significantly between the different soils, and with the length of the incubation period. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the results showed that the CMP was not actually degraded to any simpler compounds but transformed to more persistent MAP. Thus, the main concern with Nazi method is the potential hazard from MAP rather than CMP if wastes are disposed of into the environment. - Highlights: ► This study investigated the fate of 1-(1′,4′-cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP) in soils. ► CMP was fairly unstable in both non-sterile and sterile soils, with half-life values less than a week. ► CMP transforms to more persistent methylamphetamine (MAP) in soils which is a major environmental concern.

Fate of 1-(1 Prime ,4 Prime -cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP) in soil: Route-specific by-product in the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal, Raktim [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia-5095 and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, University of South Australia (Australia); Megharaj, Mallavarapu, E-mail: Megharaj.Mallavarapu@unisa.edu.au [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia-5095 and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, University of South Australia (Australia); Kirkbride, K. Paul [Australian Federal Police Forensic and Data Centres, Canberra (Australia); Naidu, Ravi [Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia-5095 and CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment, University of South Australia (Australia)

2012-02-01

We investigated the fate of 1-(1 Prime ,4 Prime -cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP) in soil. CMP is the major route-specific byproduct in the clandestine manufacture of methamphetamine (MAP) by the use of excess alkali metal (e.g., lithium) in liquid ammonia, which is commonly referred to as the 'Nazi method'. This is one of the most common methods used in many countries for the illicit production of MAP. Knowledge on the fate of CMP in the terrestrial environment is essential to combat potential threats arising from illegal dumping of clandestine laboratory wastes. We report on the sorption-desorption, degradation, and metabolism patterns of CMP in three South Australian soils investigated in laboratory scale. CMP sorption in the test soils followed a Freundlich isotherm in the concentration range of 5 to 100 {mu}g mL{sup -1}. Degradation studies showed that CMP was fairly unstable in both non-sterile and sterile soils, with half-life values typically less than one week. The role of biotic and abiotic soil processes in the degradation of CMP also varied significantly between the different soils, and with the length of the incubation period. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the results showed that the CMP was not actually degraded to any simpler compounds but transformed to more persistent MAP. Thus, the main concern with Nazi method is the potential hazard from MAP rather than CMP if wastes are disposed of into the environment. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This study investigated the fate of 1-(1 Prime ,4 Prime -cyclohexadienyl)-2-methylaminopropane (CMP) in soils. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CMP was fairly unstable in both non-sterile and sterile soils, with half-life values less than a week. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CMP transforms to more persistent methylamphetamine (MAP) in soils which is a major environmental concern.

A Network Steganography Lab on Detecting TCP/IP Covert Channels

Science.gov (United States)

Zseby, Tanja; Vázquez, Félix Iglesias; Bernhardt, Valentin; Frkat, Davor; Annessi, Robert

2016-01-01

This paper presents a network security laboratory to teach data analysis for detecting TCP/IP covert channels. The laboratory is mainly designed for students of electrical engineering, but is open to students of other technical disciplines with similar background. Covert channels provide a method for leaking data from protected systems, which is a…

Trace-Level Screening of Chemicals Related to Clandestine Desomorphine Production with Ambient Sampling, Portable Mass Spectrometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seth E. Hall

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Desomorphine is a semisynthetic opioid that is responsible for the psychoactive effects of a dangerous homemade injectable mixture that goes by street name “Krokodil.” Desorption electrospray ionization (DESI and paper spray ionization (PSI are implemented on a portable mass spectrometer for the direct analysis of desomorphine and precursor reagent codeine from multiple substrates of potential relevance to clandestine drug laboratory synthesis and paraphernalia seizure. Minimal sample preparation required for analysis and portability of the instrument suggest the potential for rapid, on-site analysis of evidence, a highly desired benefit for forensic science and law enforcement practitioners. Both DESI-MS and PSI-MS can generate spectra consistent with preceding data obtained using traditional ionization methods, while demonstrating detection limits in the low- to sub-ng levels.

A controlled monitoring study of simulated clandestine graves using 3D ground penetrating radar

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

van Schoor, Michael

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A controlled three-dimensional ground penetrating radar monitoring study over simulated clandestine graves was conducted near Pretoria, South Africa, in which the detectability of graves as a function of post-burial interval was assessed...

Hiding a Covert Digital Image by Assembling the RSA Encryption Method and the Binary Encoding Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kuang Tsan Lin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA encryption method and the binary encoding method are assembled to form a hybrid hiding method to hide a covert digital image into a dot-matrix holographic image. First, the RSA encryption method is used to transform the covert image to form a RSA encryption data string. Then, all the elements of the RSA encryption data string are transferred into binary data. Finally, the binary data are encoded into the dot-matrix holographic image. The pixels of the dot-matrix holographic image contain seven groups of codes used for reconstructing the covert image. The seven groups of codes are identification codes, covert-image dimension codes, covert-image graylevel codes, pre-RSA bit number codes, RSA key codes, post-RSA bit number codes, and information codes. The reconstructed covert image derived from the dot-matrix holographic image and the original covert image are exactly the same.

Neuroscientific Measures of Covert Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Ortu, Daniele

2012-01-01

In radical behaviorism, the difference between overt and covert responses does not depend on properties of the behavior but on the sensitivity of the measurement tools employed by the experimenter. Current neuroscientific research utilizes technologies that allow measurement of variables that are undetected by the tools typically used by behavior…

Covert medication in psychiatric emergencies: is it ever ethically permissible?

Science.gov (United States)

Hung, Erick K; McNiel, Dale E; Binder, Renée L

2012-01-01

Covert administration of medications to patients, defined as the administration of medication to patients without their knowledge, is a practice surrounded by clinical, legal, ethics-related, and cultural controversy. Many psychiatrists would be likely to advocate that the practice of covert medication in emergency psychiatry is not clinically, ethically, or legally acceptable. This article explores whether there may be exceptions to this stance that would be ethical. We first review the standard of emergency psychiatric care. Although we could identify no published empirical studies of covert administration of medicine in emergency departments, we review the prevalence of this practice in other clinical settings. While the courts have not ruled with respect to covert medication, we discuss the evolving legal landscape of informed consent, competency, and the right to refuse treatment. We discuss dilemmas regarding the ethics involved in this practice, including the tensions among autonomy, beneficence, and duty to protect. We explore how differences between cultures regarding the value placed on individual versus family autonomy may affect perspectives with regard to this practice. We investigate how consumers view this practice and their treatment preferences during a psychiatric emergency. Finally, we discuss psychiatric advance directives and explore how these contracts may affect the debate over the practice.

CFCC: A Covert Flows Confinement Mechanism for Virtual Machine Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ge; Jin, Hai; Zou, Deqing; Shi, Lei; Ohoussou, Alex K.

Normally, virtualization technology is adopted to construct the infrastructure of cloud computing environment. Resources are managed and organized dynamically through virtual machine (VM) coalitions in accordance with the requirements of applications. Enforcing mandatory access control (MAC) on the VM coalitions will greatly improve the security of VM-based cloud computing. However, the existing MAC models lack the mechanism to confine the covert flows and are hard to eliminate the convert channels. In this paper, we propose a covert flows confinement mechanism for virtual machine coalitions (CFCC), which introduces dynamic conflicts of interest based on the activity history of VMs, each of which is attached with a label. The proposed mechanism can be used to confine the covert flows between VMs in different coalitions. We implement a prototype system, evaluate its performance, and show that our mechanism is practical.

The Effect of Covert Modeling on Communication Apprehension, Communication Confidence, and Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Nimocks, Mittie J.; Bromley, Patricia L.; Parsons, Theron E.; Enright, Corinne S.; Gates, Elizabeth A.

This study examined the effect of covert modeling on communication apprehension, public speaking anxiety, and communication competence. Students identified as highly communication apprehensive received covert modeling, a technique in which one first observes a model doing a behavior, then visualizes oneself performing the behavior and obtaining a…

Visualization and Analysis of Complex Covert Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Memon, Bisharat

systems that are covert and hence inherently complex. My Ph.D. is positioned within the wider framework of CrimeFighter project. The framework envisions a number of key knowledge management processes that are involved in the workflow, and the toolbox provides supporting tools to assist human end......This report discusses and summarize the results of my work so far in relation to my Ph.D. project entitled "Visualization and Analysis of Complex Covert Networks". The focus of my research is primarily on development of methods and supporting tools for visualization and analysis of networked......-users (intelligence analysts) in harvesting, filtering, storing, managing, structuring, mining, analyzing, interpreting, and visualizing data about offensive networks. The methods and tools proposed and discussed in this work can also be applied to analysis of more generic complex networks....

A covert attention P300-based brain-computer interface: Geospell.

Science.gov (United States)

Aloise, Fabio; Aricò, Pietro; Schettini, Francesca; Riccio, Angela; Salinari, Serenella; Mattia, Donatella; Babiloni, Fabio; Cincotti, Febo

2012-01-01

The Farwell and Donchin P300 speller interface is one of the most widely used brain-computer interface (BCI) paradigms for writing text. Recent studies have shown that the recognition accuracy of the P300 speller decreases significantly when eye movement is impaired. This report introduces the GeoSpell interface (Geometric Speller), which implements a stimulation framework for a P300-based BCI that has been optimised for operation in covert visual attention. We compared the Geospell with the P300 speller interface under overt attention conditions with regard to effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction. Ten healthy subjects participated in the study. The performance of the GeoSpell interface in covert attention was comparable with that of the P300 speller in overt attention. As expected, the effectiveness of the spelling decreased with the new interface in covert attention. The NASA task load index (TLX) for workload assessment did not differ significantly between the two modalities. This study introduces and evaluates a gaze-independent, P300-based brain-computer interface, the efficacy and user satisfaction of which were comparable with those off the classical P300 speller. Despite a decrease in effectiveness due to the use of covert attention, the performance of the GeoSpell far exceeded the threshold of accuracy with regard to effective spelling.

Group Systematic Desensitization Versus Covert Positive Reinforcement in the Reduction of Test Anxiety

Science.gov (United States)

Kostka, Marion P.; Galassi, John P.

1974-01-01

The study compared modified versions of systematic desensitization and covert positive reinforcement to a no-treatment control condition in the reduction of test anxiety. On an anagrams performance test, the covert reinforcement and control groups were superior to the desensitization group. (Author)

Discovering what is hidden: The role of non-ritualized covert neutralizing strategies in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Belloch, Amparo; Carrió, Carmen; Cabedo, Elena; García-Soriano, Gemma

2015-12-01

Neutralizing strategies are secondary to obsessions and an additional cause of distress and interference, but they have received little attention in theories and research, especially the non-ritualized covert strategies. This study focuses on the comparative impact of non-ritualized covert and compulsive-overt strategies in the course of OCD. Eighty-two OCD adult patients completed measures assessing distress, interference, appraisals and overt and covert neutralizing strategies to control obsessions. Thirty-eight patients who had completed cognitive therapy were assessed again after treatment. Only overt compulsions are associated with OCD severity. Nonetheless, considering the main symptom dimension, covert strategies are also associated with severity in patients with moral-based obsessions. Patients who used covert strategies more frequently, compared to those who use them less, reported more sadness, guilt, control importance, interference, and dysfunctional appraisals. Regarding the overt strategies, patients who used them more reported more anxiety and ascribed more personal meaning to their obsessions than the patients who used them less. After treatment, recovered patients decreased their use of both covert and overt strategies, while non-recovered patients did not. There was a higher rate of non-recovered patients among those who used more non-ritualized covert strategies before treatment. Emotions and appraisals were assessed with a single item. OCD symptom dimensions were only assessed by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory. In addition to studying overt compulsions, the impact of covert neutralizing strategies on the OCD course and severity warrants more in-depth study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

EEG predictors of covert vigilant attention

Science.gov (United States)

Martel, Adrien; Dähne, Sven; Blankertz, Benjamin

2014-06-01

Objective. The present study addressed the question whether neurophysiological signals exhibit characteristic modulations preceding a miss in a covert vigilant attention task which mimics a natural environment in which critical stimuli may appear in the periphery of the visual field. Approach. Subjective, behavioural and encephalographic (EEG) data of 12 participants performing a modified Mackworth Clock task were obtained and analysed offline. The stimulus consisted of a pointer performing regular ticks in a clockwise sequence across 42 dots arranged in a circle. Participants were requested to covertly attend to the pointer and press a response button as quickly as possible in the event of a jump, a rare and random event. Main results. Significant increases in response latencies and decreases in the detection rates were found as a function of time-on-task, a characteristic effect of sustained attention tasks known as the vigilance decrement. Subjective sleepiness showed a significant increase over the duration of the experiment. Increased activity in the α-frequency range (8-14 Hz) was observed emerging and gradually accumulating 10 s before a missed target. Additionally, a significant gradual attenuation of the P3 event-related component was found to antecede misses by 5 s. Significance. The results corroborate recent findings that behavioural errors are presaged by specific neurophysiological activity and demonstrate that lapses of attention can be predicted in a covert setting up to 10 s in advance reinforcing the prospective use of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for the detection of waning vigilance in real-world scenarios. Combining these findings with real-time single-trial analysis from BCI may pave the way for cognitive states monitoring systems able to determine the current, and predict the near-future development of the brain's attentional processes.

Trading secrets: Jews and the early modern quest for clandestine knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Jütte, Daniel

2012-12-01

This essay explores the significance and function of secrecy and secret sciences in Jewish-Christian relations and in Jewish culture in the early modern period. It shows how the trade in clandestine knowledge and the practice of secret sciences became a complex, sometimes hazardous space for contact between Jews and Christians. By examining this trade, the essay clarifies the role of secrecy in the early modern marketplace of knowledge. The attribution of secretiveness to Jews was a widespread topos in early modern European thought. However, relatively little is known about the implications of such beliefs in science or in daily life. The essay pays special attention to the fact that trade in secret knowledge frequently offered Jews a path to the center of power, especially at court. Furthermore, it becomes clear that the practice of secret sciences, the trade in clandestine knowledge, and a mercantile agenda were often inextricably interwoven. Special attention is paid to the Italian-Jewish alchemist, engineer, and entrepreneur Abramo Colorni (ca. 1544-1599), whose career illustrates the opportunities provided by the marketplace of secrets at that time. Much scholarly (and less scholarly) attention has been devoted to whether and what Jews "contributed" to what is commonly called the "Scientific Revolution." This essay argues that the question is misdirected and that, instead, we should pay more attention to the distinctive opportunities offered by the early modern economy of secrecy.

Heat strain evaluation of overt and covert body armour in a hot and humid environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Pyke, Andrew J; Costello, Joseph T; Stewart, Ian B

2015-03-01

The aim of this study was to elucidate the thermophysiological effects of wearing lightweight non-military overt and covert personal body armour (PBA) in a hot and humid environment. Eight healthy males walked on a treadmill for 120 min at 22% of their heart rate reserve in a climate chamber simulating 31 °C (60%RH) wearing either no armour (control), overt or covert PBA in addition to a security guard uniform, in a randomised controlled crossover design. No significant difference between conditions at the end of each trial was observed in core temperature, heart rate or skin temperature (P > 0.05). Covert PBA produced a significantly greater amount of body mass change (-1.81 ± 0.44%) compared to control (-1.07 ± 0.38%, P = 0.009) and overt conditions (-1.27 ± 0.44%, P = 0.025). Although a greater change in body mass was observed after the covert PBA trial; based on the physiological outcome measures recorded, the heat strain encountered while wearing lightweight, non-military overt or covert PBA was negligible compared to no PBA. The wearing of bullet proof vests or body armour is a requirement of personnel engaged in a wide range of occupations including police, security, customs and even journalists in theatres of war. This randomised controlled crossover study is the first to examine the thermophysiological effects of wearing lightweight non-military overt and covert personal body armour (PBA) in a hot and humid environment. We conclude that the heat strain encountered while wearing both overt and covert lightweight, non-military PBA was negligible compared to no PBA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Management of clandestine drug laboratories: need for evidence-based environmental health policies.

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Obaidi, Tamara A; Fletcher, Stephanie M

2014-01-01

Clandestine drug laboratories (CDLs) have been emerging and increasing as a public health problem in Australia, with methamphetamine being the dominant illegally manufactured drug. However, management and remediation of contaminated properties are still limited in terms of regulation and direction, especially in relation to public and environmental health practice. Therefore, this review provides an update on the hazards and health effects associated with CDLs, with a specific look at the management of these labs from an Australian perspective. Particularly, the paper attempts to describe the policy landscape for management of CDLs, and identifies current gaps and how further research may be utilised to advance understanding and management of CDLs and inform public health policies. The paper highlights a significant lack of evidence-based policies and guidelines to guide regulatory authority including environmental health officers in Australia. Only recently, the national Clandestine Drug Laboratory Guidelines were developed to assist relevant authority and specialists manage and carry out investigations and remediation of contaminated sites. However, only three states have developed state-based guidelines, some of which are inadequate to meet environmental health requirements. The review recommends well-needed inter-sectoral collaborations and further research to provide an evidence base for the development of robust policies and standard operating procedures for safe and effective environmental health management and remediation of CDLs.

Covert Conditioning: Case Studies in Self-Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Yager, Geoffrey G.

The self-management of thoughts and mental images was used in a series of empirical case studies to influence behavior changes. The target behaviors in the cases reported were smoking, overeating, fingernail biting, thinking self-depreciative thoughts, and responding assertively. Self-monitoring, covert positive reinforcement, covert…

(Covert attention and visual speller design in an ERP-based brain-computer interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Treder Matthias S

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In a visual oddball paradigm, attention to an event usually modulates the event-related potential (ERP. An ERP-based brain-computer interface (BCI exploits this neural mechanism for communication. Hitherto, it was unclear to what extent the accuracy of such a BCI requires eye movements (overt attention or whether it is also feasible for targets in the visual periphery (covert attention. Also unclear was how the visual design of the BCI can be improved to meet peculiarities of peripheral vision such as low spatial acuity and crowding. Method Healthy participants (N = 13 performed a copy-spelling task wherein they had to count target intensifications. EEG and eye movements were recorded concurrently. First, (covert attention was investigated by way of a target fixation condition and a central fixation condition. In the latter, participants had to fixate a dot in the center of the screen and allocate their attention to a target in the visual periphery. Second, the effect of visual speller layout was investigated by comparing the symbol Matrix to an ERP-based Hex-o-Spell, a two-levels speller consisting of six discs arranged on an invisible hexagon. Results We assessed counting errors, ERP amplitudes, and offline classification performance. There is an advantage (i.e., less errors, larger ERP amplitude modulation, better classification of overt attention over covert attention, and there is also an advantage of the Hex-o-Spell over the Matrix. Using overt attention, P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 components are enhanced by attention. Using covert attention, only N2 and P3 are enhanced for both spellers, and N1 and P2 are modulated when using the Hex-o-Spell but not when using the Matrix. Consequently, classifiers rely mainly on early evoked potentials in overt attention and on later cognitive components in covert attention. Conclusions Both overt and covert attention can be used to drive an ERP-based BCI, but performance is markedly lower

Covert Censorship in Libraries: A Discussion Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Moody, Kim

2005-01-01

Librarians, through their professional associations, have long been committed to the social justice principle embedded in the concept of "free access to information". External censorship challenges to library collections threaten this principle overtly. However, censorship can also occur in libraries in various covert and often unconscious ways.…

SSVEP-modulation by covert and overt attention: Novel features for BCI in attention neuro-rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ordikhani-Seyedlar, Mehdi; Sørensen, Helge Bjarup Dissing; Kjaer, Troels W.

2014-01-01

In this pilot study the effect of attention (covert and overt) on the signal detection and classification of steady-state visual-evoked potential (SSVEP) were investigated. Using the SSVEP-based paradigm, data were acquired from 4 subjects using 3 scalp electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes...... located on the visual area. Subjects were instructed to perform the attention task in which they attended covertly or overtly to either of the stimuli flickering with different frequencies (6, 7, 8 and 9Hz). We observed a decrease in signal power in covert compared to the overt attention. However...

Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy and Offspring Overt and Covert Conduct Problems: A Longitudinal Study

Science.gov (United States)

Monuteaux, Michael C.; Blacker, Deborah; Biederman, Joseph; Fitzmaurice, Garrett; Buka, Stephen L.

2006-01-01

Background: Empirical evidence demonstrates that conduct disorder (CD) symptoms tend to cluster into covert and overt domains. We hypothesized that overt and covert CD symptoms may be distinct constructs with distinct risk factors. An important risk factor for CD is maternal smoking during pregnancy. We further investigated this association,…

Chinese adolescents' reports of covert parental monitoring: Comparisons with overt monitoring and links with information management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawk, Skyler T

2017-02-01

This study compared Chinese adolescents' reports of covert parental monitoring with the overt strategies of solicitation and control. We investigated these behaviors in terms of unique associations with adolescents' perceived privacy invasion and the information management behaviors of disclosure and secrecy. High school students (N = 455, 61.5% female; M age  = 17.39, SD = 0.83) from a predominantly rural province of Mainland China reported a high incidence of covert monitoring (60.40%). Covert monitoring predicted privacy invasion more strongly than solicitation or control. Solicitation positively predicted disclosure, while covert monitoring negatively predicted disclosure and positively predicted secrecy. Privacy invasion fully mediated links between covert monitoring and information management. These latter effects were significantly stronger for girls than for boys. Similar to Western adolescents, Chinese youth might apply selective resistance when parents violate their personal domain. The findings suggest linkage between some parental monitoring behaviors and disruptions in Chinese family communication. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatially distributed encoding of covert attentional shifts in human thalamus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hulme, Oliver J; Whiteley, Louise Emma; Shipp, Stewart

2010-01-01

/central-intralaminar (oculomotor thalamus), caudal intralaminar/parafascicular, suprageniculate/limitans, and medial pulvinar/lateral posterior. Hence, the cortical network generating a top-down control signal for relocating attention acts in concert with a spatially selective thalamic apparatus-the set of active nuclei mirroring...... the thalamic territory of cortical "eye-field" areas, thus supporting theories which propose the visuomotor origins of covert attentional selection.......Spatial attention modulates signal processing within visual nuclei of the thalamus--but do other nuclei govern the locus of attention in top-down mode? We examined functional MRI (fMRI) data from three subjects performing a task requiring covert attention to 1 of 16 positions in a circular array...

Covert video monitoring in the assessment of medically unexplained symptoms in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, Dustin P; Sim, Leslie A; Harrison, Tracy E; Bruce, Barbara K; Harbeck-Weber, Cynthia

2012-04-01

Diagnosis of medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) occurs after thorough evaluations have failed to identify a physiological cause for symptoms. However, families and providers may wonder if something has been missed, leading to reduced confidence in behavioral treatment. Confidence may be improved through the use of technology such as covert video monitoring to better assess functioning across settings. A 12-year-old male presented with progressive neurological decline, precipitated by chronic pain. After thorough evaluation and the failure of standard treatments (medical, rehabilitative, and psychological) covert video monitoring revealed that the patient demonstrated greater abilities when alone in his room. Negative reinforcement was used to initiate recovery, accompanied by positive reinforcement and a rehabilitative approach. Covert video monitoring assisted in three subsequent cases over the following 3 years. In certain complex cases, video monitoring can inform the assessment and treatment of MUS. Discussion includes ethical and practical considerations.

Affective significance enhances covert attention: roles of anxiety and word familiarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Calvo, Manuel G; Eysenck, Michael W

2008-11-01

To investigate the processing of emotional words by covert attention, threat-related, positive, and neutral word primes were presented parafoveally (2.2 degrees away from fixation) for 150 ms, under gaze-contingent foveal masking, to prevent eye fixations. The primes were followed by a probe word in a lexical-decision task. In Experiment 1, results showed a parafoveal threat-anxiety superiority: Parafoveal prime threat words facilitated responses to probe threat words for high-anxiety individuals, in comparison with neutral and positive words, and relative to low-anxiety individuals. This reveals an advantage in threat processing by covert attention, without differences in overt attention. However, anxiety was also associated with greater familiarity with threat words, and the parafoveal priming effects were significantly reduced when familiarity was covaried out. To further examine the role of word knowledge, in Experiment 2, vocabulary and word familiarity were equated for low- and high-anxiety groups. In these conditions, the parafoveal threat-anxiety advantage disappeared. This suggests that the enhanced covert-attention effect depends on familiarity with words.

(C)overt attention and visual speller design in an ERP-based brain-computer interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Treder, Matthias S; Blankertz, Benjamin

2010-05-28

In a visual oddball paradigm, attention to an event usually modulates the event-related potential (ERP). An ERP-based brain-computer interface (BCI) exploits this neural mechanism for communication. Hitherto, it was unclear to what extent the accuracy of such a BCI requires eye movements (overt attention) or whether it is also feasible for targets in the visual periphery (covert attention). Also unclear was how the visual design of the BCI can be improved to meet peculiarities of peripheral vision such as low spatial acuity and crowding. Healthy participants (N = 13) performed a copy-spelling task wherein they had to count target intensifications. EEG and eye movements were recorded concurrently. First, (c)overt attention was investigated by way of a target fixation condition and a central fixation condition. In the latter, participants had to fixate a dot in the center of the screen and allocate their attention to a target in the visual periphery. Second, the effect of visual speller layout was investigated by comparing the symbol Matrix to an ERP-based Hex-o-Spell, a two-levels speller consisting of six discs arranged on an invisible hexagon. We assessed counting errors, ERP amplitudes, and offline classification performance. There is an advantage (i.e., less errors, larger ERP amplitude modulation, better classification) of overt attention over covert attention, and there is also an advantage of the Hex-o-Spell over the Matrix. Using overt attention, P1, N1, P2, N2, and P3 components are enhanced by attention. Using covert attention, only N2 and P3 are enhanced for both spellers, and N1 and P2 are modulated when using the Hex-o-Spell but not when using the Matrix. Consequently, classifiers rely mainly on early evoked potentials in overt attention and on later cognitive components in covert attention. Both overt and covert attention can be used to drive an ERP-based BCI, but performance is markedly lower for covert attention. The Hex-o-Spell outperforms the

A Novel Covert Agent for Stealthy Attacks on Industrial Control Systems Using Least Squares Support Vector Regression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weize Li

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Research on stealthiness has become an important topic in the field of data integrity (DI attacks. To construct stealthy DI attacks, a common assumption in most related studies is that attackers have prior model knowledge of physical systems. In this paper, such assumption is relaxed and a covert agent is proposed based on the least squares support vector regression (LSSVR. By estimating a plant model from control and sensory data, the LSSVR-based covert agent can closely imitate the behavior of the physical plant. Then, the covert agent is used to construct a covert loop, which can keep the controller’s input and output both stealthy over a finite time window. Experiments have been carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Adaptive attunement of selective covert attention to evolutionary-relevant emotional visual scenes.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Martín, Andrés; Gutiérrez-García, Aída; Capafons, Juan; Calvo, Manuel G

2017-05-01

We investigated selective attention to emotional scenes in peripheral vision, as a function of adaptive relevance of scene affective content for male and female observers. Pairs of emotional-neutral images appeared peripherally-with perceptual stimulus differences controlled-while viewers were fixating on a different stimulus in central vision. Early selective orienting was assessed by the probability of directing the first fixation towards either scene, and the time until first fixation. Emotional scenes selectively captured covert attention even when they were task-irrelevant, thus revealing involuntary, automatic processing. Sex of observers and specific emotional scene content (e.g., male-to-female-aggression, families and babies, etc.) interactively modulated covert attention, depending on adaptive priorities and goals for each sex, both for pleasant and unpleasant content. The attentional system exhibits domain-specific and sex-specific biases and attunements, probably rooted in evolutionary pressures to enhance reproductive and protective success. Emotional cues selectively capture covert attention based on their bio-social significance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Individualized Covert Modeling, Self-Control Desensitization, and Study Skills Training for Alleviation of Test Anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Gina; Johhson, Suzanne Bennett

1980-01-01

Individualized covert modeling and self-control desensitization substantially reduced self-reported test anxiety. However, the individualized covert modeling group was the only treatment group that showed significant improvement in academic performance. (Author)

Effects of environmental support on overt and covert visuospatial rehearsal.

Science.gov (United States)

Lilienthal, Lindsey; Myerson, Joel; Abrams, Richard A; Hale, Sandra

2018-09-01

People can rehearse to-be-remembered locations either overtly, using eye movements, or covertly, using only shifts of spatial attention. The present study examined whether the effectiveness of these two strategies depends on environmental support for rehearsal. In Experiment 1, when environmental support (i.e., the array of possible locations) was present and participants could engage in overt rehearsal during retention intervals, longer intervals resulted in larger spans, whereas in Experiment 2, when support was present but participants could only engage in covert rehearsal, longer intervals resulted in smaller spans. When environmental support was absent, however, longer retention intervals resulted in smaller memory spans regardless of which rehearsal strategies were available. In Experiment 3, analyses of participants' eye movements revealed that the presence of support increased participants' fixations of to-be-remembered target locations more than fixations of non-targets, and that this was associated with better memory performance. Further, although the total time fixating targets increased, individual target fixations were actually briefer. Taken together, the present findings suggest that in the presence of environmental support, overt rehearsal is more effective than covert rehearsal at maintaining to-be-remembered locations in working memory, and that having more time for overt rehearsal can actually increase visuospatial memory spans.

The mind-writing pupil : A human-computer interface based on decoding of covert attention through pupillometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mathôt, Sebastiaan; Melmi, Jean Baptiste; Van Der Linden, Lotje; Van Der Stigchel, Stefan

2016-01-01

We present a new human-computer interface that is based on decoding of attention through pupillometry. Our method builds on the recent finding that covert visual attention affects the pupillary light response: Your pupil constricts when you covertly (without looking at it) attend to a bright,

A Comparison of Three Covert Assertion Training Procedures.

Science.gov (United States)

Twentyman, Craig T.; And Others

1980-01-01

Assessed the effectiveness of covert modification procedures in an assertion training program. All treatment groups were superior to the control in behavioral ratings of assertiveness during the posttest in those situations that had been employed previously in treatment; two were superior in those that had not been used, providing evidence of…

From Passive to Covert Security at Low Cost

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Geisler, Martin; Nielsen, Jesper Buus

2010-01-01

. In this paper, we show how to compile a passively secure protocol for honest majority into one that is secure against covert attacks, again for honest majority and catches cheating with probability 1/4. The cost of the modified protocol is essentially twice that of the original plus an overhead that only...

A Theory of Dark Network Design

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-01

nuances of clandestine and covert activities, see James McCargar, "Part 1: Fundementals and Forms of Action," in A Short Course in the Secret War, 15–151...safe setting for business operations due to their overall level of munificence and richness in investment and marketing opportunities. A light...unprofitable while at the same time curbing long term financial investment in our country. 171 John Horgan, and

Assessing Boundary Conditions of the Testing Effect: On the Relative Efficacy of Covert vs. Overt Retrieval

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Max L. Sundqvist

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Repeated testing during learning often improves later memory, which is often referred to as the testing effect. To clarify its boundary conditions, we examined whether the testing effect was selectively affected by covert (retrieved but not articulated or overt (retrieved and articulated response format. In Experiments 1 and 2, we compared immediate (5 min and delayed (1 week cued recall for paired associates following study-only, covert, and overt conditions, including two types of overt articulation (typing and writing. A clear testing effect was observed in both experiments, but with no selective effects of response format. In Experiments 3 and 4, we compared covert and overt retrieval under blocked and random list orders. The effect sizes were small in both experiments, but there was a significant effect of response format, with overt retrieval showing better final recall performance than covert retrieval. There were no significant effects of blocked vs. random list orders with respect to the testing effect produced. Taken together, these findings suggest that, under specific circumstances, overt retrieval may lead to a greater testing effect than that of covert retrieval, but because of small effect sizes, it appears that the testing effect is mainly the result of retrieval processes and that articulation has fairly little to add to its magnitude in a paired-associates learning paradigm.

The proportion valid effect in covert orienting: strategic control or implicit learning?

Science.gov (United States)

Risko, Evan F; Stolz, Jennifer A

2010-03-01

It is well known that the difference in performance between valid and invalid trials in the covert orienting paradigm (i.e., the cueing effect) increases as the proportion of valid trials increases. This proportion valid effect is widely assumed to reflect "strategic" control over the distribution of attention. In the present experiments we determine if this effect results from an explicit strategy or implicit learning by probing participant's awareness of the proportion of valid trials. Results support the idea that the proportion valid effect in the covert orienting paradigm reflects implicit learning not an explicit strategy.

The Factors That Influence and Protect Against Power Imbalance in Covert Bullying Among Preadolescent Children at School: A Thematic Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Helen J; Burns, Sharyn K; Kendall, Garth E; Schonert-Reichl, Kimberly A

2017-01-01

In this article, the perceptions of preadolescent children (ages 9-11) regarding factors that influence and protect against power imbalance associated with covert aggression and bullying are explored. In aggression research, the term covert has been typically used to describe relational, indirect, and social acts of aggression that are hidden. These behaviors contrast with overt physical and verbal aggression. Children have previously conveyed their belief that covert aggression is harmful because adults do not see it even though children, themselves, are aware. We used focus groups to explore children's understanding of covert aggression and to identify children's experience and perception of adult support in relation to bullying. Thematic analysis supported the definition of covert aggression as that which is intentionally hidden from adults. Friendship, social exclusion, and secret from teacher were identified as factors that influence power imbalance, while support from friends and adult support protected against power imbalance.

Overt vs. covert speed cameras in combination with delayed vs. immediate feedback to the offender.

Science.gov (United States)

Marciano, Hadas; Setter, Pe'erly; Norman, Joel

2015-06-01

Speeding is a major problem in road safety because it increases both the probability of accidents and the severity of injuries if an accident occurs. Speed cameras are one of the most common speed enforcement tools. Most of the speed cameras around the world are overt, but there is evidence that this can cause a "kangaroo effect" in driving patterns. One suggested alternative to prevent this kangaroo effect is the use of covert cameras. Another issue relevant to the effect of enforcement countermeasures on speeding is the timing of the fine. There is general agreement on the importance of the immediacy of the punishment, however, in the context of speed limit enforcement, implementing such immediate punishment is difficult. An immediate feedback that mediates the delay between the speed violation and getting a ticket is one possible solution. This study examines combinations of concealment and the timing of the fine in operating speed cameras in order to evaluate the most effective one in terms of enforcing speed limits. Using a driving simulator, the driving performance of the following four experimental groups was tested: (1) overt cameras with delayed feedback, (2) overt cameras with immediate feedback, (3) covert cameras with delayed feedback, and (4) covert cameras with immediate feedback. Each of the 58 participants drove in the same scenario on three different days. The results showed that both median speed and speed variance were higher with overt than with covert cameras. Moreover, implementing a covert camera system along with immediate feedback was more conducive to drivers maintaining steady speeds at the permitted levels from the very beginning. Finally, both 'overt cameras' groups exhibit a kangaroo effect throughout the entire experiment. It can be concluded that an implementation strategy consisting of covert speed cameras combined with immediate feedback to the offender is potentially an optimal way to motivate drivers to maintain speeds at the

The bureaucratization of war: moral challenges exemplified by the covert lethal drone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Adams

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This article interrogates the bureaucratization of war, incarnate in the covert lethal drone. Bureaucracies are criticized typically for their complexity, inefficiency, and inflexibility. This article is concerned with their moral indifference. It explores killing, which is so highly administered, so morally remote, and of such scale, that we acknowledge a covert lethal program. This is a bureaucratized program of assassination in contravention of critical human rights. In this article, this program is seen to compromise the advance of global justice. Moreover, the bureaucratization of lethal force is seen to dissolve democratic ideals from within. The bureaucracy isolates the citizens from lethal force applied in their name. People are killed, in the name of the State, but without conspicuous justification, or judicial review, and without informed public debate. This article gives an account of the risk associated with the bureaucratization of the State's lethal power. Exemplified by the covert drone, this is power with formidable reach. It is power as well, which requires great moral sensitivity. Considering the drone program, this article identifies challenges, which will become more prominent and pressing, as technology advances.

Covert Channels in SIP for VoIP Signalling

Science.gov (United States)

Mazurczyk, Wojciech; Szczypiorski, Krzysztof

In this paper, we evaluate available steganographic techniques for SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) that can be used for creating covert channels during signaling phase of VoIP (Voice over IP) call. Apart from characterizing existing steganographic methods we provide new insights by introducing new techniques. We also estimate amount of data that can be transferred in signalling messages for typical IP telephony call.

Emotional responses to a romantic partner's imaginary rejection: the roles of attachment anxiety, covert narcissism, and self-evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Besser, Avi; Priel, Beatriz

2009-02-01

These studies tested the associations between responses to an induced imaginary romantic rejection and individual differences on dimensions of attachment and covert narcissism. In Study 1 (N=125), we examined the associations between attachment dimensions and emotional responses to a vignette depicting a scenario of romantic rejection, as measured by self-reported negative mood states, expressions of anger, somatic symptoms, and self-evaluation. Higher scores on attachment anxiety, but not on attachment avoidance, were associated with stronger reactions to the induced rejection. Moreover, decreased self-evaluation scores (self-esteem and pride) were found to mediate these associations. In Study 2 (N=88), the relative contributions of covert narcissism and attachment anxiety to the emotional responses to romantic rejection were explored. Higher scores on covert narcissism were associated with stronger reactions to the induced rejection. Moreover, covert narcissism seemed to constitute a specific aspect of attachment anxiety.

An Overt Chemical Protective Garment Reduces Thermal Strain Compared with a Covert Garment in Warm-Wet but Not Hot-Dry Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew J. Maley

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Objectives: A commercial chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN protective covert garment has recently been developed with the aim of reducing thermal strain. A covert CBRN protective layer can be worn under other clothing, with equipment added for full chemical protection when needed. However, it is unknown whether the covert garment offers any alleviation to thermal strain during work compared with a traditional overt ensemble. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare thermal strain and work tolerance times during work in an overt and covert ensemble offering the same level of CBRN protection.Methods: Eleven male participants wore an overt (OVERT or covert (COVERT CBRN ensemble and walked (4 km·h−1, 1% grade for a maximum of 120 min in either a wet bulb globe temperature [WBGT] of 21, 30, or 37°C (Neutral, WarmWet and HotDry, respectively. The trials were ceased if the participants' gastrointestinal temperature reached 39°C, heart rate reached 90% of maximum, walking time reached 120 min or due to self-termination.Results: All participants completed 120 min of walking in Neutral. Work tolerance time was greater in OVERT compared with COVERT in WarmWet (P < 0.001, 116.5[9.9] vs. 88.9[12.2] min, respectively, though this order was reversed in HotDry (P = 0.003, 37.3[5.3] vs. 48.4[4.6] min, respectively. The rate of change in mean body temperature and mean skin temperature was greater in COVERT (0.025[0.004] and 0.045[0.010]°C·min−1, respectively compared with OVERT (0.014[0.004] and 0.027[0.007]°C·min−1, respectively in WarmWet (P < 0.001 and P = 0.028, respectively. However, the rate of change in mean body temperature and mean skin temperature was greater in OVERT (0.068[0.010] and 0.170[0.026]°C·min−1, respectively compared with COVERT (0.059[0.004] and 0.120[0.017]°C·min−1, respectively in HotDry (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively. Thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and ratings of perceived

[Attendance at a health center by clandestine prostitutes in Djibouti].

Science.gov (United States)

Philippon, M; Saada, M; Kamil, M A; Houmed, H M

1997-01-01

The extent of clandestine prostitution in Djibouti is difficult to evaluate. Due to the secrecy of the prostitutes and often their low level of education, the follow-up of these patients is also difficult. A sexually transmitted disease clinic specialized in the treatment of prostitutes and their customers has been established in Djibouti since 1963. We tried to evaluate the available data on the clandestine prostitutes attendance at the center. The population was young with a mean age of 23 years. Fifty percent had children and 60% were divorced or separated. Ninety-one percent were Ethiopian and 73% lived in the same district of the city of Djibouti. Almost half of them were HIV positive. The duration of residence in Djibouti before the first visit to the clinic varied widely with a median of 12 months. However, the total duration of prostitution before the first visit was shorter with a median of 3 months. The complaint at the first visit was most often minor. Among the prostitutes who first came to the center in 1993, half of them came only once. The overall duration of follow-up was 8 months, for an average of 3.7 visits per patient. Alternatively, 20 patients had more than 10 consultations and this represented one third of the consultations given to previous patients. This last group is the only one which tended to respect the monthly visits proposed to each patient at the first consultation. The other patients seemed to come only when they felt ill. The routine statistical activities which separately counted the new and previous patients gave an optimistic but faulty impression: these showed an increase in the total number of patients and also an increase in the percentage of previous patients visiting (from 42 to 69% between 1988 and 1994). It is difficult to evaluate the follow-up of such a mobile population. The few patients known for their fidelity contrasted with the fact that half of the patients had visited the center only once. This low frequency of

Covert Medications: Act of Compassion or Conspiracy of Silence?

Science.gov (United States)

Macauley, Robert C

2016-01-01

As the population in the United States gets older, more people suffer from dementia, which often causes neuropsychiatric symptoms such as agitation and paranoia. This can lead patients to refuse medications, prompting consideration of covert administration (that is, concealing medication in food or drink). While many condemn this practice as paternalistic, deceptive, and potentially harmful, the end result of assuming the "moral high ground" can be increased suffering for patients and families. This article addresses common criticisms of covert medication and presents a detailed algorithm by which to determine whether the practice is ethically permissible in specific cases. It also explores why so little attention has been paid in the U.S. to this presumably common practice, and reviews professional statements from Europe that endorse the practice. Finally, it presents a compelling argument for the role of Ulysses clauses in advance care planning, not only for patients with psychiatric illness but also for those who may suffer from dementia, which is far more common. Copyright 2016 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Covert Action: Cold War Dinosaur or "Tool" for the 21st Century?

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bonham, Gordon C

1999-01-01

.... During the height of the Cold War, while "Mission Impossible" and "Secret Agent" dominated television viewing, covert operations were frequently the instrument of choice to achieve foreign policy objectives...

Narcissism and boredom revisited: an exploration of correlates of overt and covert narcissism among Dutch university students.

Science.gov (United States)

Zondag, Hessel J

2013-04-01

This article presents a study of the relationship between narcissism, overt and covert, and seven aspects of boredom, defined as listlessness, drawn out experience of time, depletion, lack of concentration, restlessness, experience seeking, and lack of interest. The survey was conducted using questionnaires administered to 32 men and 177 women. The mean age of male respondents was 30.9 yr. (SD = 11.9), that of female respondents 30.2 yr. (SD = 12.2). In general terms, covert narcissism was found to be positively, and overt narcissism negatively, associated with boredom. The results showed a more complex pattern than was found in previous research into the relationship between narcissism and boredom and suggest that overt and covert narcissism are at opposite ends of the adjustment continuum.

Clandestine induced abortion: prevalence, incidence and risk factors among women in a Latin American country.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernabé-Ortiz, Antonio; White, Peter J; Carcamo, Cesar P; Hughes, James P; Gonzales, Marco A; Garcia, Patricia J; Garnett, Geoff P; Holmes, King K

2009-02-03

Clandestine induced abortions are a public health problem in many developing countries where access to abortion services is legally restricted. We estimated the prevalence and incidence of, and risk factors for, clandestine induced abortions in a Latin American country. We conducted a large population-based survey of women aged 18-29 years in 20 cities in Peru. We asked questions about their history of spontaneous and induced abortions, using techniques to encourage disclosure. Of 8242 eligible women, 7992 (97.0%) agreed to participate. The prevalence of reported induced abortions was 11.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 10.9%-12.4%) among the 7962 women who participated in the survey. It was 13.6% (95% CI 12.8%-14.5%) among the 6559 women who reported having been sexually active. The annual incidence of induced abortion was 3.1% (95% CI 2.9%-3.3%) among the women who had ever been sexually active. In the multivariable analysis, risk factors for induced abortion were higher age at the time of the survey (odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% CI 1.07-1.15), lower age at first sexual intercourse (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.84-0.91), geographic region (highlands: OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.23-1.97; jungle: OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.41-2.31 [v. coastal region]), having children (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.98), having more than 1 sexual partner in lifetime (2 partners: OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.23-2.09; > or = 3 partners: OR 2.79, 95% CI 2.12-3.67), and having 1 or more sexual partners in the year before the survey (1 partner: OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.01-1.72; > or = 2 partners: OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.14-2.02). Overall, 49.0% (95% CI 47.6%-50.3%) of the women who reported being currently sexually active were not using contraception. The incidence of clandestine, potentially unsafe induced abortion in Peru is as high as or higher than the rates in many countries where induced abortion is legal and safe. The provision of contraception and safer-sex education to those who require it needs to be greatly improved and could potentially

Reassessment of the wing feathers of Archaeopteryx lithographica suggests no robust evidence for the presence of elongated dorsal wing coverts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert L Nudds

Full Text Available Recently it was proposed that the primary feathers of Archaeopteryx lithographica (HMN1880 were overlaid by long covert feathers, and that a multilayered feathered wing was a feature of early fossils with feathered forelimbs. The proposed long covert feathers of Archaeopteryx were previously interpreted as dorsally displaced remiges or a second set of impressions made by the wing. The following study shows that the qualitative arguments forwarded in support of the elongated covert hypothesis are neither robust nor supported quantitatively. The idea that the extant bird wing with its single layer of overlapping primaries evolved from an earlier multilayered heavily coveted feathered forelimb as seen in Anchiornis huxleyi is reasonable. At this juncture, however, it is premature to conclude unequivocally that the wing of Archaeopteryx consisted of primary feathers overlaid with elongated coverts.

Predicting Overt and Covert Antisocial Behaviors: Parents, Peers, and Homelessness

Science.gov (United States)

Tompsett, Carolyn J.; Toro, Paul A.

2010-01-01

Parental deviance, parental monitoring, and deviant peers were examined as predictors of overt and covert antisocial behaviors. Homeless (N=231) and housed (N=143) adolescents were assessed in adolescence and again in early adulthood. Homelessness predicted both types of antisocial behaviors, and effects persisted in young adulthood. Parental…

Covert Marketing: A Virtual Media Communication Vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pradeep Kautish

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Consumers' suspicion towards traditional marketing techniques, led marketers to try the virtual media communication form called disguise advertising as other forms of messages. The examples include making advertisements resemble news items (Aditya 2001; Levine 1993; Richards 1992, the infomercials in the '90s that disguise advertising as TV programs (Levine 1993; Lacher and Rotfeld 1994, making celebrities use the products in their real lives or in films (Aditya2001, feeding media information using public relations (PR activities like brib- ing journalists with gifts and making TV stations use the footages from press releases (Gillin 2006. Because of the prevalence of virtual media, the marketing practices that conceal the real sources (marketers with disguised sources haveposed both ethical and policy concerns. This article proposed a new typology that covered the comprehensive scope of disguised marketing practices, discussed the deceptive nature of this marketing technique from the consumer behavioral view- points, and conducted a 2 x 3 experiment to test the hypothesized relationships.The results suggest that an implicit message, disguised source’s preference, is likely to be conveyed in covert marketing and thus results in high a deceptive tendency.

Information-Limited Parallel Processing in Difficult Heterogeneous Covert Visual Search

Science.gov (United States)

Dosher, Barbara Anne; Han, Songmei; Lu, Zhong-Lin

2010-01-01

Difficult visual search is often attributed to time-limited serial attention operations, although neural computations in the early visual system are parallel. Using probabilistic search models (Dosher, Han, & Lu, 2004) and a full time-course analysis of the dynamics of covert visual search, we distinguish unlimited capacity parallel versus serial…

Protocol for the design of an instrument to measure preadolescent children's self-report of covert aggression and bullying

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Helen Jean; Kendall, Garth Edward; Burns, Sharyn; Schonert-Reichl, Kimberly

2015-01-01

Introduction Covert bullying in schools is associated with a range of academic, social, emotional and physical health problems. Much research has focused on bullying, but there remains a gap in understanding about covert aggression and how to most accurately and reliably measure children's own reports of this behaviour. This paper reviews relevant literature and outlines a research project that aims to develop a self-report instrument that effectively measures covert aggression and bullying. It is anticipated that this research will result in a standardised instrument that is suitable for exploring preadolescent children's experiences of covert aggressive behaviour. The data collected by the instrument will enhance health and education professionals understanding of covert bullying behaviours and will inform the design and evaluation of interventions. Methods and analysis Relational developmental systems theory will guide the design of an online self-report instrument. The first phase of the project will include a critical review of the research literature, focus groups with children aged 8–12 years (grades 4–6) in Perth, Western Australia, and expert review. The instrument will be explored for content and face validity prior to the assessment of convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Ethics and dissemination The study has been approved by the Curtin University of Human Research Ethics Committee (RDHS-38-15) and by the Executive Principal of the participating school. PMID:26553834

Exercise-Induced Fatigue and Caffeine Supplementation Affect Psychomotor Performance but Not Covert Visuo-Spatial Attention

Science.gov (United States)

Connell, Charlotte J. W.; Thompson, Benjamin; Kuhn, Gustav; Gant, Nicholas

2016-01-01

Fatigue resulting from strenuous exercise can impair cognition and oculomotor control. These impairments can be prevented by administering psychostimulants such as caffeine. This study used two experiments to explore the influence of caffeine administered at rest and during fatiguing physical exercise on spatial attention—a cognitive function that is crucial for task-based visually guided behavior. In independent placebo-controlled studies, cohorts of 12 healthy participants consumed caffeine and rested or completed 180 min of stationary cycling. Covert attentional orienting was measured in both experiments using a spatial cueing paradigm. We observed no alterations in attentional facilitation toward spatial cues suggesting that covert attentional orienting is not influenced by exercise fatigue or caffeine supplementation. Response times were increased (impaired) after exercise and this deterioration was prevented by caffeine supplementation. In the resting experiment, response times across all conditions and cues were decreased (improved) with caffeine. Covert spatial attention was not influenced by caffeine. Together, the results of these experiments suggest that covert attentional orienting is robust to the effects of fatiguing exercise and not influenced by caffeine. However, exercise fatigue impairs response times, which can be prevented by caffeine, suggesting that pre-motor planning and execution of the motor responses required for performance of the cueing task are sensitive to central nervous system fatigue. Caffeine improves response time in both fatigued and fresh conditions, most likely through action on networks controlling motor function. PMID:27768747

Exercise-Induced Fatigue and Caffeine Supplementation Affect Psychomotor Performance but Not Covert Visuo-Spatial Attention.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte J W Connell

Full Text Available Fatigue resulting from strenuous exercise can impair cognition and oculomotor control. These impairments can be prevented by administering psychostimulants such as caffeine. This study used two experiments to explore the influence of caffeine administered at rest and during fatiguing physical exercise on spatial attention-a cognitive function that is crucial for task-based visually guided behavior. In independent placebo-controlled studies, cohorts of 12 healthy participants consumed caffeine and rested or completed 180 min of stationary cycling. Covert attentional orienting was measured in both experiments using a spatial cueing paradigm. We observed no alterations in attentional facilitation toward spatial cues suggesting that covert attentional orienting is not influenced by exercise fatigue or caffeine supplementation. Response times were increased (impaired after exercise and this deterioration was prevented by caffeine supplementation. In the resting experiment, response times across all conditions and cues were decreased (improved with caffeine. Covert spatial attention was not influenced by caffeine. Together, the results of these experiments suggest that covert attentional orienting is robust to the effects of fatiguing exercise and not influenced by caffeine. However, exercise fatigue impairs response times, which can be prevented by caffeine, suggesting that pre-motor planning and execution of the motor responses required for performance of the cueing task are sensitive to central nervous system fatigue. Caffeine improves response time in both fatigued and fresh conditions, most likely through action on networks controlling motor function.

Exercise-Induced Fatigue and Caffeine Supplementation Affect Psychomotor Performance but Not Covert Visuo-Spatial Attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Connell, Charlotte J W; Thompson, Benjamin; Kuhn, Gustav; Gant, Nicholas

2016-01-01

Fatigue resulting from strenuous exercise can impair cognition and oculomotor control. These impairments can be prevented by administering psychostimulants such as caffeine. This study used two experiments to explore the influence of caffeine administered at rest and during fatiguing physical exercise on spatial attention-a cognitive function that is crucial for task-based visually guided behavior. In independent placebo-controlled studies, cohorts of 12 healthy participants consumed caffeine and rested or completed 180 min of stationary cycling. Covert attentional orienting was measured in both experiments using a spatial cueing paradigm. We observed no alterations in attentional facilitation toward spatial cues suggesting that covert attentional orienting is not influenced by exercise fatigue or caffeine supplementation. Response times were increased (impaired) after exercise and this deterioration was prevented by caffeine supplementation. In the resting experiment, response times across all conditions and cues were decreased (improved) with caffeine. Covert spatial attention was not influenced by caffeine. Together, the results of these experiments suggest that covert attentional orienting is robust to the effects of fatiguing exercise and not influenced by caffeine. However, exercise fatigue impairs response times, which can be prevented by caffeine, suggesting that pre-motor planning and execution of the motor responses required for performance of the cueing task are sensitive to central nervous system fatigue. Caffeine improves response time in both fatigued and fresh conditions, most likely through action on networks controlling motor function.

College Adjustment Difficulties and the Overt and Covert Forms of Narcissism

Science.gov (United States)

Weikel, Kim A.; Avara, Renee Mowery; Hanson, Chad A.; Kater, Hope

2010-01-01

Overt narcissism correlated negatively with emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties among female, but not male, students. After controlling for self-esteem, overt narcissism correlated positively with depression among female students and with emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties among male students. Covert narcissism…

Hiding a Covert Digital Image by Assembling the RSA Encryption Method and the Binary Encoding Method

OpenAIRE

Kuang Tsan Lin; Sheng Lih Yeh

2014-01-01

The Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) encryption method and the binary encoding method are assembled to form a hybrid hiding method to hide a covert digital image into a dot-matrix holographic image. First, the RSA encryption method is used to transform the covert image to form a RSA encryption data string. Then, all the elements of the RSA encryption data string are transferred into binary data. Finally, the binary data are encoded into the dot-matrix holographic image. The pixels of the dot-matri...

Present and future potential of krypton-85 for the detection of clandestine reprocessing plants for treaty verification.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeppner, Michael; Glaser, Alexander

2016-10-01

Burnup calculations are applied to determine the amount of krypton-85 that is produced during the irradiation of nuclear fuel. Since krypton-85 is most likely released into the atmosphere during reprocessing to separate plutonium, atmospheric transport modeling is used to calculate the worldwide distribution of krypton-85 concentrations stemming from emissions from declared reprocessing plants. The results are the basis for scenarios in which emissions from clandestine reprocessing facilities have to be detected against various background levels. It is concluded that today's background imposes heavily on the ability to detect small and medium plutonium separation rates; only high separation rates of 1 SQ per week and higher have a chance to be detected with feasible outlay. A fixed network of monitoring stations seems too costly; instead the high number of samples that are required rather calls for mobile sampling procedures, where air samples are collected at random locations over the world and are analyzed in regional laboratories for their krypton-85 concentration. Further, it is argued that krypton-85 emissions from declared reprocessing activities have to be significantly lowered to enable a worldwide verification of the absence of even smaller clandestine reprocessing. For each scenario the number of samples that have to be taken for probable detection is calculated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Covert Use of the Global Special Operations Network and the Militarization of Covert Action in Political Warfare and the Gray Zone

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-09

methods to deliver the message. MISO uses everything from digital media and social networks, to billboards and airdropped fliers, to word -of- mouth and...overt and covert diplomacy is also beginning. As the digital, social media age continues, the USG is unable to compete with non-state actors...were CIA assassination squads. There may be some truth to that as “in the words of Douglas Valentine, a CIA operations chief in the Northern

A review of Covert Channels in TCP and HTTP protocols | James ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Covert channels are used by crackers who have breached an organisation's systems to download tools from outside, upload internal data to outside, create virtual network to outside machines and communicate to outside paths. They are also used by internal users who want to use forbidden protocols, who want to have ...

Researching of Covert Timing Channels Based on HTTP Cache Headers in Web API

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis Nikolaevich Kolegov

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, it is shown how covert timing channels based on HTTP cache headers can be implemented using different Web API of Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook  Internet services.

The relationship between visual attention and visual working memory encoding: A dissociation between covert and overt orienting.

Science.gov (United States)

Tas, A Caglar; Luck, Steven J; Hollingworth, Andrew

2016-08-01

There is substantial debate over whether visual working memory (VWM) and visual attention constitute a single system for the selection of task-relevant perceptual information or whether they are distinct systems that can be dissociated when their representational demands diverge. In the present study, we focused on the relationship between visual attention and the encoding of objects into VWM. Participants performed a color change-detection task. During the retention interval, a secondary object, irrelevant to the memory task, was presented. Participants were instructed either to execute an overt shift of gaze to this object (Experiments 1-3) or to attend it covertly (Experiments 4 and 5). Our goal was to determine whether these overt and covert shifts of attention disrupted the information held in VWM. We hypothesized that saccades, which typically introduce a memorial demand to bridge perceptual disruption, would lead to automatic encoding of the secondary object. However, purely covert shifts of attention, which introduce no such demand, would not result in automatic memory encoding. The results supported these predictions. Saccades to the secondary object produced substantial interference with VWM performance, but covert shifts of attention to this object produced no interference with VWM performance. These results challenge prevailing theories that consider attention and VWM to reflect a common mechanism. In addition, they indicate that the relationship between attention and VWM is dependent on the memorial demands of the orienting behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Relationship between Visual Attention and Visual Working Memory Encoding: A Dissociation between Covert and Overt Orienting

Science.gov (United States)

Tas, A. Caglar; Luck, Steven J.; Hollingworth, Andrew

2016-01-01

There is substantial debate over whether visual working memory (VWM) and visual attention constitute a single system for the selection of task-relevant perceptual information or whether they are distinct systems that can be dissociated when their representational demands diverge. In the present study, we focused on the relationship between visual attention and the encoding of objects into visual working memory (VWM). Participants performed a color change-detection task. During the retention interval, a secondary object, irrelevant to the memory task, was presented. Participants were instructed either to execute an overt shift of gaze to this object (Experiments 1–3) or to attend it covertly (Experiments 4 and 5). Our goal was to determine whether these overt and covert shifts of attention disrupted the information held in VWM. We hypothesized that saccades, which typically introduce a memorial demand to bridge perceptual disruption, would lead to automatic encoding of the secondary object. However, purely covert shifts of attention, which introduce no such demand, would not result in automatic memory encoding. The results supported these predictions. Saccades to the secondary object produced substantial interference with VWM performance, but covert shifts of attention to this object produced no interference with VWM performance. These results challenge prevailing theories that consider attention and VWM to reflect a common mechanism. In addition, they indicate that the relationship between attention and VWM is dependent on the memorial demands of the orienting behavior. PMID:26854532

Practical Covertly Secure MPC for Dishonest Majority – or: Breaking the SPDZ Limits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Keller, Marcel; Larraia, Enrique

2013-01-01

for distributingBGV secret keys are likely to be of wider applicability than to the SPDZ protocol alone. We then construct both a covertly and actively secure preprocessing phase, both of which compare favourably with previous work in terms of efficiency and provable security. We also build a new online phase...... with SPDZ; and present several theoretical and practical improvements to the protocol. In detail, we start by designing and implementing a covertly secure key generation protocol for distributed BGV secret keys. In prior work this was assumed to be provided by a given setup functionality. Protocols......, which solves a major problem of the SPDZ protocol: namely prior to this work preprocessed data could be used for only one function evaluation and then had to be recomputed from scratch for the next evaluation, while our online phase can support reactive functionalities. This improvement comes mainly...

Hazards of Illicit Methamphetamine Production and Efforts at Reduction: Data from the Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance System

Science.gov (United States)

Melnikova, Natalia; Welles, Wanda Lizak; Wilburn, Rebecca E.; Rice, Nancy; Wu, Jennifer; Stanbury, Martha

2011-01-01

Objectives. Methamphetamine (meth) is a highly addictive drug of abuse that can easily be made in small illegal laboratories from household chemicals that are highly toxic and dangerous. Meth labs have been found in locations such as homes, outbuildings, motels, and cars. Its production endangers the “cook,” neighbors, responders, and the environment. This article describes surveillance data used to examine the emergence and public health impacts of illicit clandestine meth labs, as well as two states' efforts to thwart lab operations and prevent responder injuries. Methods. We analyzed data collected from 2001 to 2008 by 18 states participating in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry's Hazardous Substances Emergency Events Surveillance (HSEES) Program to examine the occurrence and public health impacts of clandestine meth production. Results. HSEES data indicate that the majority of clandestine meth lab events occurred in residential areas. About 15% of meth lab events required evacuation. Nearly one-fourth of these events resulted in injuries, with 902 reported victims. Most victims (61%) were official responders, and one-third were members of the general public. Since 2004, with the implementation of local and federal laws and prevention activities, the number of meth lab events has declined. Increased education and training of first responders has led to decreased injuries among police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Conclusions. HSEES data provided a good data source for monitoring the emergence of domestic clandestine meth production, the associated public health effects, and the results of state and federal efforts to promote actions to address the problem. PMID:21563719

Alcohol in Mayan Guatemala: consumption, distribution, production and composition of cuxa.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanteres, Fotis; Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Rehm, Jürgen

2009-05-01

To describe the consumption, distribution, production and chemical composition of alcohol, including cuxa (pronounced 'coo sha'), in Nahualá, a highland Mayan municipality in Guatemala. Cuxa is a sugarcane-derived spirit, in part produced clandestinely, that has been distributed in the community for several decades. Key informant interviews with alcohol distributors and consumers, cuxa producers and health professionals, as well as analyses of questionnaires from a sample of 47 spouses who came to the local health centre for problems related to their husband's drinking. Sampling and chemical analysis of cuxa from 12 of 13 identified sales points in the head-town of Nahualá and its nearby settlements (10 km radius). Fieldwork was conducted between November 2007 and March 2008. Alcohol consumption was found to be integrated culturally in this community. The overall drinking culture was marked by irregular heavy drinking occasions, especially around market days, with substantial inebriation and health problems, especially among street inhabiting drinkers. Cuxa contributed to these problems, and cuxa drinking was socially stigmatized. Cuxa was produced both clandestinely and industrially, and sold legally by taverns and illegally by clandestine distributors. The alcoholic strength of the samples was typically between 17 and 19% vol.; clandestinely produced cuxa samples showed acetaldehyde contamination. Measures should be taken to reduce the harm associated with alcohol in this community, including efforts to reduce acetaldehyde levels in cuxa.

Covert leadership: notes on managing professionals. Knowledge workers respond to inspiration, not supervision.

Science.gov (United States)

Mintzberg, H

1998-01-01

The orchestra conductor is a popular metaphor for managers today--up there on the podium in complete control. But that image may be misleading, says Henry Mintzberg, who recently spent a day with Bramwell Tovey, conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, in order to explore the metaphor. He found that Tovey does not operate like an absolute ruler but practices instead what Mintzberg calls covert leadership. Covert leadership means managing with a sense of nuances, constraints, and limitations. When a manager like Tovey guides an organization, he leads without seeming to, without his people being fully aware of all that he is doing. That's because in this world of professionals, a leader is not completely powerless--but neither does he have absolute control over others. As knowledge work grows in importance, the way an orchestra conductor really operates may serve as a good model for managers in a wide range of businesses. For example, Mintzberg found that Tovey does a lot more hands-on work than one might expect. More like a first-line supervisor than a hands-off executive, he takes direct and personal charge of what is getting done. In dealing with his musicians, his focus is on inspiring them, not empowering them. Like other professionals, the musicians don't need to be empowered--they're already secure in what they know and can do--but they do need to be infused with energy for the tasks at hand. This is the role of the covert leader: to act quietly and unobtrusively in order to exact not obedience but inspired performance.

The Effects of Covert Audio Coaching on the Job Performance of Supported Employees

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Kyle; Brady, Michael P.; Scott, Jack; Dukes, Charles; Frain, Michael

2010-01-01

The importance of employment in society is unmistakable, but for many people sustained employment remains elusive. The unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is staggering, and the consequences of being unemployed affects those individuals, their families, and society. The effects of performance feedback delivered via covert audio…

Sexual Harassment in Medical Schools: The Challenge of Covert Retaliation as a Barrier to Reporting.

Science.gov (United States)

Binder, Renee; Garcia, Paul; Johnson, Bonnie; Fuentes-Afflick, Elena

2018-05-22

Although Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sexual harassment in educational institutions, was enacted in 1972, sexual harassment continues to be distressingly common in medical training. In addition, many women who experience sexual harassment do not report their experiences to authorities within the medical school.In this article, the authors review the literature on the prevalence of sexual harassment in medical schools since Title IX was enacted and on the cultural and legal changes that have occurred during that period that have affected behaviors. These changes include decreased tolerance for harassing behavior, increased legal responsibility assigned to institutions, and a significant increase in the number of female medical students, residents, and faculty. The authors then discuss persisting barriers to reporting sexual harassment, including fears of reprisals and retaliation, especially covert retaliation. They define covert retaliation as vindictive comments made by a person accused of sexual harassment about his or her accuser in a confidential setting, such as a grant review, award selection, or search committee.The authors concluding by highlighting institutional and organizational approaches to decreasing sexual harassment and overt retaliation, and they propose other approaches to decreasing covert retaliation. These initiatives include encouraging senior faculty members to intervene and file bystander complaints when they witness inappropriate comments or behaviors as well as group reporting when multiple women are harassed by the same person.

The survival time of chocolates on hospital wards: covert observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Gajendragadkar, Parag R; Moualed, Daniel J; Nicolson, Phillip L R; Adjei, Felicia D; Cakebread, Holly E; Duehmke, Rudolf M; Martin, Claire A

2013-12-14

To quantify the consumption of chocolates in a hospital ward environment. Multicentre, prospective, covert observational study. Four wards at three hospitals (where the authors worked) within the United Kingdom. Boxes of Quality Street (Nestlé) and Roses (Cadbury) on the ward and anyone eating these chocolates. Observers covertly placed two 350 g boxes of Quality Street and Roses chocolates on each ward (eight boxes were used in the study containing a total of 258 individual chocolates). These boxes were kept under continuous covert surveillance, with the time recorded when each chocolate was eaten. Median survival time of a chocolate. 191 out of 258 (74%) chocolates were observed being eaten. The mean total observation period was 254 minutes (95% confidence interval 179 to 329). The median survival time of a chocolate was 51 minutes (39 to 63). The model of chocolate consumption was non-linear, with an initial rapid rate of consumption that slowed with time. An exponential decay model best fitted these findings (model R(2)=0.844, P<0.001), with a survival half life (time taken for 50% of the chocolates to be eaten) of 99 minutes. The mean time taken to open a box of chocolates from first appearance on the ward was 12 minutes (95% confidence interval 0 to 24). Quality Street chocolates survived longer than Roses chocolates (hazard ratio for survival of Roses v Quality Street 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.53 to 0.93, P=0.014). The highest percentages of chocolates were consumed by healthcare assistants (28%) and nurses (28%), followed by doctors (15%). From our observational study, chocolate survival in a hospital ward was relatively short, and was modelled well by an exponential decay model. Roses chocolates were preferentially consumed to Quality Street chocolates in a ward setting. Chocolates were consumed primarily by healthcare assistants and nurses, followed by doctors. Further practical studies are needed.

Lateralization patterns of covert but not overt movements change with age: An EEG neurofeedback study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zich, Catharina; Debener, Stefan; De Vos, Maarten; Frerichs, Stella; Maurer, Stefanie; Kranczioch, Cornelia

2015-08-01

The mental practice of movements has been suggested as a promising add-on therapy to facilitate motor recovery after stroke. In the case of mentally practised movements, electroencephalogram (EEG) can be utilized to provide feedback about an otherwise covert act. The main target group for such an intervention are elderly patients, though research so far is largely focused on young populations (study therefore aimed to examine the influence of age on the neural correlates of covert movements (CMs) in a real-time EEG neurofeedback framework. CM-induced event-related desynchronization (ERD) was studied in young (mean age: 23.6 years) and elderly (mean age: 62.7 years) healthy adults. Participants performed covert and overt hand movements. CMs were based on kinesthetic motor imagery (MI) or quasi-movements (QM). Based on previous studies investigating QM in the mu frequency range (8-13Hz) QM were expected to result in more lateralized ERD% patterns and accordingly higher classification accuracies. Independent of CM strategy the elderly were characterized by a significantly reduced lateralization of ERD%, due to stronger ipsilateral ERD%, and in consequence, reduced classification accuracies. QM were generally perceived as more vivid, but no differences were evident between MI and QM in ERD% or classification accuracies. EEG feedback enhanced task-related activity independently of strategy and age. ERD% measures of overt and covert movements were strongly related in young adults, whereas in the elderly ERD% lateralization is dissociated. In summary, we did not find evidence in support of more pronounced ERD% lateralization patterns in QM. Our finding of a less lateralized activation pattern in the elderly is in accordance to previous research and with the idea that compensatory processes help to overcome neurodegenerative changes related to normal ageing. Importantly, it indicates that EEG neurofeedback studies should place more emphasis on the age of the potential end

Building a digital forensic investigation technique for forensically sound analysis of covert channels in IPv6 and ICMPv6, using custom IDS signatures and firewall system logs

OpenAIRE

Dominic Savio, Lourdes Gino

2016-01-01

Covert Channels are communication channels used for information transfer, and created by violating the security policies of a system (Latham, 1986, p. 80). Research in the field has shown that, like many communication channels, IPv4 and the TCP/IP protocol suite has features, functionality and options which could be exploited by cyber criminals to leak data or for anonymous communications, through covert channels. With the advent of IPv6, researchers are on the lookout for covert channels in ...

On the production of clandestine dis/abled bodies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galis, Vasilis; Tzokas, Spyros; Tympas, Aristotle

paper makes a notice of this literature but moves on to discuss the co-production of technological borders and migrants with dis/abilities. In this case, dis/ability may be a cause or consequence of migration, and may become a barrier to both accessing protection and to entering a country. Nonetheless...... of policing technologies, repressive techniques and military technics. Instead, however, of staying at the technology of a fast patrolling boat with electronic eyes, we move on to show how exactly this EU electronic boat has clashed with a humble migrant floating device. We are interested...

Organic Phase Change Nanoparticles for in-Product Labeling of Agrochemicals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Miao; Duong, Binh; Su, Ming

2015-10-28

There is an urgent need to develop in-product covert barcodes for anti-counterfeiting of agrochemicals. This paper reports a new organic nanoparticle-based in-product barcode system, in which a panel of organic phase change nanoparticles is added as a barcode into in a variety of chemicals (herein agrochemicals). The barcode is readout by detecting melting peaks of organic nanoparticles using differential scanning calorimetry. This method has high labeling capacity due to small sizes of nanoparticles, sharp melting peaks, and large scan range of thermal analysis. The in-product barcode can be effectively used to protect agrochemical products from being counterfeited due to its large coding capacity, technical readiness, covertness, and robustness.

Negative induced mood influences word production: An event-related potentials study with a covert picture naming task.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinojosa, J A; Fernández-Folgueiras, U; Albert, J; Santaniello, G; Pozo, M A; Capilla, A

2017-01-27

The present event-related potentials (ERPs) study investigated the effects of mood on phonological encoding processes involved in word generation. For this purpose, negative, positive and neutral affective states were induced in participants during three different recording sessions using short film clips. After the mood induction procedure, participants performed a covert picture naming task in which they searched letters. The negative compared to the neutral mood condition elicited more negative amplitudes in a component peaking around 290ms. Furthermore, results from source localization analyses suggested that this activity was potentially generated in the left prefrontal cortex. In contrast, no differences were found in the comparison between positive and neutral moods. Overall, current data suggest that processes involved in the retrieval of phonological information during speech generation are impaired when participants are in a negative mood. The mechanisms underlying these effects were discussed in relation to linguistic and attentional processes, as well as in terms of the use of heuristics. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Uranium and thorium mining and milling: material security and risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinhaeusler, F.; Zaitseva, L.

2005-01-01

Full text: At present physical protection for the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle is typically at a significantly lower level than at any other part of the nuclear fuel cycle. In view of past experiences (Israel, South Africa, Pakistan, India) it is feasible to take into consideration some generic threat scenarios, potentially resulting in loss of control over uranium or thorium, respectively their concentrates, such as: illegal mining of an officially closed uranium- or thorium mine; covert diversion of uranium- or thorium ore whilst officially mining another ore; covert transport of radioactive ore or product, using means of public rail, road, ship, or air transport; covert en route diversion of an authorized uranium- or thorium transport; covert removal of uranium-or thorium ore or concentrate from an abandoned facility. The Stanford-Salzburg database on nuclear smuggling, theft, and orphan radiation sources (DSTO) contains information on trafficking incidents involving mostly uranium, but also some thorium, from 30 countries in five continents with altogether 113 incidents in the period 1991 to 2004. These activities range from uranium transported in backpacks by couriers in Afghanistan, to a terrorist organization purchasing land in order to mine covertly for uranium in Australia, and the clandestine shipment of almost two tons of uranium hexafluoride from Asia to Africa, using the services of a national airline. Potential participants in such illegal operations range from entrepreneurs to members of organized crime, depending on the level of sophistication of the operation. End-users and 'customers' of such illegal operations are suspected to be non-state actors, organizations or governments involved in a covert operation with the ultimate aim to acquire a sufficient amount of nuclear material for a nuclear device. The actual risk for these activities to succeed in the acquisition of an adequate amount of suitable radioactive material depends on one or

Multi-Use seismic stations offer strong deterrent to clandestine nuclear weapons testing

Science.gov (United States)

Hennet, C. B.; Van der Vink, G. E.; Richards, P. G.; Adushkin, V. V.; Kopnichev, Y. F.; Geary, R.

As the United States and other nations push for the signing of a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, representatives are meeting in Geneva this year to develop an International Seismic Monitoring System to verify compliance with the treaty's restrictions. In addition to the official monitoring system, regional networks developed for earthquake studies and basic research can provide a strong deterrent against clandestine testing. The recent release of information by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) on previously unannounced nuclear tests provides an opportunity to assess the ability of multi-use seismic networks to help monitor nuclear testing across the globe.Here we look at the extent to which the formerly unannounced tests were recorded and identified on the basis of publicly available seismographic data recorded by five seismic networks. The data were recorded by networks in southern Nevada and northern California at stations less than 1500 km from the Nevada Test Site (NTS), and two networks in the former Soviet Union at stations farther than 1500 km from the NTS.

Rethinking covert stuttering.

Science.gov (United States)

Constantino, Christopher Dominick; Manning, Walter H; Nordstrom, Susan Naomi

2017-09-01

The experience of passing as fluent, also called covert stuttering, has been uncritically framed as an inherently negative pursuit. Historically passing has been understood as a repression of one's true, authentic self in response to either psychological distress or social discrimination. The authors of this paper seek a more nuanced understanding of passing. We ask, how must a person relate to herself in order to pass as fluent? This is a qualitative research study in which the authors utilized the ethical theories of philosopher Michel Foucault to contextualize data obtained from semi-structured interviews with nine participants who pass as fluent. Rather than a repression of an authentic self our data suggests passing is more usefully understood as a form of resistance by people who stutter to a hostile society. Participants learned from experiences of delegitimization that their stuttering had ethical ramifications. Consequently, they used a variety of self-forming practices to pass and thereby achieve the privileges that come with perceived able-bodiedness. Passing as fluent is not an inauthentic form of stuttering but a form of stuttering that is produced through the use of specific technologies of communication. These technologies of communication are constituted by the unique ethical relationship of the person who stutters with herself. Passing can be understood as an active form of resistance rather than a passive form of repression. By theorizing passing as fluent as an ethical relationship, we open up the possibility of changing the relationship and performing it differently. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Covert rapid action-memory simulation (CRAMS): a hypothesis of hippocampal-prefrontal interactions for adaptive behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jane X; Cohen, Neal J; Voss, Joel L

2015-01-01

Effective choices generally require memory, yet little is known regarding the cognitive or neural mechanisms that allow memory to influence choices. We outline a new framework proposing that covert memory processing of hippocampus interacts with action-generation processing of prefrontal cortex in order to arrive at optimal, memory-guided choices. Covert, rapid action-memory simulation (CRAMS) is proposed here as a framework for understanding cognitive and/or behavioral choices, whereby prefrontal-hippocampal interactions quickly provide multiple simulations of potential outcomes used to evaluate the set of possible choices. We hypothesize that this CRAMS process is automatic, obligatory, and covert, meaning that many cycles of action-memory simulation occur in response to choice conflict without an individual's necessary intention and generally without awareness of the simulations, leading to adaptive behavior with little perceived effort. CRAMS is thus distinct from influential proposals that adaptive memory-based behavior in humans requires consciously experienced memory-based construction of possible future scenarios and deliberate decisions among possible future constructions. CRAMS provides an account of why hippocampus has been shown to make critical contributions to the short-term control of behavior, and it motivates several new experimental approaches and hypotheses that could be used to better understand the ubiquitous role of prefrontal-hippocampal interactions in situations that require adaptively using memory to guide choices. Importantly, this framework provides a perspective that allows for testing decision-making mechanisms in a manner that translates well across human and nonhuman animal model systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decisional enhancement and autonomy: public attitudes towards overt and covert nudges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gidon Felsen

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Ubiquitous cognitive biases hinder optimal decision making. Recent calls to assist decision makers in mitigating these biases---via interventions commonly called ``nudges''---have been criticized as infringing upon individual autonomy. We tested the hypothesis that such ``decisional enhancement'' programs that target overt decision making---i.e., conscious, higher-order cognitive processes---would be more acceptable than similar programs that affect covert decision making---i.e., subconscious, lower-order processes. We presented respondents with vignettes in which they chose between an option that included a decisional enhancement program and a neutral option. In order to assess preferences for overt or covert decisional enhancement, we used the contrastive vignette technique in which different groups of respondents were presented with one of a pair of vignettes that targeted either conscious or subconscious processes. Other than the nature of the decisional enhancement, the vignettes were identical, allowing us to isolate the influence of the type of decisional enhancement on preferences. Overall, we found support for the hypothesis that people prefer conscious decisional enhancement. Further, respondents who perceived the influence of the program as more conscious than subconscious reported that their decisions under the program would be more ``authentic''. However, this relative favorability was somewhat contingent upon context. We discuss our results with respect to the implementation and ethics of decisional enhancement.

Navigating the Complexities at an LGTTQQI-Identified Charter School: An Ethnography of C/Overt Narratives

Science.gov (United States)

Goodrich, Kristopher M.; Luke, Melissa

2016-01-01

The authors describe ethnographic research exploring the experiences of school stakeholders at a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQQI)-identified charter school. Participants evidenced use of an overt and covert narrative that appeared to reflect how they navigated the complexities at the…

LATOUCHE, Serge. Cornelius Castoriadis ou l’autonomie radical. Colección: Les précurseurs de la décoissance. Neuvy-en-Champagne. Le passager Clandestin. ISBN: 978-2-36935-008-8.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

EMILIANO ALDEGANI

2015-06-01

Full Text Available LATOUCHE, Serge. Cornelius Castoriadis ou l’autonomie radical.Colección: Les précurseurs de la décoissance. Neuvy-en-Champagne. Le passager Clandestin. ISBN: 978-2-36935-008-8.

An independent brain-computer interface using covert non-spatial visual selective attention

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dan; Maye, Alexander; Gao, Xiaorong; Hong, Bo; Engel, Andreas K.; Gao, Shangkai

2010-02-01

In this paper, a novel independent brain-computer interface (BCI) system based on covert non-spatial visual selective attention of two superimposed illusory surfaces is described. Perception of two superimposed surfaces was induced by two sets of dots with different colors rotating in opposite directions. The surfaces flickered at different frequencies and elicited distinguishable steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) over parietal and occipital areas of the brain. By selectively attending to one of the two surfaces, the SSVEP amplitude at the corresponding frequency was enhanced. An online BCI system utilizing the attentional modulation of SSVEP was implemented and a 3-day online training program with healthy subjects was carried out. The study was conducted with Chinese subjects at Tsinghua University, and German subjects at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) using identical stimulation software and equivalent technical setup. A general improvement of control accuracy with training was observed in 8 out of 18 subjects. An averaged online classification accuracy of 72.6 ± 16.1% was achieved on the last training day. The system renders SSVEP-based BCI paradigms possible for paralyzed patients with substantial head or ocular motor impairments by employing covert attention shifts instead of changing gaze direction.

Reducing Covert Self-Injurious Behavior Maintained by Automatic Reinforcement through a Variable Momentary DRO Procedure

Science.gov (United States)

Toussaint, Karen A.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2012-01-01

Covert self-injurious behavior (i.e., behavior that occurs in the absence of other people) can be difficult to treat. Traditional treatments typically have involved sophisticated methods of observation and often have employed positive punishment procedures. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a variable momentary differential…

Covert hepatic encephalopathy: not as minimal as you might think.

Science.gov (United States)

Kappus, Matthew R; Bajaj, Jasmohan S

2012-11-01

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neuropsychiatric and neurocognitive complication of acute and chronic liver disease. Symptoms are often overt (confusion, disorientation, ataxia, or coma) but can also be subtle (difficulty with cognitive abilities such as executive decision-making and psychomotor speed). There is consensus that HE is characterized as a spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms in the absence of brain disease, ranging from overt HE (OHE) to minimal HE (MHE). The West Haven Criteria are most often used to grade HE, with scores ranging from 0-4 (4 being coma). However, it is a challenge to diagnose patients with MHE or grade 1 HE; it might be practical to combine these entities and name them covert HE for clinical use. The severity of HE is associated with the stage of liver disease. Although the pathologic mechanisms of HE are not well understood, they are believed to involve increased levels of ammonia and inflammation, which lead to low-grade cerebral edema. A diagnosis of MHE requires dedicated psychometric tests and neurophysiological techniques rather than a simple clinical assessment. Although these tests can be difficult to perform in practice, they are cost effective and important; the disorder affects patients' quality of life, socioeconomic status, and driving ability and increases their risk for falls and the development of OHE. Patients with MHE are first managed by excluding other causes of neurocognitive dysfunction. Therapy with gut-specific agents might be effective. We review management strategies and important areas of research for MHE and covert HE. Copyright © 2012 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

75 FR 4973 - Registration Requirements for Importers and Manufacturers of Prescription Drug Products...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-01

... diverted to the clandestine manufacture of a controlled substance. Most of the ephedrine, pseudoephedrine... for-profit. Other: Not-for-profit, government agencies. Abstract: The Domestic Chemical Diversion... may be diverted in the United States for the production of illicit drugs must register with DEA...

Relations of Proactive and Reactive Dimensions of Aggression to Overt and Covert Narcissism in Nonclinical Adolescents

Science.gov (United States)

Fossati, Andrea; Borroni, Serena; Eisenberg, Nancy; Maffei, Cesare

2009-01-01

In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgement of the multidimensionality of narcissism and that different types of narcissism may relate differently to other domains of functioning. Similarly, aggression—a frequently discussed correlate of narcissism--is a heterogeneous construct. In the present study, the relations of proactive and reactive aggression with overt and covert manifestations of narcissism were examined in a sample of 674 Italian high school students (mean age = 15.5 years, SD = 2.1 years). Overt narcissism was positively related to both proactive and reactive subtypes of aggression, whereas covert narcissism related only to reactive aggression. Vanity, Authority, Exhibitionism, and Exploitativeness were the components of overt narcissism related to Proactive Aggression (all remained unique correlates when controlling for Reactive Aggression), whereas Reactive Aggression was associated with the Exhibitionism, Superiority, and Entitlement subscales (only the latter was uniquely related when controlling for Proactive Aggression). PMID:19918915

The dependencies of fronto-parietal BOLD responses evoked by covert visual search suggest eye-centred coding.

Science.gov (United States)

Atabaki, A; Dicke, P W; Karnath, H-O; Thier, P

2013-04-01

Visual scenes explored covertly are initially represented in a retinal frame of reference (FOR). On the other hand, 'later' stages of the cortical network allocating spatial attention most probably use non-retinal or non-eye-centred representations as they may ease the integration of different sensory modalities for the formation of supramodal representations of space. We tested if the cortical areas involved in shifting covert attention are based on eye-centred or non-eye-centred coding by using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects were scanned while detecting a target item (a regularly oriented 'L') amidst a set of distractors (rotated 'L's). The array was centred either 5° right or left of the fixation point, independent of eye-gaze orientation, the latter varied in three steps: straight relative to the head, 10° left or 10° right. A quantitative comparison of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses for the three eye-gaze orientations revealed stronger BOLD responses in the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and the right frontal eye field (FEF) for search in the contralateral (i.e. left) eye-centred space, independent of whether the array was located in the right or left head-centred hemispace. The left IPS showed the reverse pattern, i.e. an activation by search in the right eye-centred hemispace. In other words, the IPS and the right FEF, members of the cortical network underlying covert search, operate in an eye-centred FOR. © 2013 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

A Covert Disruptive Technology: Test and Development of the Corona Satellite

Science.gov (United States)

Peebles, Curtis

2008-01-01

The launching by the Soviet Union of the Sputnik satellite in 19457 was an impetuous to the United States. The Intercontinental ballistic Missile (ICBM) that launched the Earth's first satellite, could have been armed with a nuclear warhead, that could destroy an American city. The primary intelligence requirement that the US had was to determine the actual size of the Soviet missile program. To this end, a covert, high-risk photoreconnaissance satellite was developed. The code name of this program was "Corona." This article describes the trials and eventual successes of the Corona program.

Hidden cameras everything you need to know about covert recording, undercover cameras and secret filming

CERN Document Server

Plomin, Joe

2016-01-01

Providing authoritative information on the practicalities of using hidden cameras to expose abuse or wrongdoing, this book is vital reading for anyone who may use or encounter secret filming. It gives specific advice on using phones or covert cameras and unravels the complex legal and ethical issues that need to be considered.

The debreather: a report on euthanasia and suicide assistance using adapted scuba technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogden, Russel D

2010-04-01

In response to the general prohibition of euthanasia and assisted suicide, some right-to-die activists have developed non-medical methods to covertly hasten death. One such method is a "debreather," a closed system breathing device that laypersons can use to induce hypoxia for persons seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide. This article presents data from nine cases where the debreather was used on humans, resulting in eight deaths. The covert properties of the debreather make it almost impossible for medical examiners and law enforcers to detect its use. Clandestine behavior circumvents legal forms of social control and challenges models for regulated, medicalized euthanasia and assisted suicide. The debreather compromises the ability of forensic investigators to assign an accurate cause and manner of death, and this raises implications for law enforcement, vital statistics, and research into the causes of death. The involvement of lay organizations in euthanasia and assisted suicide means that effective social policy on right-to-die issues must take into account their activities as well as those of other health professionals.

Patterns of resistance and transgression in Eastern Indonesia: single women's practices of clandestine courtship and cohabitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, Linda Rae

2005-03-01

This paper explores how single women in the regional Indonesian city of Mataram express sexual desire in a social, cultural and political climate that idealizes the confinement of female sexuality within marriage. It is based on 21 months of ethnographic fieldwork conducted with single women, their families and health care providers. Success for young women in negotiating sexual desire is dependent upon their ability to maintain a faultless public reputation and mediate between their desires and those of men. Many single women find ways to pursue their desires by bending the rules of courtship conventions, performing sexual purity in public, while resisting from within the hegemonic sexual culture. However, women who visibly transgress dominant sexual ideals (and in doing so offend the status quo) are stigmatized and ostracized. Single women's practice of resistance and sexual transgression in premarital relationships are represented using the examples of pacaran backstreet (clandestine courtship) and cohabitation prior to marriage.

Covert Half Duplex Data Link Using Radar-Embedded Communications With Various Modulation Schemes

Science.gov (United States)

2017-12-01

for BPSK are shown in Figure 4.3 with 3 · 1010 samples per SNR. Using 106 MC trials, we show the SER curves for the differing estimator sizes (N = 0, 8...sent during each sample , 35 Figure 4.7. SER Performance of Modied 16QAM as a Function of the Size of the Estimator (N). Figure 4.8. The BPSK Simulink...Further, we explore a qualitative analysis of this communications method to measure its covertness using the signal’s complex plane. 14. SUBJECT

Difference of Sums Containing Products of Binomial Coefficients and Their Logarithms

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Miller, Allen R; Moskowitz, Ira S

2005-01-01

Properties of the difference of two sums containing products of binomial coefficients and their logarithms which arise in the application of Shannon's information theory to a certain class of covert channels are deduced...

Difference of Sums Containing Products of Binomial Coefficients and their Logarithms

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Miller, Allen R; Moskowitz, Ira S

2004-01-01

Properties of the difference of two sums containing products of binomial coefficients and their logarithms which arise in the application of Shannon's information theory to a certain class of covert channels are deduced...

La migration clandestine mexicaine comme un crime : commentaires sur quelques effets de la loi SB. 1070 de l’État de l’Arizona

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Schaffhauser

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Cet article a pour objectif d’analyser les effets réels et possibles de l’entrée en vigueur en 2010 de la loi SB 1070, dite loi Arizona, laquelle se présente comme un dispositif juridique visant à lutter contre la migration clandestine dans cette partie de l’Union Américaine. Or cette loi a pour première conséquence pratique de criminaliser un type de situation migratoire et de stigmatiser ensuite la population mexicaine qui, selon les représentations sociales xénophobes, incarne para « excellence » (i.e. délit de facies, la figure du clandestin aux États-Unis. Être mexicain, dans ce pays, finit par être le commencement d’un délit ou du moins jette un doute sur la situation migratoire de l’ensemble des ressortissants de cette communauté nationale. L’article s’emploie à montrer l’arbitraire (l’État de l’Arizona comme tous les autres États de l’Union n’est pas compétent en matière de migration et la construction artificielle du délit imputé aux sans papiers. En effet, faire de la migration clandestine un crime pose le problème objectif de déterminer qui est la victime réelle d’un tel acte et, selon l’expression consacrée par John Stuart Mill, cette forme de migration apparaît au regard de la philosophie morale comme « crime sans victimes », puisque la seule victime de cette infraction à la loi c’est la société américaine toute entière, ses lois, ses normes, ses valeurs et ses institutions, soit une entité abstraite au regard de ce qui se joue au quotidien en matière migration clandestine et de contrôle policier.This article aims to examine the real effects and possible entry into force in 2010 of the so-called law SB 1070 Arizona law, which presents itself as a legal device to combat against illegal migration in this part of the American Union. However this Act is to first practical consequence criminalize a type of migratory situation and then condemn the Mexican population

The influence of method-related partner violence on covert pill use and pill discontinuation among women living in La Paz, El Alto and Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarraher, Donna R; Martin, Sandra L; Bailey, Patricia E

2006-03-01

Intimate partner violence is widespread worldwide. While assumed to impact women's ability to use contraceptive methods, few data are available to support this claim. In this study, eight focus group discussions were conducted to guide questionnaire development and to provide contextual information. Participants were women who were currently using the pill and women who had used the pill previously. In addition, 300 women were interviewed who initiated oral contraceptive pill use between December 1995 and April 1996. Participants were interviewed 3-6 months later to investigate the role intimate partner violence played in covert pill use and pill discontinuation. Special study procedures for asking women questions about violence were employed. Nineteen per cent of the women interviewed were using the pill covertly. The odds of covert pill use were four times higher in El Alto and La Paz than in Santa Cruz. Women who used the pill covertly were more likely to have experienced method-related partner violence (OR = 21.27) than women whose partners knew of their pill use. One-third of the women had discontinued pill use at the time of the interview. In the final multivariate analysis, having experienced side-effects (OR = 2.37) was a significant predictor of pill discontinuation and method-related partner violence was marginally predictive (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.0-3.66). While efforts are ongoing to incorporate men into family planning programmes, some male partners oppose, and in some situations violently oppose, contraceptive use. The needs of women with these types of partners must not be overlooked.

Enhancing Competency in English: The Covert Approach a Complementary to the Overt Approach in Teaching Grammar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hussein Islam Abdullah

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Over the years, there has been a decline in the competency of the English Language in Malaysian schools. Many parties among them the Ministry of Education, relevant NGOs, academicians and people have expressed concern over the matter. The Education Ministry through its transformational policy has taken several measures to overcome the matter. It is employing appropriate strategies to solve the problems. The focus is on learning and teaching strategies as well as the content of the language. There is no doubt that grammar is a very important component in acquiring the language in primary and secondary schools. The English teachers mostly use the communicative approach in teaching grammar. This is in line with the KBSR syllabus in mid 1980s which emphasized on the communicative method. Teachers’ training and materials such as textbooks cater for the covert method. However, some tend to ignore the structural approach which is equally effective and meaningful to increase the level of the students’ proficiency which was popular in the 1960s. The paper discusses on the two different approaches used – the covert and overt approaches – their strengths as well as weaknesses. Application of both approaches is also taken into consideration giving a better view of how grammar should be taught in schools.

Comparison of Nonword Repetition Ability of Stuttering and Nonstuttering 5-8 Years Old Children: A Reviw on Covert Repair Hypothesis

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Mehdi Bakhtiar

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: The goal of this research is to attest Covert Repair Hypothesis (CRH i.e, discovering the phonological loop of the word production process in stuttering children. Materials & Methods: In this analytical (Case – Control research, forty bisyllabic and trisyllabic nonwords were designed. After the pilot study, these nonwords were presented to twelve stuttering children with the ages 5-8 and twelve nonstuttering children by the use of DMDX software. Children were asked to repeat the nonwords immediately after hearing them, the reaction time were recorded by the DMDX. The number of phonological errors and correct responses were determined. Results: Findings proved that stuttering children in all its forms except of reaction time of trisyllabic nonwords had a weak performance. However, the research results were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The study evidences show differences between stuttering and nonstuttering children performances. This may outline the possible of defect in language processes of stuttering children, especially in phonological encoding of word production mechanism. Also, the difference pattern between groups had coordination with CRH assumptions.

Freely chosen cadence during a covert manipulation of ambient temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartley, Geoffrey L; Cheung, Stephen S

2013-01-01

The present study investigated relationships between changes in power output (PO) to torque (TOR) or freely chosen cadence (FCC) during thermal loading. Twenty participants cycled at a constant rating of perceived exertion while ambient temperature (Ta) was covertly manipulated at 20-min intervals of 20 °C, 35 °C, and 20 °C. The magnitude responses of PO, FCC and TOR were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA, while the temporal correlations were analyzed using Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Averages (ARIMA). Increases in Ta caused significant thermal strain (p FCC remained unchanged (p = .51). ARIMA indicates that changes in PO were highly correlated to TOR (stationary r2 = .954, p = .04), while FCC was moderately correlated (stationary r2 = .717, p = .01) to PO. In conclusion, changes in PO are caused by a modulation in TOR, whereas FCC remains unchanged and therefore, unaffected by thermal stressors.

The continuous reaction times method for diagnosing, grading, and monitoring minimal/covert hepatic encephalopathy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauridsen, Mette Enok Munk; Thiele, Maja; Kimer, N

2013-01-01

Abstract Existing tests for minimal/covert hepatic encephalopathy (m/cHE) are time- and expertise consuming and primarily useable for research purposes. An easy-to-use, fast and reliable diagnostic and grading tool is needed. We here report on the background, experience, and ongoing research......-10) percentile) as a parameter of reaction time variability. The index is a measure of alertness stability and is used to assess attention and cognition deficits. The CRTindex identifies half of patients in a Danish cohort with chronic liver disease, as having m/cHE, a normal value safely precludes HE, it has...

Combining overt and covert anti-counterfeiting technologies for securities

Science.gov (United States)

Uematsu, Tsuyoshi

2006-02-01

The National Printing Bureau of Japan has been developing new anti-counterfeiting technologies as a banknote printer. Some of our technologies have already been effectively introduced into Japan's new banknote series. Anti-counterfeiting technologies can be applied not only to banknotes but also to other security documents depending on desired features. In this presentation, I will introduce three of our newly developed overt and covert security techniques, which are intended for document security and brand protection, as well as banknotes. "Metallic View" is mainly for offset printing. "Copy Check" (micro-structural lines involving luminescence) is for plate making technology. "ImageSwitch" is for a new security solution which has unlimited printing applications. All three techniques create "latent images" (some of which may be better known as "carrier screen images") that are useful in preventing counterfeiting. While each of the techniques is effective by itself, all are more effective when applied together. Combining these techniques could make all security documents harder to copy using IT scanners, and provide cost-effective anti-counterfeiting solutions for all security users.

Schweizer RU-38A Twin-Condor: covert surveillance aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

O'Toole, Michael J.; Schweizer, Paul H.

1997-11-01

The world order has changed and with it, governments are now faced with waging a new type of `ware.' Regional instability, drug trafficking, environmental issues, international terrorism, and illegal immigration are examples of escalating problems that cross international boundaries and threaten the security of nations. The first and most important element in coping with these illegal activities is the ability to detect and monitor events in a timely and secure fashion. Conventional means of gathering intelligence such as large airborne collection systems and satellites lack the flexibility, dwell times, and cost effectiveness to meet many of today's needs. There is a growing requirement for airborne platforms that can covertly perform surveillance missions during either day or night and in a cost effective manner. To meet this need, Schweizer Aircraft has recently developed the RU-38A twin-engine surveillance aircraft. This paper discusses the evolution and principle design concepts of this aircraft and how its unique performance enables the RU-38A to achieve new levels of surveillance capability.

Natural language metaphors covertly influence reasoning.

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Paul H Thibodeau

Full Text Available Metaphors pervade discussions of social issues like climate change, the economy, and crime. We ask how natural language metaphors shape the way people reason about such social issues. In previous work, we showed that describing crime metaphorically as a beast or a virus, led people to generate different solutions to a city's crime problem. In the current series of studies, instead of asking people to generate a solution on their own, we provided them with a selection of possible solutions and asked them to choose the best ones. We found that metaphors influenced people's reasoning even when they had a set of options available to compare and select among. These findings suggest that metaphors can influence not just what solution comes to mind first, but also which solution people think is best, even when given the opportunity to explicitly compare alternatives. Further, we tested whether participants were aware of the metaphor. We found that very few participants thought the metaphor played an important part in their decision. Further, participants who had no explicit memory of the metaphor were just as much affected by the metaphor as participants who were able to remember the metaphorical frame. These findings suggest that metaphors can act covertly in reasoning. Finally, we examined the role of political affiliation on reasoning about crime. The results confirm our previous findings that Republicans are more likely to generate enforcement and punishment solutions for dealing with crime, and are less swayed by metaphor than are Democrats or Independents.

New flexible origination technology based on electron-beam lithography and its integration into security devices in combination with covert features based on DNA authentication

Science.gov (United States)

Drinkwater, John K.; Ryzi, Zbynek; Outwater, Chris S.

2002-04-01

Embossed diffractive optically variable devices are becoming increasingly familiar security items on plastic cards, banknotes, security documents and on branded goods and media to protect against counterfeit, protect copyright and to evidence tamper. Equally as this devices become both more widely available there is a pressing requirement for security technology upgrades to keep ahead of technology advances available to potential counterfeiters. This paper describes a new generation electron beam DOVID origination technology particularly suitable for high security applications. Covert marking of security devices is provided using the DNA matrix by creating and verifying unique DNA sequences. This integration of this into practical security features in combination with covert features based on DNA matrix authentication and other more straightforwardly authenticable features to provide multi- technology security solutions will be described.

Temporal dynamics of sensorimotor integration in speech perception and production: Independent component analysis of EEG data

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David eJenson

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Activity in premotor and sensorimotor cortices is found in speech production and some perception tasks. Yet, how sensorimotor integration supports these functions is unclear due to a lack of data examining the timing of activity from these regions. Beta (~20Hz and alpha (~10Hz spectral power within the EEG µ rhythm are considered indices of motor and somatosensory activity, respectively. In the current study, perception conditions required discrimination (same/different of syllables pairs (/ba/ and /da/ in quiet and noisy conditions. Production conditions required covert and overt syllable productions and overt word production. Independent component analysis was performed on EEG data obtained during these conditions to 1 identify clusters of µ components common to all conditions and 2 examine real-time event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP within alpha and beta bands. 17 and 15 out of 20 participants produced left and right µ-components, respectively, localized to precentral gyri. Discrimination conditions were characterized by significant (pFDR<.05 early alpha event-related synchronization (ERS prior to and during stimulus presentation and later alpha event-related desynchronization (ERD following stimulus offset. Beta ERD began early and gained strength across time. Differences were found between quiet and noisy discrimination conditions. Both overt syllable and word productions yielded similar alpha/beta ERD that began prior to production and was strongest during muscle activity. Findings during covert production were weaker than during overt production. One explanation for these findings is that µ-beta ERD indexes early predictive coding (e.g., internal modeling and/or overt and covert attentional / motor processes. µ-alpha ERS may index inhibitory input to the premotor cortex from sensory regions prior to and during discrimination, while µ-alpha ERD may index re-afferent sensory feedback during speech rehearsal and production.

INTERCEPTION OF ANIMAL-ORIGIN PRODUCTS AT LAND BORDERS IN BRAZIL

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Mirela Janice Eidt

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Infectious agents and veterinary diseases can be disseminated across borders and contribute to change the country sanitary status. The aim of this study was to identify the main animal products intercepted and seized by the agricultural surveillance units. This paper studied three Agricultural Surveillance Units located at land borders in the North region of Brazil: Assis Brasil and Epitaciolândia (Acre State and Pacaraima (Roraima State, respectively borders with Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela. The main animal products confiscated were dairy products, fish, meat, sausage, veterinary products (drugs, animal food (pet foods and apiculture products. Given the clandestine nature of animal transit and its products in these borders, the possibilities of introduction of infectious agents and diseases must be better evaluated, considering the type of products confiscated, as well as the sanitary status of the countries of origin.

Peer Status in Boys With and Without Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Predictions from Overt and Covert Antisocial Behavior, Social Isolation, and Authoritative Parenting Beliefs.

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Hinshaw, Stephen P; Zupan, Brian A; Simmel, Cassandra; Nigg, Joel T; Melnick, Sharon

1997-10-01

Because of the centrality of peer relationship difficulties for children with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we investigated behavioral (overt and covert antisocial activity), internalizing (self-reports and observed social isolation), and familial (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting beliefs) predictors of peer sociometric nominations among previously unfamiliar, ethnically diverse ADHD (N=73) and comparison (N=60) boys, aged 6-12 years. Authoritative maternal parenting beliefs and negatively weighted social isolation explained significant variance in positive peer regard; aggression, covert behavior, and authoritative parenting beliefs were the independent predictors of both negative peer status and peer social preference. We extended such predictions with statistical control of (1) child cognitive variables, (2) maternal psychopathology, and (3) ADHD boys, but authoritative parenting beliefs were stronger predictors in ADHD than in comparison youth. We discuss family-peer linkages regarding peer competence.

Simulations of Atmospheric Krypton-85 to Assess the Detectability of Clandestine Nuclear Reprocessing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, O.; Ahlswede, J.; Annewandter, R.; Kalinowski, M.B.; Rast, S.; Schluenzen, K.H.

2010-01-01

The results of this study were achieved in the project 'Simulation of Atmospheric Noble Gas Concentrations to Assess Sampling Procedures for the Detection of Clandestine Nuclear Reprocessing' (IAEA GER 1643) in the joint programme of IAEA and Federal Government of Germany. In the first year of the project the detectability of additional krypton-85 sources was investigated using atmospheric transport modelling. Krypton-85 is released into the air during reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel rods. Therefore the krypton-85 signature can possibly be used for the detection of undeclared plutonium separation. First, the global krypton-85 background produced by known reprocessing facilities from 1971 until 2006 was simulated with the atmospheric general circulation model ECHAM5 using annual emission data. The model results were evaluated by extensive comparison with measurements performed by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection. Of particular interest for an assessment of the detectability of unknown sources is the background variability. The variability of concentrations is very high over central Europe, where the large reprocessing plants La Hague and Sellafield are located, and it is very low on the Southern Hemisphere, where no nuclear reprocessing takes place. The analysis of concentration time series on various time scales allows partly a distinction between fluctuations caused by the variability of the sources from variations due to atmospheric dynamics. Furthermore the detection sensitivity to a set of arbitrarily specified source locations is analysed with a Lagrangian particle dispersion model. This, in combination with the location specific background variability, is giving first benchmarks on the capability of using krypton-85 for IAEA Safeguards based on the Additional Protocols foreseeing environmental sampling. (author)

Pattern-Induced Covert Category Learning in Songbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Comins, Jordan A; Gentner, Timothy Q

2015-07-20

Language is uniquely human, but its acquisition may involve cognitive capacities shared with other species. During development, language experience alters speech sound (phoneme) categorization. Newborn infants distinguish the phonemes in all languages but by 10 months show adult-like greater sensitivity to native language phonemic contrasts than non-native contrasts. Distributional theories account for phonetic learning by positing that infants infer category boundaries from modal distributions of speech sounds along acoustic continua. For example, tokens of the sounds /b/ and /p/ cluster around different mean voice onset times. To disambiguate overlapping distributions, contextual theories propose that phonetic category learning is informed by higher-level patterns (e.g., words) in which phonemes normally occur. For example, the vowel sounds /Ι/ and /e/ can occupy similar perceptual spaces but can be distinguished in the context of "with" and "well." Both distributional and contextual cues appear to function in speech acquisition. Non-human species also benefit from distributional cues for category learning, but whether category learning benefits from contextual information in non-human animals is unknown. The use of higher-level patterns to guide lower-level category learning may reflect uniquely human capacities tied to language acquisition or more general learning abilities reflecting shared neurobiological mechanisms. Using songbirds, European starlings, we show that higher-level pattern learning covertly enhances categorization of the natural communication sounds. This observation mirrors the support for contextual theories of phonemic category learning in humans and demonstrates a general form of learning not unique to humans or language. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural foundations of overt and covert actions.

Science.gov (United States)

Simos, Panagiotis G; Kavroulakis, Eleftherios; Maris, Thomas; Papadaki, Efrosini; Boursianis, Themistoklis; Kalaitzakis, Giorgos; Savaki, Helen E

2017-05-15

We used fMRI to assess the human brain areas activated for execution, observation and 1st person motor imagery of a visually guided tracing task with the index finger. Voxel-level conjunction analysis revealed several cortical areas activated in common across all three motor conditions, namely, the upper limb representation of the primary motor and somatosensory cortices, the dorsal and ventral premotor, the superior and inferior parietal cortices as well as the posterior part of the superior and middle temporal gyrus including the temporo-parietal junction (TPj) and the extrastriate body area (EBA). Functional connectivity analyses corroborated the notion that a common sensory-motor fronto-parieto-temporal cortical network is engaged for execution, observation, and imagination of the very same action. Taken together these findings are consistent with the more parsimonious account of motor cognition provided by the mental simulation theory rather than the recently revised mirror neuron view Action imagination and observation were each associated with several additional functional connections, which may serve the distinction between overt action and its covert counterparts, and the attribution of action to the correct agent. For example, the central position of the right middle and inferior frontal gyrus in functional connectivity during motor imagery may reflect the suppression of movements during mere imagination of action, and may contribute to the distinction between 'imagined' and 'real' action. Also, the central role of the right EBA in observation, assessed by functional connectivity analysis, may be related to the attribution of action to the 'external agent' as opposed to the 'self'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gaze-independent brain-computer interfaces based on covert attention and feature attention

Science.gov (United States)

Treder, M. S.; Schmidt, N. M.; Blankertz, B.

2011-10-01

There is evidence that conventional visual brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) based on event-related potentials cannot be operated efficiently when eye movements are not allowed. To overcome this limitation, the aim of this study was to develop a visual speller that does not require eye movements. Three different variants of a two-stage visual speller based on covert spatial attention and non-spatial feature attention (i.e. attention to colour and form) were tested in an online experiment with 13 healthy participants. All participants achieved highly accurate BCI control. They could select one out of thirty symbols (chance level 3.3%) with mean accuracies of 88%-97% for the different spellers. The best results were obtained for a speller that was operated using non-spatial feature attention only. These results show that, using feature attention, it is possible to realize high-accuracy, fast-paced visual spellers that have a large vocabulary and are independent of eye gaze.

Covert shift of attention modulates the value encoding in the orbitofrontal cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Yang; Nie, Chechang; Yang, Tianming

2018-03-13

During value-based decision making, we often evaluate the value of each option sequentially by shifting our attention, even when the options are presented simultaneously. The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) has been suggested to encode value during value-based decision making. Yet it is not known how its activity is modulated by attention shifts. We investigated this question by employing a passive viewing task that allowed us to disentangle effects of attention, value, choice and eye movement. We found that the attention modulated OFC activity through a winner-take-all mechanism. When we attracted the monkeys' attention covertly, the OFC neuronal activity reflected the reward value of the newly attended cue. The shift of attention could be explained by a normalization model. Our results strongly argue for the hypothesis that the OFC neuronal activity represents the value of the attended item. They provide important insights toward understanding the OFC's role in value-based decision making. © 2018, Xie et al.

Lexical-Semantic Search Under Different Covert Verbal Fluency Tasks: An fMRI Study

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Yunqing Li

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Background: Verbal fluency is a measure of cognitive flexibility and word search strategies that is widely used to characterize impaired cognitive function. Despite the wealth of research on identifying and characterizing distinct aspects of verbal fluency, the anatomic and functional substrates of retrieval-related search and post-retrieval control processes still have not been fully elucidated.Methods: Twenty-one native English-speaking, healthy, right-handed, adult volunteers (mean age = 31 years; range = 21–45 years; 9 F took part in a block-design functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI study of free recall, covert word generation tasks when guided by phonemic (P, semantic-category (C, and context-based fill-in–the-blank sentence completion (S cues. General linear model (GLM, Independent Component Analysis (ICA, and psychophysiological interaction (PPI were used to further characterize the neural substrate of verbal fluency as a function of retrieval cue type.Results: Common localized activations across P, C, and S tasks occurred in the bilateral superior and left inferior frontal gyrus, left anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral supplementary motor area (SMA, and left insula. Differential task activations were centered in the occipital, temporal and parietal regions as well as the thalamus and cerebellum. The context-based fluency task, i.e., the S task, elicited higher differential brain activity in a lateralized frontal-temporal network typically engaged in complex language processing. P and C tasks elicited activation in limited pathways mainly within the left frontal regions. ICA and PPI results of the S task suggested that brain regions distributed across both hemispheres, extending beyond classical language areas, are recruited for lexical-semantic access and retrieval during sentence completion.Conclusion: Study results support the hypothesis of overlapping, as well as distinct, neural networks for covert word generation when

Algorithm for covert convoy of a moving target using a group of autonomous robots

Science.gov (United States)

Polyakov, Igor; Shvets, Evgeny

2018-04-01

An important application of autonomous robot systems is to substitute human personnel in dangerous environments to reduce their involvement and subsequent risk on human lives. In this paper we solve the problem of covertly convoying a civilian in a dangerous area with a group of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) using social potential fields. The novelty of our work lies in the usage of UGVs as compared to the unmanned aerial vehicles typically employed for this task in the approaches described in literature. Additionally, in our paper we assume that the group of UGVs should simultaneously solve the problem of patrolling to detect intruders on the area. We develop a simulation system to test our algorithms, provide numerical results and give recommendations on how to tune the potentials governing robots' behaviour to prioritize between patrolling and convoying tasks.

Effect of drug precursors and chemicals relevant to clandestine laboratory investigation on plastic bags used for collection and storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Michelot, Harmonie; Fu, Shanlin; Stuart, Barbara; Shimmon, Ronald; Raymond, Tony; Crandell, Tony; Roux, Claude

2017-04-01

In the area of clandestine laboratory investigations, plastic bags are used to collect and store evidence, such as solvents, precursors, and other compounds usually employed for the manufacturing of drugs (although liquids may be stored in glass containers within the bags first). In this study, three different types of plastic bags were provided by the NSW Police Force and investigated for their suitability for evidence collection: two different types of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) bags and one type of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) bag. Three different experiments were carried out: (1) storing relevant chemicals in the bags for up to three months; (2) exposing the bags including their content to accelerated conditions using a weatherometer, and (3) simulating an expected real case scenario. This study indicates that drugs and related chemicals stored in plastic bags may lead to a change in the composition of the chemical and an alteration or degradation of the plastic bag. All experiments led to the same conclusion: the polyvinyl chloride bags appeared to be the most affected. LDPE bags seem to be more appropriate for routine use, although it has been established they are not suitable for the collection of liquids (unless pre-packaged in, for instance, a glass container). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Risk Based Approach to Limit the Effects of Covert Channels for Internet Sensor Data Aggregators for Sensor Privacy

Science.gov (United States)

Viecco, Camilo H.; Camp, L. Jean

Effective defense against Internet threats requires data on global real time network status. Internet sensor networks provide such real time network data. However, an organization that participates in a sensor network risks providing a covert channel to attackers if that organization’s sensor can be identified. While there is benefit for every party when any individual participates in such sensor deployments, there are perverse incentives against individual participation. As a result, Internet sensor networks currently provide limited data. Ensuring anonymity of individual sensors can decrease the risk of participating in a sensor network without limiting data provision.

What Lies in the Gutter of a Traumatic Past: Infancia clandestina [Clandestine Childhood], Animated Comics, and the Representation of Violence

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María Ghiggia

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This essay focuses on the animated comics in the representation of violence in Benjamín Ávila’s Infancia clandestina [Clandestine Childhood] (2011, a cinematic narrative of the seventies in Argentina. Drawing from animation and comic studies and adopting a formalist approach, the following analysis proposes ways in which the remediation of comics in the film underscores traumatic aspects of state terror and revolutionary violence and the problematic intergenerational transmission of memory of the 1970s–1980s militancy. Specifically, I comment on how the switch from photographic film to the animated frames draws attention to the blank space between the frames and thereby hints at the traumatic in what is left out, repressed, or silenced. While the gaps resist the forward motion of closure, paradoxically they allow for the suture of the frames/fragments in a postmemorial narrative, although not without a trace of the traumatic. Finally, extending the concept of the gutter as a liminal space, I analyze the connection between the animated scenes representing violence and the testimonial and documentary elements placed in the closing titles, a connection that asserts the autobiographical component of the film and enacts the conflictive character of intergenerational memory.

Using task effort and pupil size to track covert shifts of visual attention independently of a pupillary light reflex.

Science.gov (United States)

Brocher, Andreas; Harbecke, Raphael; Graf, Tim; Memmert, Daniel; Hüttermann, Stefanie

2018-03-07

We tested the link between pupil size and the task effort involved in covert shifts of visual attention. The goal of this study was to establish pupil size as a marker of attentional shifting in the absence of luminance manipulations. In three experiments, participants evaluated two stimuli that were presented peripherally, appearing equidistant from and on opposite sides of eye fixation. The angle between eye fixation and the peripherally presented target stimuli varied from 12.5° to 42.5°. The evaluation of more distant stimuli led to poorer performance than did the evaluation of more proximal stimuli throughout our study, confirming that the former required more effort than the latter. In addition, in Experiment 1 we found that pupil size increased with increasing angle and that this effect could not be reduced to the operation of low-level visual processes in the task. In Experiment 2 the pupil dilated more strongly overall when participants evaluated the target stimuli, which required shifts of attention, than when they merely reported on the target's presence versus absence. Both conditions yielded larger pupils for more distant than for more proximal stimuli, however. In Experiment 3, we manipulated task difficulty more directly, by changing the contrast at which the target stimuli were presented. We replicated the results from Experiment 1 only with the high-contrast stimuli. With stimuli of low contrast, ceiling effects in pupil size were observed. Our data show that the link between task effort and pupil size can be used to track the degree to which an observer covertly shifts attention to or detects stimuli in peripheral vision.

Artisanal alcohol production in Mayan Guatemala: Chemical safety evaluation with special regard to acetaldehyde contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanteres, Fotis; Rehm, Juergen; Lachenmeier, Dirk W.

2009-01-01

There is a lack of knowledge regarding the composition, production, distribution, and consumption of artisanal alcohol, particularly in the developing world. In Nahuala, an indigenous Mayan municipality located in highland Guatemala, heavy alcohol consumption appears to have had a significant negative impact on health, a major role in cases of violence and domestic abuse, and a link to street habitation. Cuxa, an artisanally, as well as commercially produced sugarcane alcohol, is widely consumed by heavy drinkers in this community. Cuxa samples from all distribution points in the community were obtained and chemically analyzed for health-relevant constituents and contaminants including methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols, and metals. From those, only acetaldehyde was confirmed to be present in unusually high levels (up to 126 g/hl of pure alcohol), particularly in samples that were produced clandestinely. Acetaldehyde has been evaluated as 'possibly carcinogenic' and has also been identified as having significant human exposure in a recent risk assessment. This study explores the reasons for the elevated levels of acetaldehyde, through both sampling and analyses of raw and intermediary products of cuxa production, as well as interviews from producers of the clandestine alcohol. For further insight, we experimentally produced this alcohol in our laboratory, based on the directions provided by the producers, as well as materials from the town itself. Based on these data, the origin of the acetaldehyde contamination appears to be due to chemical changes induced during processing, with the major causative factors consisting of poor hygiene, aerobic working conditions, and inadequate yeast strains, compounded by flawed distillation methodology that neglects separation of the first fractions of the distillate. These results indicate a preventable public health concern for consumers, which can be overcome through education about good manufacturing practices, as well

Artisanal alcohol production in Mayan Guatemala: Chemical safety evaluation with special regard to acetaldehyde contamination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kanteres, Fotis [Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 33 Russell Street, ARF 2035, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 2 S1 (Canada); Rehm, Juergen [Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 33 Russell Street, ARF 2035, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 2 S1 (Canada); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5T 3 M7 (Canada); Institute for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, TU Dresden, Chemnitzer Strasse 46, D-01187 Dresden (Germany); Lachenmeier, Dirk W., E-mail: Lachenmeier@web.de [Chemisches und Veterinaeruntersuchungsamt (CVUA) Karlsruhe, Weissenburger Strasse 3, D-76187 Karlsruhe (Germany)

2009-11-01

There is a lack of knowledge regarding the composition, production, distribution, and consumption of artisanal alcohol, particularly in the developing world. In Nahuala, an indigenous Mayan municipality located in highland Guatemala, heavy alcohol consumption appears to have had a significant negative impact on health, a major role in cases of violence and domestic abuse, and a link to street habitation. Cuxa, an artisanally, as well as commercially produced sugarcane alcohol, is widely consumed by heavy drinkers in this community. Cuxa samples from all distribution points in the community were obtained and chemically analyzed for health-relevant constituents and contaminants including methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols, and metals. From those, only acetaldehyde was confirmed to be present in unusually high levels (up to 126 g/hl of pure alcohol), particularly in samples that were produced clandestinely. Acetaldehyde has been evaluated as 'possibly carcinogenic' and has also been identified as having significant human exposure in a recent risk assessment. This study explores the reasons for the elevated levels of acetaldehyde, through both sampling and analyses of raw and intermediary products of cuxa production, as well as interviews from producers of the clandestine alcohol. For further insight, we experimentally produced this alcohol in our laboratory, based on the directions provided by the producers, as well as materials from the town itself. Based on these data, the origin of the acetaldehyde contamination appears to be due to chemical changes induced during processing, with the major causative factors consisting of poor hygiene, aerobic working conditions, and inadequate yeast strains, compounded by flawed distillation methodology that neglects separation of the first fractions of the distillate. These results indicate a preventable public health concern for consumers, which can be overcome through education about good manufacturing practices

Preliminary results of sequential monitoring of simulated clandestine graves in Colombia, South America, using ground penetrating radar and botany.

Science.gov (United States)

Molina, Carlos Martin; Pringle, Jamie K; Saumett, Miguel; Hernández, Orlando

2015-03-01

In most Latin American countries there are significant numbers of missing people and forced disappearances, 68,000 alone currently in Colombia. Successful detection of shallow buried human remains by forensic search teams is difficult in varying terrain and climates. This research has created three simulated clandestine burial styles at two different depths commonly encountered in Latin America to gain knowledge of optimum forensic geophysics detection techniques. Repeated monitoring of the graves post-burial was undertaken by ground penetrating radar. Radar survey 2D profile results show reasonable detection of ½ clothed pig cadavers up to 19 weeks of burial, with decreasing confidence after this time. Simulated burials using skeletonized human remains were not able to be imaged after 19 weeks of burial, with beheaded and burnt human remains not being able to be detected throughout the survey period. Horizontal radar time slices showed good early results up to 19 weeks of burial as more area was covered and bi-directional surveys were collected, but these decreased in amplitude over time. Deeper burials were all harder to image than shallower ones. Analysis of excavated soil found soil moisture content almost double compared to those reported from temperate climate studies. Vegetation variations over the simulated graves were also noted which would provide promising indicators for grave detection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

"It is my business": A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Covert Contraceptive Use among Women in Rakai, Uganda.

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Heck, Craig J; Grilo, Stephanie A; Song, Xiaoyu; Lutalo, Tom; Nakyanjo, Neema; Santelli, John S

2018-03-04

Covert contraceptive use (CCU) is the use of family planning without a partner's knowledge. This study sought to examine CCU prevalence among women living in Rakai, Uganda, predictors of CCU, and why women resort to CCU. We used data from women (15-49years) currently using contraceptives (oral contraceptives, Depo Provera, implants, intrauterine devices, and periodic abstinence) during Round 15 (2011-2013) of the Rakai Community Cohort Survey (n=2206). We utilized logistic regressions to analyze the association between self-reported CCU and current contraceptive method, sexual activity, experience of violence, and demographic data. We also used data from in-depth interviews (IDI) on HIV and reproductive health conducted in 2013-2016. CCU prevalence was 26%. In the multivariable model, being previously married (aOR=2.2 [1.7-2.9]), having no formal education (aOR=2.1 [1.1-3.9]), and experiencing physical violence (aOR=1.7 [1.3-2.2]) or having more than 1 sex partner (aOR=1.6 [1.2-2.2]) in the past 12months were CCU predictors. Advancing past primary school decreased the odds of CCU (aOR=0.7 [0.6-0.9]). HIV was positively associated with CCU in the unadjusted model, but not the adjusted. In the IDIs, women primarily resorted to CCU because of discordant fertility desires-coupled with financial insecurity, negative stereotypes towards contraceptives use, deteriorating health, and familial pressure to reproduce. One woman employed CCU because she feared being ostracized from her community. CCU is common amongst users of contraception and is used to hide family planning from partners and communities. Women that diverge from Uganda's cultural norms had higher odds of CCU. Clinicians and practitioners should be aware of CCU among their patients and should educate women on the wide variety of contraceptive methods to help them decide if their current covert method is best for their health and safety. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Covert Sexual Signaling: Human Flirtation and Implications for other Social Species

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Andrew Gersick

2014-07-01

Full Text Available According to signaling theory and a large body of supporting evidence, males across many taxa produce courtship signals that honestly advertise their quality. The cost of producing or performing these signals maintains signal honesty, such that females are typically able to choose the best males by selecting those that produce the loudest, brightest, longest, or otherwise highest-intensity signals, using signal strength as a measure of quality. Set against this background, human flirting behavior, characterized by its frequent subtlety or covertness, is mysterious. Here we propose that the explanation for subtle and ambiguous signals in human courtship lies in socially imposed costs that (a vary with social context and (b are amplified by the unusual ways in which language makes all interactions potentially public. Flirting is a class of courtship signaling that conveys the signaler's intentions and desirability to the intended receiver while minimizing the costs that would accompany an overt courtship attempt. This proposal explains humans' taxonomically unusual courtship displays and generates a number of novel predictions for both humans and non-human social animals. Individuals who are courting should vary the intensity of their signals to suit the level of risk attached to the particular social configuration, and receivers may assess this flexible matching of signal to context as an indicator of the signaler's broader behavioral flexibility and social intelligence.

Throughput increase of the covert communication channel organized by the stable steganography algorithm using spatial domain of the image

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O.V. Kostyrka

2016-09-01

Full Text Available At the organization of a covert communication channel a number of requirements are imposed on used steganography algorithms among which one of the main are: resistance to attacks against the built-in message, reliability of perception of formed steganography message, significant throughput of a steganography communication channel. Aim: The aim of this research is to modify the steganography method, developed by the author earlier, which will allow to increase the throughput of the corresponding covert communication channel when saving resistance to attacks against the built-in message and perception reliability of the created steganography message, inherent to developed method. Materials and Methods: Modifications of a steganography method that is steady against attacks against the built-in message which is carrying out the inclusion and decoding of the sent (additional information in spatial domain of the image allowing to increase the throughput of the organized communication channel are offered. Use of spatial domain of the image allows to avoid accumulation of an additional computational error during the inclusion/decoding of additional information due to “transitions” from spatial domain of the image to the area of conversion and back that positively affects the efficiency of decoding. Such methods are considered as attacks against the built-in message: imposing of different noise on a steganography message, filtering, lossy compression of a ste-ganography message where the JPEG and JPEG2000 formats with different quality coefficients for saving of a steganography message are used. Results: It is shown that algorithmic implementations of the offered methods modifications remain steady against the perturbing influences, including considerable, provide reliability of perception of the created steganography message, increase the throughput of the created steganography communication channel in comparison with the algorithm implementing

Design of a covert RFID tag network for target discovery and target information routing.

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Pan, Qihe; Narayanan, Ram M

2011-01-01

Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are small electronic devices working in the radio frequency range. They use wireless radio communications to automatically identify objects or people without the need for line-of-sight or contact, and are widely used in inventory tracking, object location, environmental monitoring. This paper presents a design of a covert RFID tag network for target discovery and target information routing. In the design, a static or very slowly moving target in the field of RFID tags transmits a distinct pseudo-noise signal, and the RFID tags in the network collect the target information and route it to the command center. A map of each RFID tag's location is saved at command center, which can determine where a RFID tag is located based on each RFID tag's ID. We propose the target information collection method with target association and clustering, and we also propose the information routing algorithm within the RFID tag network. The design and operation of the proposed algorithms are illustrated through examples. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the design.

Evidence on unusual way of cocaine smuggling: cocaine-polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) solid solution--study of clandestine laboratory samples.

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Gostic, T; Klemenc, S

2007-07-04

An abandoned clandestine laboratory was seized in Slovenia. All confiscated exhibits were analysed in a forensic laboratory, where the following analytical methods were applied: capillary gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined also by solid-phase micro extraction (SPME) and pyrolysis (Py) technique, Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray detector (SEM-EDX). The most interesting analytical findings can be summarised as follows: at the crime scene some plastic pieces, which contained cocaine dissolved (as solid solution) in polymethyl methacrylate-plexiglass (PMMA), were found. The highest cocaine concentration measured in the plastic sample was about 15% by weight. Two larger lumps of material (12 and 3 kg) were composed mainly of PMMA and CaCO3 and contained only 0.4 and 0.5% of cocaine, respectively. As for the low cocaine concentration, we assume that those two lumps of material represent discarded waste product--residue after the isolation of cocaine from plastic. Higher quantities of pure solvents (41 l) and solvent mixtures (87 l) were seized. We identified three types of pure solvents (acetone, gasoline and benzine) and two different types of solvent mixtures (benzine/acetone and gasoline/acetone). The total seized volume (87 l) of solvent mixtures holds approximately 395 g of solid residue formed mainly of PMMA and cocaine. Obviously solvent mixtures were used for isolation of cocaine from the plastic. Small quantities of relatively pure cocaine base were identified on different objects. There were two cotton sheets, most probably used for filtration. One sheet had traces of cocaine base (76% purity) on the surface, while cocaine in hydrochloride form (96%) was identified on the other sheet. GC-MS analyses of micro traces isolated from analytical balances showed the presence of cocaine and some common adulterants: phenacetine, lidocaine and procaine. A cocaine

Brain Training with Video Games in Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy.

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Bajaj, Jasmohan S; Ahluwalia, Vishwadeep; Thacker, Leroy R; Fagan, Andrew; Gavis, Edith A; Lennon, Michael; Heuman, Douglas M; Fuchs, Michael; Wade, James B

2017-02-01

Despite the associated adverse outcomes, pharmacologic intervention for covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) is not the standard of care. We hypothesized that a video game-based rehabilitation program would improve white matter integrity and brain connectivity in the visuospatial network on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), resulting in improved cognitive function in CHE subjects on measures consistent with the cognitive skill set emphasized by the two video games (e.g., IQ Boost-visual working memory, and Aim and Fire Challenge-psychomotor speed), but also generalize to thinking skills beyond the focus of the cognitive training (Hopkins verbal learning test (HVLT)-verbal learning/memory) and improve their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The trial included three phases over 8 weeks; during the learning phase (cognitive tests administered twice over 2 weeks without intervening intervention), training phase (daily video game training for 4 weeks), and post-training phase (testing 2 weeks after the video game training ended). Thirty CHE patients completed all visits with significant daily achievement on the video games. In a subset of 13 subjects that underwent brain MRI, there was a significant decrease in fractional anisotropy, and increased radial diffusivity (suggesting axonal sprouting or increased cross-fiber formation) involving similar brain regions (i.e., corpus callosum, internal capsule, and sections of the corticospinal tract) and improvement in the visuospatial resting-state connectivity corresponding to the video game training domains. No significant corresponding improvement in HRQOL or HVLT performance was noted, but cognitive performance did transiently improve on cognitive tests similar to the video games during training. Although multimodal brain imaging changes suggest reductions in tract edema and improved neural network connectivity, this trial of video game brain training did not improve the HRQOL or produce lasting improvement in

Policy implications of Iran's Nuclear Deal in technical terms for the plutonium route, uranium route, covert options, inspections, monitoring and verifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinheiro, Andre Ricardo M.

2017-01-01

The present Paper addresses the policy implications of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) known as 'Ian Nuclear Deal', implemented on 16 th January of 2016 between the Iran and the P5+1 countries (the U.S., U.K. France, Germany, Russia, and China), along with the EU in technical terms to analyze the Plutonium Route, Uranium Route and the Covert options and Inspections, Monitoring and Verifications. A historical review is presented to understand how the Iranian Nuclear Program is formed. Following is shown the current nuclear facilities in Iran and its capacity to process nuclear materials. It is analyzed the impact of JCPOA in Uranium and Plutonium routes. Covert Options always will be an option, so the most sensitive impact is related to the new monitoring and verification policies that must ensure real control of illegal procedures. The main conclusion is that the deal postpones the Iran's nuclear program for more than a decade (15 years), delaying Iran's nuclear bomb time from a few months to at least one year, although there is a current latent capacity to develop a nuclear bomb in Uranium route. It also gives IAEA inspectors capability to monitor nuclear activities and prevent to possible development to a nuclear bomb. To arrive in this conclusion an extensive technical analyze of impact of JCPOA in Iran's nuclear capabilities was made to discover how effective is the deal to prevent Iran to build, or acquire a nuclear weapon. (author)

Policy implications of Iran's Nuclear Deal in technical terms for the plutonium route, uranium route, covert options, inspections, monitoring and verifications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinheiro, Andre Ricardo M., E-mail: andrericardopinheiro@usp.br [Universidade de São Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil). Departamento de Engenharia Naval; Guimarães, Leonam dos Santos, E-mail: leonam@eletronuclear.gov.br [Eletrobrás Termonuclear S.A. (ELETRONUCLEAR), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2017-07-01

The present Paper addresses the policy implications of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) known as 'Ian Nuclear Deal', implemented on 16{sup th} January of 2016 between the Iran and the P5+1 countries (the U.S., U.K. France, Germany, Russia, and China), along with the EU in technical terms to analyze the Plutonium Route, Uranium Route and the Covert options and Inspections, Monitoring and Verifications. A historical review is presented to understand how the Iranian Nuclear Program is formed. Following is shown the current nuclear facilities in Iran and its capacity to process nuclear materials. It is analyzed the impact of JCPOA in Uranium and Plutonium routes. Covert Options always will be an option, so the most sensitive impact is related to the new monitoring and verification policies that must ensure real control of illegal procedures. The main conclusion is that the deal postpones the Iran's nuclear program for more than a decade (15 years), delaying Iran's nuclear bomb time from a few months to at least one year, although there is a current latent capacity to develop a nuclear bomb in Uranium route. It also gives IAEA inspectors capability to monitor nuclear activities and prevent to possible development to a nuclear bomb. To arrive in this conclusion an extensive technical analyze of impact of JCPOA in Iran's nuclear capabilities was made to discover how effective is the deal to prevent Iran to build, or acquire a nuclear weapon. (author)

Modulation of neuronal responses during covert search for visual feature conjunctions.

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Buracas, Giedrius T; Albright, Thomas D

2009-09-29

While searching for an object in a visual scene, an observer's attentional focus and eye movements are often guided by information about object features and spatial locations. Both spatial and feature-specific attention are known to modulate neuronal responses in visual cortex, but little is known of the dynamics and interplay of these mechanisms as visual search progresses. To address this issue, we recorded from directionally selective cells in visual area MT of monkeys trained to covertly search for targets defined by a unique conjunction of color and motion features and to signal target detection with an eye movement to the putative target. Two patterns of response modulation were observed. One pattern consisted of enhanced responses to targets presented in the receptive field (RF). These modulations occurred at the end-stage of search and were more potent during correct target identification than during erroneous saccades to a distractor in RF, thus suggesting that this modulation is not a mere presaccadic enhancement. A second pattern of modulation was observed when RF stimuli were nontargets that shared a feature with the target. The latter effect was observed during early stages of search and is consistent with a global feature-specific mechanism. This effect often terminated before target identification, thus suggesting that it interacts with spatial attention. This modulation was exhibited not only for motion but also for color cue, although MT neurons are known to be insensitive to color. Such cue-invariant attentional effects may contribute to a feature binding mechanism acting across visual dimensions.

Kr-85 signatures for various plutonium production schemes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stanoszek, Paul [Carl Friedrich von Weizsaecker-Centre for Science and Peace Research (Germany)

2009-07-01

Kr-85 is considered to be the best atmospheric indicator of unreported weapon-grade material production. This fact is based on the half-life of 10.76 years of Kr-85 and its chemical inactivity, which makes it even detectable after extended periods of cooling time. Kr-85 is produced as fission product during nuclear reactor operation and remains in the fuel until reprocessing starts. In order to determine the detectability of plutonium production the Kr-85 source term has to be assessed. The important issue of this presentation is the question on the minimum signal that an inspector can expect under the assumption that a proliferator minimizes his Kr-85 generation in order to circumvent a Kr-85 detection. A further assumption is that for nuclear weapon production a burn-up of typically around 2 MWd/kg is used. In addition, if clandestine plutonium production takes place, the source term might be used to estimate the amount of separated plutonium. The methodology of this study is based on a linkage between MCNPX and MATLAB. All results for actinide concentrations and Kr-85 are evaluated for different enrichments of U-235 and compared to known literature data. The Kr-85 source term per kilogram plutonium depends on the enrichments. As a result the lowest Kr-85 source term is found for depleted uranium.

Covert orienting in the split brain: Right hemisphere specialization for object-based attention.

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Kingstone, Alan

2015-12-18

The present paper takes as its starting point Phil Bryden's long-standing interest in human attention and the role it can play in laterality effects. Past split-brain research has suggested that object-based attention is lateralized to the left hemisphere [e.g., Egly, R., Rafal, R. D., Driver, J., & Starreveld, Y. (1994). Covert orienting in the split brain reveals hemispheric specialization for object-based attention. Psychological Science, 5(6), 380-382]. The task used to isolate object-based attention in that previous work, however, has been found wanting [Vecera, S. P. (1994). Grouped locations and object-based attention: Comment on Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994). Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123(3), 316-320]; and indeed, subsequent research with healthy participants using a different task has suggested that object-based attention is lateralized to the opposite right hemisphere (RH) [Valsangkar-Smyth, M. A., Donovan, C. L., Sinnett, S., Dawson, M. R., & Kingstone, A. (2004). Hemispheric performance in object-based attention. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 11(1), 84-91]. The present study tested the same split-brain as Egly, Rafal, et al. (1994) but used the object-based attention task introduced by Valsangkar-Smyth et al. (2004). The results confirm that object-based attention is lateralized to the RH. They also suggest that subcortical interhemispheric competition may occur and be dominated by the RH.

Alcaldes mayores y subdelegados frente a la siembra clandestina de tabaco: Papantla, 1765-1806 Alcaldes Mayores and Subdelegados coping with Tobacco Clandestine Sowing: Papantla, 1765-1806

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Georgina Moreno Coello

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Este trabajo tiene como objeto explorar las estrategias que permitieron la persistencia de la siembra clandestina de tabaco en Nueva España, en particular en la región de Papantla. Analizar las relaciones entre los alcaldes mayores, subdelegados y empleados del monopolio del tabaco, enfatizando la protección informal de la que gozó el cultivo ilegal de parte de las autoridades provinciales y examinar cuál pudo ser el destino del ahorro, así como de las ganancias obtenidas del tabaco ilegal, particularmente en el financiamiento de actividades comerciales y crediticias que llevaban a cabo alcaldes mayores y subdelegados, especialmente en el repartimiento de mercancías.This paper explores the strategies that allowed for a persistent clandestine tobacco sowing in New Spain, mainly in the region of Papantla. It analyzes the relationship between alcaldes mayores, subdelegados and employees of the tobacco monopoly, emphasizing the informal protection given to illegal sowings by provincial authorities. It also examines the potential allocation of savings and profits from illegal tobacco, mainly in the financing of commercial activities undertaken by alcaldes mayores and subdelegados, particularly for the repartimiento.

Estimating the location and spatial extent of a covert anthrax release.

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Judith Legrand

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Rapidly identifying the features of a covert release of an agent such as anthrax could help to inform the planning of public health mitigation strategies. Previous studies have sought to estimate the time and size of a bioterror attack based on the symptomatic onset dates of early cases. We extend the scope of these methods by proposing a method for characterizing the time, strength, and also the location of an aerosolized pathogen release. A back-calculation method is developed allowing the characterization of the release based on the data on the first few observed cases of the subsequent outbreak, meteorological data, population densities, and data on population travel patterns. We evaluate this method on small simulated anthrax outbreaks (about 25-35 cases and show that it could date and localize a release after a few cases have been observed, although misspecifications of the spore dispersion model, or the within-host dynamics model, on which the method relies can bias the estimates. Our method could also provide an estimate of the outbreak's geographical extent and, as a consequence, could help to identify populations at risk and, therefore, requiring prophylactic treatment. Our analysis demonstrates that while estimates based on the first ten or 15 observed cases were more accurate and less sensitive to model misspecifications than those based on five cases, overall mortality is minimized by targeting prophylactic treatment early on the basis of estimates made using data on the first five cases. The method we propose could provide early estimates of the time, strength, and location of an aerosolized anthrax release and the geographical extent of the subsequent outbreak. In addition, estimates of release features could be used to parameterize more detailed models allowing the simulation of control strategies and intervention logistics.

The clandestine multiple graves in Malaysia: The first mass identification operation of human skeletal remains.

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Mohd Noor, Mohd Suhani; Khoo, Lay See; Zamaliana Alias, Wan Zafirah; Hasmi, Ahmad Hafizam; Ibrahim, Mohamad Azaini; Mahmood, Mohd Shah

2017-09-01

The first ever mass identification operation of skeletal remains conducted for the clandestine graves in Malaysia consisted of 165 individuals unearthed from 28 human trafficking transit camps located in Wang Kelian, along the Thai-Malaysia border. A DVI response was triggered in which expert teams comprising of pathologists, anthropologists, odontologists, radiologists and DNA experts were gathered at the identified operation centre. The Department of Forensic Medicine, Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Star, Kedah, located approximately 75km away from Wang Kelian, was temporarily converted into a victim identification centre (VIC) as it is the nearest available forensic facility to the mass grave site. The mortuary operation was conducted over a period of 3 months from June to September 2015, and was divided into two phases; phase 1 involving the postmortem examination of the remains of 116 suspected individuals and for phase 2 the remains of 49 suspected individuals. The fact that the graves were of unknown individuals afforded the mass identification operation a sufficient duration of 2 weeks as preparatory phase enabling procedurals and daily victim identification workflow to be established, and the setting up of a temporary body storage for the designated mortuary. The temporary body storage has proven to be a significant factor in enabling the successful conclusion of the VIC operation to the final phase of temporary controlled burials. Recognition from two international observers, Mr. Andréas Patiño Umaña, from the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Prof. Noel Woodford from Victoria Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) had proven the mortuary operation was in compliance to the international quality and standards. The overall victim identification and mortuary operation identified a number of significant challenges, in particular the management of commingled human remains as well as the compilation of postmortem data in the absence of

Covertly active and progressing neurochemical abnormalities in suppressed HIV infection.

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Cysique, Lucette A; Jugé, Lauriane; Gates, Thomas; Tobia, Michael; Moffat, Kirsten; Brew, Bruce J; Rae, Caroline

2018-01-01

To assess whether HIV-related brain injury is progressive in persons with suppressed HIV infection. Seventy-three HIV+ virally suppressed men and 35 HIV- men, screened for psychiatric and alcohol/drug use disorders, underwent neuropsychological evaluation and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H-MRS) at baseline and after and 23 ± 5 months. 1 H-MRS included brain regions known to be vulnerable to HIV and aging: frontal white matter (FWM), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and caudate area (CA). Major brain metabolites such as creatine (Cr: marker of cellular energy), N -acetyl aspartate (NAA: marker of neuronal integrity), choline (marker of cellular membrane turnover), glutamate/glutamine (excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmitter), and myo -Inositol (mI: marker of neuroinflammation) were calculated with reference to water signal. Neurocognitive decline was corrected for practice effect and baseline HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND) status. Across the study period, 44% had intact cognition, 42% stable HAND (including the single case that improved), 10% progressing HAND, and 4% incident HAND. When analyzing the neurochemical data per neurocognitive trajectories, we found decreasing PCC Cr in all subgroups compared with controls ( p < 0.002). In addition, relative to the HIV- group, stable HAND showed decreasing FWM Cr, incident HAND showed steep FWM Cr reduction, whereas progressing HAND had a sharply decreasing PCC NAA and reduced but stable CA NAA. When analyzing the neurochemical data at the group level (HIV+ vs HIV- groups), we found stable abnormal metabolite concentrations over the study period: decreased FWM and PCC Cr (both p < 0.001), decreased PCC NAA and CA NAA (both p < 0.05) and PCC mI increase ( p < 0.05). HIV duration and historical HAND had modest effects on metabolite changes. Our study reveals covertly active or progressing HIV-related brain injury in the majority of this virally suppressed cohort, reflecting ongoing

Investigating language lateralization during phonological and semantic fluency tasks using functional transcranial Doppler sonography

Science.gov (United States)

Gutierrez-Sigut, Eva; Payne, Heather; MacSweeney, Mairéad

2015-01-01

Although there is consensus that the left hemisphere plays a critical role in language processing, some questions remain. Here we examine the influence of overt versus covert speech production on lateralization, the relationship between lateralization and behavioural measures of language performance and the strength of lateralization across the subcomponents of language. The present study used functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) to investigate lateralization of phonological and semantic fluency during both overt and covert word generation in right-handed adults. The laterality index (LI) was left lateralized in all conditions, and there was no difference in the strength of LI between overt and covert speech. This supports the validity of using overt speech in fTCD studies, another benefit of which is a reliable measure of speech production. PMID:24875468

Música y clandestinidad en dictadura: la represión, la circulación de músicas de resistencia y el casete clandestino Music and "clandestinidad" During the Time of the Chilean Dictatorship: Repression and the Circulation of Music of Resistance and Clandestine Cassettes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Jordán

2009-01-01

interpretation of the clandestine repressive actions is put forward. Secondly the specifíc dynamics of transiting between what is private and what is public is examined, particularly as it relates to the heterogeneous degrees of exposure and hiding of the members of resistance. Finally the production of clandestine recordings containing material of a clear militant commitment is discussed. The key role of the cassette production is underlined, as the copy and circulation of cassettes became a cultural stronghold of resistance. Each area of this tripartite model presents an inner coherence of its own. Nevertheless the overall consideration of these thee areas serves as the basis of a fírst all encompassing view of the complex relationship between music and "clandestinidad" during the time of dictatorship.

Tea Party Health Narratives and Belief Polarization: the Journey to Killing Grandma

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Kristin Haltinner

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In the past decade the U.S. public has expressed varying degrees of skepticism about certain factual claims, and of “expertise” more broadly. Ideological and partisan belief polarization seems to have elevated public anxiety about topics ranging from climate change and vaccines to immigration and healthcare policy. Furthermore, polarized narratives about scientific, medical, and political topics have encouraged “directionally motivated cognition”, leading to a decline in institutional trust among some fractions of the U.S. political spectrum. Our case study of the Tea Party Patriots (TPP (i.e. a political organization that promotes the Tea Party goals uses data from 45 interviews, 80 hours of participant observation, and content analysis of movement literature, to examine the nature and nuance of health narratives employed by the Tea Party. Specifically, we explain a central narrative in TPP organizing that features “a villainous Left covertly seeking to harm U.S. citizens” as the root of three key TPP health care narratives: (1 Democratic health initiatives enslaving youth; (2 the political left profiting from covertly making Americans dependent on state’s health care programs; and (3 the left clandestinely seeking to violate the constitution as represented by their efforts to “kill grandma”. These narratives reflect the increased polarization of attitudes towards healthcare, as well as a broader distrust of the political left who, activists believe, are advancing a political agenda of social control. Ultimately, we argue that culturally driven healthcare narratives of the Tea Party have had a significant impact on right-wing public opinion and Republican politics regarding U.S. healthcare policy. Many Tea Party concerns are reflected in the Republican policy positions, including those related to the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

Understanding the role of speech production in reading: Evidence for a print-to-speech neural network using graphical analysis.

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Cummine, Jacqueline; Cribben, Ivor; Luu, Connie; Kim, Esther; Bahktiari, Reyhaneh; Georgiou, George; Boliek, Carol A

2016-05-01

The neural circuitry associated with language processing is complex and dynamic. Graphical models are useful for studying complex neural networks as this method provides information about unique connectivity between regions within the context of the entire network of interest. Here, the authors explored the neural networks during covert reading to determine the role of feedforward and feedback loops in covert speech production. Brain activity of skilled adult readers was assessed in real word and pseudoword reading tasks with functional MRI (fMRI). The authors provide evidence for activity coherence in the feedforward system (inferior frontal gyrus-supplementary motor area) during real word reading and in the feedback system (supramarginal gyrus-precentral gyrus) during pseudoword reading. Graphical models provided evidence of an extensive, highly connected, neural network when individuals read real words that relied on coordination of the feedforward system. In contrast, when individuals read pseudowords the authors found a limited/restricted network that relied on coordination of the feedback system. Together, these results underscore the importance of considering multiple pathways and articulatory loops during language tasks and provide evidence for a print-to-speech neural network. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Computationally-generated nuclear forensic characteristics of early production reactors with an emphasis on sensitivity and uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redd, Evan M.; Sjoden, Glenn; Erickson, Anna

2017-01-01

Highlights: •X-10 reactor is used as a case study for nuclear forensic signatures. •S/U analysis is conducted to derive statistically relevant markers. •Computationally-generated signatures aid with proliferation pathway identification. •Highest uncertainty in total plutonium production originates from 238 Pu and 242 Pu. -- Abstract: With nuclear technology and analysis advancements, site access restrictions, and ban on nuclear testing, computationally-generated nuclear forensic signatures are becoming more important in gaining knowledge to a reclusive country’s weapon material production capabilities. In particular, graphite-moderated reactors provide an appropriate case study for isotopics relevant in Pu production in a clandestine nuclear program due to the ease of design and low thermal output. We study the production characteristics of the X-10 reactor with a goal to develop statistically-relevant nuclear forensic signatures from early Pu production. In X-10 reactor, a flat flux gradient and low burnup produce exceptionally pure Pu as evident by the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu ratio. However, these design aspects also make determining reactor zone attribution, done with the 242 Pu/ 240 Pu ratio, uncertain. Alternatively, the same ratios produce statistically differentiable results between Manhattan Project and post-Manhattan Project reactor configurations, allowing for attribution conclusions.

Predicting Individual Action Switching in Covert and Continuous Interactive Tasks Using the Fluid Events Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Radvansky, Gabriel A; D'Mello, Sidney K; Abbott, Robert G; Bixler, Robert E

2016-01-01

The Fluid Events Model is aimed at predicting changes in the actions people take on a moment-by-moment basis. In contrast with other research on action selection, this work does not investigate why some course of action was selected, but rather the likelihood of discontinuing the current course of action and selecting another in the near future. This is done using both task-based and experience-based factors. Prior work evaluated this model in the context of trial-by-trial, independent, interactive events, such as choosing how to copy a figure of a line drawing. In this paper, we extend this model to more covert event experiences, such as reading narratives, as well as to continuous interactive events, such as playing a video game. To this end, the model was applied to existing data sets of reading time and event segmentation for written and picture stories. It was also applied to existing data sets of performance in a strategy board game, an aerial combat game, and a first person shooter game in which a participant's current state was dependent on prior events. The results revealed that the model predicted behavior changes well, taking into account both the theoretically defined structure of the described events, as well as a person's prior experience. Thus, theories of event cognition can benefit from efforts that take into account not only how events in the world are structured, but also how people experience those events.

A multi-objective particle swarm optimization for production-distribution planning in supply chain network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Pourrousta

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Integrated supply chain includes different components of order, production and distribution and it plays an important role on reducing the cost of manufacturing system. In this paper, an integrated supply chain in a form of multi-objective decision-making problem is presented. The proposed model of this paper considers different parameters with uncertainty using trapezoid numbers. We first implement a ranking method to covert the fuzzy model into a crisp one and using multi-objective particle swarm optimization, we solve the resulted model. The results are compared with the performance of NSGA-II for some randomly generated problems and the preliminary results indicate that the proposed model of the paper performs better than the alternative method.

Within a Stone's Throw: Proximal Geolocation of Internet Users via Covert Wireless Signaling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paul, Nathanael R [ORNL; Shue, Craig [Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester; Taylor, Curtis [Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester

2013-01-01

While Internet users may often believe they have anonymity online, a culmination of technologies and recent research may allow an adversary to precisely locate an online user s geophysical location. In many cases, such as peer-to-peer applications, an adversary can easily use a target s IP address to quickly obtain the general geographical location of the target. Recent research has scoped this general area to a 690m (0.43 mile) radius circle. In this work, we show how an adversary can exploit Internet communication for geophysical location by embedding covert signals in communication with a target on a remote wireless local area network. We evaluated the approach in two common real-world settings: a residential neighborhood and an apartment building. In the neighborhood case, we used a single-blind trial in which an observer located a target network to within three houses in less than 40 minutes. Directional antennas may have allowed even more precise geolocation. This approach had only a 0.38% false positive rate, despite 24,000 observed unrelated packets and many unrelated networks. This low rate allowed the observer to exclude false locations and continue searching for the target. Our results enable law enforcement or copyright holders to quickly locate online Internet users without requiring time-consuming subpoenas to Internet Service Providers. Other privacy use cases include rapidly locating individuals based on their online speech or interests. We hope to raise awareness of these issues and to spur discussion on privacy and geolocating techniques.

Identification of Eight Synthetic Cannabinoids, Including 5F-AKB48 in Seized Herbal Products Using DART-TOF-MS and LC-QTOF-MS as Nontargeted Screening Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Katherine N; Garvin, Demetra; Thomas, Brian F; Grabenauer, Megan

2017-09-01

Synthetic cannabinoids are sprayed onto plant material and smoked for their marijuana-like effects. Clandestine manufacturers modify synthetic cannabinoid structures by creating closely related analogs. Forensic laboratories are tasked with detection of these analog compounds, but targeted analytical methods are often thwarted by the structural modifications. Here, direct analysis in real time coupled to accurate mass time-of-flight mass spectrometry (DART-TOF-MS) in combination with liquid chromatography quadruple time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) are presented as a screening and nontargeted confirmation method, respectively. Methanol extracts of herbal material were run using both methods. Spectral data from four different herbal products were evaluated by comparing fragmentation pattern, accurate mass and retention time to available reference standards. JWH-018, JWH-019, AM2201, JWH-122, 5F-AKB48, AKB48-N-(4-pentenyl) analog, UR144, and XLR11 were identified in the products. Results demonstrate that DART-TOF-MS affords a useful approach for rapid screening of herbal products for the presence and identification of synthetic cannabinoids. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Ultra-Trace Analysis of Krypton-85

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daerr, H.; Kalinowski, M.; Kohler, M.; Sahling, P.

2010-01-01

To strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of nuclear safeguards for detecting undeclared nuclear material and activities we propose to use the radioactive krypton isotope Krypton-85 as a tracer for clandestine plutonium production. The main idea is to detect inexplicable atmospheric Kr85 concentration using the novel technology atom trap trace analysis (ATTA) in order to detect an undeclared reprocessing facility. The Additional Protocol (INFCIRC/540, 1997) establishes the possibility to take environmental samples. Krypton-85 has a combination of unique features which makes it an ideal tracer for plutonium separation activities anywhere in the world. It is always generated along with plutonium and 99.9% remains within the fuel cladding. Due to its half-life of 10.76 years, significant amounts of krypton-85 still remain in the spent fuel even after long cooling times. Krypton is not removed from the atmosphere by any processes like chemical reactions or wash-out. Furthermore, there are no other relevant sources of krypton-85 besides of reprocessing. The novel technology of atom trap trace analysis (ATTA) has been demonstrated by the physics group at Argonne National Laboratory in 1999. This is an ultra-sensitive trace analysis technique able to detect single krypton atoms. We are setting up an ATTA apparatus in our laboratory, which is designed to fulfill all requirements to detect clandestine plutonium production. Our goal is to determine Krypton-85 concentration of one liter samples of atmospheric air with an analysis time of 3 hours. This sample volume reduction is a significant step, since one liter can be taken as a grab sample by sucking it directly into pre-evacuated bottles at atmospheric pressure. The small samples size and the short analysis time of ATTA will make it possible to use krypton-85 as a tracer for clandestine plutonium production with routine operation. (author)

Recreational drug discovery: natural products as lead structures for the synthesis of smart drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Appendino, Giovanni; Minassi, Alberto; Taglialatela-Scafati, Orazio

2014-07-01

Covering: up to December 2013. Over the past decade, there has been a growing transition in recreational drugs from natural materials (marijuana, hashish, opium), natural products (morphine, cocaine), or their simple derivatives (heroin), to synthetic agents more potent than their natural prototypes, which are sometimes less harmful in the short term, or that combine properties from different classes of recreational prototypes. These agents have been named smart drugs, and have become popular both for personal consumption and for collective intoxication at rave parties. The reasons for this transition are varied, but are mainly regulatory and commercial. New analogues of known illegal intoxicants are invisible to most forensic detection techniques, while the alleged natural status and the lack of avert acute toxicity make them appealing to a wide range of users. On the other hand, the advent of the internet has made possible the quick dispersal of information among users and the on-line purchase of these agents and/or the precursors for their synthesis. Unlike their natural products chemotypes (ephedrine, mescaline, cathinone, psilocybin, THC), most new drugs of abuse are largely unfamiliar to the organic chemistry community as well as to health care providers. To raise awareness of the growing plague of smart drugs we have surveyed, in a medicinal chemistry fashion, their development from natural products leads, their current methods of production, and the role that clandestine home laboratories and underground chemists have played in the surge of popularity of these drugs.

Moderation of Nicotine Effects on Covert Orienting of Attention Tasks by Poor Placebo Performance and Cue Validity

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, David G.; Rzetelny, Adam; Rabinovich, Norka E.

2016-01-01

Introduction and Rationale Given baseline-dependent effects of nicotine on other forms of attention, there is reason to believe that inconsistent findings for the effects of nicotine on attentional orienting may be partly due to individual differences in baseline (abstinence state) functioning. Individuals with low baseline attention may benefit more from nicotine replacement. Method The effects of nicotine as a function of baseline performance (bottom, middle, and top third of mean reaction times during placebo) were assessed in 52 habitual abstinent smokers (26 females/26 males) utilizing an arrow-cued covert orienting of attention task. Results Compared to a placebo patch, a 14 mg nicotine patch produced faster overall reaction times (RTs). In addition, individuals with slower RTs during the placebo condition benefitted more from nicotine on cued trials than did those who had shorter (faster) RTs during placebo. Nicotine also enhanced the validity effect (shorter RTs to validly vs. invalidly cued targets), but this nicotine benefit did not differ as a function of overall placebo-baseline performance. Conclusions These findings support the view that nicotine enhances cued spatial attentional orienting in individuals who have slower RTs during placebo (nicotine-free) conditions; however, baseline-dependent effects may not generalize to all aspects of spatial attention. These findings are consistent with findings indicating that nicotine’s effects vary as a function of task parameters rather than simple RT speeding or cognitive enhancement. PMID:27461547

Differences in detection of Aeromonas salmonicida in covertly infected salmonid fishes by the stress-inducible furunculosis test and culture-based assays

Science.gov (United States)

Cipriano, R.C.; Ford, L.A.; Smith, D.R.; Schachte, J.H.; Petrie, C.J.

1997-01-01

Accurate detection of Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida (the cause of furunculosis disease) in covertly infected salmonids is difficult and is a cause of concern for those involved in fish health inspection and resource management programs. In this study, we examined populations of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis, Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, and lake trout Salvelinus namaycush that previously sustained natural episodes of furunculosis. Consequently, the sampled fish were presumed to harbor latent infections. Mucus, gill, liver, kidney, heart, spleen, and intestine samples (N = 100 fish per group sampled) were processed and examined by (1) direct dilution counts and (2) quadrant streaking after a 48-h pre-enrichment in trypticase soy broth (TSB). Another subsample of fish from each group was then subjected to stress-inducible furunculosis tests. Stress tests detected A. salmonicida in three of four groups of fish that were examined whereas the pathogen was detected in only two of the groups analyzed with culture-based assays. Although pre-enrichment in TSB enhanced detection within internal sampling sites including the liver, heart, spleen, and kidney, enrichment did not enhance detection from mucus, gill, or intestinal samples.

"Scientific roots" of dualism in neuroscience.

Science.gov (United States)

Arshavsky, Yuri I

2006-07-01

Although the dualistic concept is unpopular among neuroscientists involved in experimental studies of the brain, neurophysiological literature is full of covert dualistic statements on the possibility of understanding neural mechanisms of human consciousness. Particularly, the covert dualistic attitude is exhibited in the unwillingness to discuss neural mechanisms of consciousness, leaving the problem of consciousness to psychologists and philosophers. This covert dualism seems to be rooted in the main paradigm of neuroscience that suggests that cognitive functions, such as language production and comprehension, face recognition, declarative memory, emotions, etc., are performed by neural networks consisting of simple elements. I argue that neural networks of any complexity consisting of neurons whose function is limited to the generation of electrical potentials and the transmission of signals to other neurons are hardly capable of producing human mental activity, including consciousness. Based on results obtained in physiological, morphological, clinical, and genetic studies of cognitive functions (mainly linguistic ones), I advocate the hypothesis that the performance of cognitive functions is based on complex cooperative activity of "complex" neurons that are carriers of "elementary cognition." The uniqueness of human cognitive functions, which has a genetic basis, is determined by the specificity of genes expressed by these "complex" neurons. The main goal of the review is to show that the identification of the genes implicated in cognitive functions and the understanding of a functional role of their products is a possible way to overcome covert dualism in neuroscience.

GC-MS quantitative analysis of black market pharmaceutical products containing anabolic androgenic steroids seized by the Brazilian Federal Police.

Science.gov (United States)

Neves, Diana Brito da Justa; Caldas, Eloisa Dutra

2017-06-01

The use of counterfeit or substandard medicines can have an important health impact, resulting in therapeutic failure, be toxic or even cause death. Anabolic steroids are a frequent target for counterfeiters worldwide, being the second most frequent counterfeited class in Brazil. The aims of this work were to optimize and validate a GC-MS method for the quantitative determination of anabolic steroids in tablet, aqueous suspension and oil solution forms, and to analyze pharmaceutical products sent to Brazilian Federal Police (BFP) for forensic analysis. Sample preparation included extraction with methanol in ultrasonic bath followed by centrifugation. The method was successfully validated and 345 samples of pharmaceutical products were analyzed (328 medicines and 17 dietary supplements). About 42% of the medicines were counterfeits, 28.7% of tablets, 12.0% of suspensions and 65.2% of oil solutions; 11% were considered substandards. Five dietary supplements contained undeclared anabolic steroids, including two containing methandrostenolone at 5.4 and 5.8mg/capsule, equivalent to levels found in medicines. The proposed method is suitable for implementation in routine analysis for identification of counterfeits and substandard products. The analytical results show the need to raise awareness of consumers over the risks from the consumption of anabolic steroids from the clandestine market and for more incisive actions from government agencies aiming at decreasing the availability of these products. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Quebec Liberation Front (FLQ) as an Insurgency

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-08

Histoire d’un mouvement clandestin, rev. ed. (Outremont, QC: Lanctôt Éditeur, 1998), 11. 4 targeted union workers and students. They also represented...Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2006. Fournier, Louis. FLQ: Histoire d’un mouvement clandestin. Rev. ed. Outremont, QC: Lanctôt Éditeur

Flight feather attachment in rock pigeons (Columba livia): covert feathers and smooth muscle coordinate a morphing wing.

Science.gov (United States)

Hieronymus, Tobin L

2016-11-01

Mechanisms for passively coordinating forelimb movements and flight feather abduction and adduction have been described separately from both in vivo and ex vivo studies. Skeletal coordination has been identified as a way for birds to simplify the neuromotor task of controlling flight stroke, but an understanding of the relationship between skeletal coordination and the coordination of the aerodynamic control surface (the flight feathers) has been slow to materialize. This break between the biomechanical and aerodynamic approaches - between skeletal kinematics and airfoil shape - has hindered the study of dynamic flight behaviors. Here I use dissection and histology to identify previously overlooked interconnections between musculoskeletal elements and flight feathers. Many of these structures are well-placed to directly link elements of the passive musculoskeletal coordination system with flight feather movements. Small bundles of smooth muscle form prominent connections between upper forearm coverts (deck feathers) and the ulna, as well as the majority of interconnections between major flight feathers of the hand. Abundant smooth muscle may play a role in efficient maintenance of folded wing posture, and may also provide an autonomically regulated means of tuning wing shape and aeroelastic behavior in flight. The pattern of muscular and ligamentous linkages of flight feathers to underlying muscle and bone may provide predictable passive guidance for the shape of the airfoil during flight stroke. The structures described here provide an anatomical touchstone for in vivo experimental tests of wing surface coordination in an extensively researched avian model species. © 2016 Anatomical Society.

Small scale production of vegetal coal in the state of Amazonas, Brazil: legal and social-economical aspects; Producao de carvao vegetal em pequena escala no Amazonas: aspectos legais e socio-ambientais

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, Roberto Ferreira de; Souza, Rubem Cesar Rodrigues de [Amazonas Univ., Manaus, AM (Brazil). Nucleo de Eficiencia Energetica (NEFEN)]. E-mail: nefen_ua@objetivomao.br

2000-07-01

Being a form of cheap energy, abundant and accessible, the vegetable coal is quite often used generally in the urban and rural areas in the Amazonas state, domestic and commercial use as well. Several families live of the production activity and commercialization of vegetable coal inside the State of Amazonas. However, actions of government organs of the environment area turn more and more difficult the exercise of those activities, creating a situation of clandestine production and in some cases making unfeasible the only form of subsistence of several families. Besides the legal aspect there exist the low technological level, being the production of vegetable coal done in ovens of the type 'hot tail', which cause problems for the users health. The mentioned subjects are discussed in that work based on the study accomplished at three places producing the vegetable coal in the the State of Amazonas hinter side, in the proximities of Manaus. Through the information obtained in the communities a proposal is presented for the small scale production of vegetable coal in a economical, social and environmentally self sustainable way. (author)

HelioTrope: An innovative and efficient prototype for solar power production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Papageorgiou George

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The solar energy alternative could provide us with all the energy we need as it exist in vast quantities all around us. We only should be innovative enough in order to improve the efficiency of our systems in capturing and converting solar energy in usable forms of power. By making a case for the solar energy alternative, we identify areas where efficiency can be improved and thereby Solar Energy can become a competitive energy source. This paper suggests an innovative approach to solar energy power production, which is manifested in a prototype given the name HelioTrope. The Heliotrope Solar Energy Production prototype is tested on its' capabilities to efficiently covert solar energy to generation of electricity and other forms of energy for storage or direct use. HelioTrope involves an innovative Stirling engine design and a parabolic concentrating dish with a sun tracking system implementing a control algorithm to maximize the capturing of solar energy. Further, it utilizes a patent developed by the authors where a mechanism is designed for the transmission of reciprocating motion of variable amplitude into unidirectional circular motion. This is employed in our prototype for converting linear reciprocating motion into circular for electricity production, which gives a significant increase in efficiency and reduces maintenance costs. Preliminary calculations indicate that the Heliotrope approach constitutes a competitive solution to solar power production.

Falling Behind: International Scrutiny of the Peaceful Atom

Science.gov (United States)

2008-02-01

confused with critical masses .5 Significant quantity values currently in use by the IAEA are given in Table 1. In a previous Natural Resources... actinides and fission products would not add significantly to the plutonium mass , the state could divert the spiked plutonium to a small clandestine...and manufacturing processes and should not be 152 confused with critical masses . Significant quantities are used in establishing the quantity

Normalization of NDVI from Different Sensor System using MODIS Products as Reference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenxia, Gan; Liangpei, Zhang; Wei, Gong; Huanfeng, Shen

2014-01-01

Medium Resolution NDVI(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from different sensor systems such as Landsat, SPOT, ASTER, CBERS and HJ-1A/1B satellites provide detailed spatial information for studies of ecosystems, vegetation biophysics, and land cover. Limitation of sensor designs, cloud contamination, and sensor failure highlighted the need to normalize and integrate NDVI from multiple sensor system in order to create a consistent, long-term NDVI data set. In this paper, we used a reference-based method for NDVI normalization. And present an application of this approach which covert Landsat ETM+ NDVI calculated by digital number (NDVI DN ) to NDVI calculated by surface reflectance (NDVI SR ) using MODIS products as reference, and different cluster was treated differently. Result shows that this approach can produce NDVI with highly agreement to NDVI calculated by surface reflectance from physical approaches based on 6S (Second Simulation of the satellite Signal in the Solar Spectrum). Although some variability exists, the cluster specified reference based approach shows considerable potential for NDVI normalization. Therefore, NDVI products in MODIS era from different sources can be combined for time-series analysis, biophysical parameter retrievals, and other downstream analysis

Health Risks Due to the Use of Clenbuterol Hydrochloride: a Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamín Valladares-Carranza

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes and evaluates information about the characteristics and risks of using Clenbuterol hydrochloride (CCL for their potential toxic effects, due to its inclusion in animal food (cattle, pigs, sheep and poultry to improve productive-reproductive parameters, but neglecting food safety. Therefore, it is necessary to reassess the potential dangers that may result when used in both human and veterinary medicine. The β-adrenergic synthetic CCL, white powder, anhydrous, highly water soluble and highly stable at room temperature is used in a clandestine manner to fatten animals for human consumption. Therapeutically, it is used as a bronchodilator drug (asthma patients; its illegal use (doping has been detected in sports competitions, and it is used for bodybuilding due to its anabolic effect. Its use in cattle for slaughter modifies and increases the growth of muscle mass and reduces fat accumulation, which accumulates in different organs. In people with a history of bovine liver consumption contaminated with CCL, there has been registration of: tremor, muscle pain, dizziness, headache, and tachycardia. In Mexico, in an illegal and clandestine manner, there is distribution, marketing and use of CCL; however, the work of livestock organizations in registering production units free of this substance will ensure the consumption of meat products. Moreover, to propose the use of other substances which so far have no signs of toxicity will lead to a sustainable, secure and safe productivity in livestock units.

Acute and chronic environmental effects of clandestine methamphetamine waste.

Science.gov (United States)

Kates, Lisa N; Knapp, Charles W; Keenan, Helen E

2014-09-15

The illicit manufacture of methamphetamine (MAP) produces substantial amounts of hazardous waste that is dumped illegally. This study presents the first environmental evaluation of waste produced from illicit MAP manufacture. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured to assess immediate oxygen depletion effects. A mixture of five waste components (10mg/L/chemical) was found to have a COD (130 mg/L) higher than the European Union wastewater discharge regulations (125 mg/L). Two environmental partition coefficients, K(OW) and K(OC), were measured for several chemicals identified in MAP waste. Experimental values were input into a computer fugacity model (EPI Suite™) to estimate environmental fate. Experimental log K(OW) values ranged from -0.98 to 4.91, which were in accordance with computer estimated values. Experimental K(OC) values ranged from 11 to 72, which were much lower than the default computer values. The experimental fugacity model for discharge to water estimates that waste components will remain in the water compartment for 15 to 37 days. Using a combination of laboratory experimentation and computer modelling, the environmental fate of MAP waste products was estimated. While fugacity models using experimental and computational values were very similar, default computer models should not take the place of laboratory experimentation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clandestine labor migration to Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsay, C

1992-01-01

"Illegal migration to Taiwan is a recent phenomenon but with a rapid rate of increase. Most illegal foreign workers enter on visitor's visas and overstay. This paper's detailed analysis of official data reveals that Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand are the major sources, providing a stock of mostly male workers numbering around 40,000. Sociodemographic and attitudinal changes among Taiwanese workers coupled with labor shortages in low-skilled jobs are pressuring the Taiwanese government to formulate plans for a systematic importation of foreign labor." excerpt

On dis/abled clandestine bodies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Galis, Vasilis; Tzokas, Spyros; Tympas, Aristotle

2013-01-01

Against what the dominant rhetoric of globalization would led us to assume, we live in a world that is overwhelmed by the presence of borders. Erasing some borders, so as to allow for easier and increased flow of commodities, was frequently coupled by the introduction of additional borders, to di...... against superior EU and Greek detection and ‘push-back’ technology....

The Notion of Persecution: history and relevance today

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean-Pierre Cavaillé

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Why it be considered worthwhile to bring jurists and historians together in order to reflect on the notion of persecution? I should like to outline briefly how the project of organising this workshop was born. I initially envisaged preparing an interdisciplinary encounter on my research topic as Fernand Braudel fellow, namely on persecution and clandestinity, where my prime interest was clandestinity, by definition an illegal practice, but which is capable of acquiring a political, ethical an...

Abortion in Brazil: A Search For Rights

OpenAIRE

Anjos, Karla Ferraz dos; Santos, Vanessa Cruz; Souzas, Raquel; Eugênio, Benedito Gonçalves

2013-01-01

Discussing the abortion theme in Brazil is highly problematic since it involves ethical, moral and legal precepts. The criminalization of abortion in Brazil favors a clandestine and unsafe practice and can lead to serious consequences to women´s health. In this perspective, this research deals with the legal context in which the abortion problem is inscribed in Brazil, coupled to the specific aims in pinpointing complications caused by the criminalization of clandestine abortion besides deali...

The effect of covert changes in energy density of preloads on subsequent ad libitum energy intake in lean and obese human subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Durrant, M L; Royston, J P; Wloch, R T; Garrow, J S

1982-01-01

1. Covert changes in energy intake were made by giving preloads of disguised energy density three times daily to 14 obese and 6 lean subjects. 2. The preloads contained 2.51 MJ (600 kcal)/d on days 2 and 3 and either 3.77 MJ (900 kcal)/d or 1.26 MJ (300 kcal/d) on days 4 and 5 and 1.26 MJ (300 kcal)/d or 3.77 MJ (900 kcal)/d on days 6 and 7. The order of testing was alternated for each subject. 3. Subsequent energy intake at each meal (lunch, dinner and breakfast) was measured with an automated food-dispensing machine. 4. Overall the obese subjects ate significantly less from the machine, 3.28 +/- 1.89 MJ (785 +/- 452 kcal)/d, than the lean subjects, 6.03 +/- 1.26 MJ (1442 +/- 300 kcal)/d. 5. Both groups of subjects adjusted their energy intake in the right direction to counterbalance the effect of the preloads but the lean subjects changed their intake by an average of 0.74 MJ (176 kcal)/d compared with the obese subjects who changed their intake by an average of 0.29 MJ (70 kcal)/d. 6. Although the lean subjects were better at adjusting their energy intake than the obese subjects, regulation was still imprecise relative to the 2.51 MJ (600 kcal)/d difference in energy intake that was imposed. 7. There were no significant differences in hunger or appetite between subjects or test situations.

Influence of P300 latency jitter on event related potential-based brain-computer interface performance

Science.gov (United States)

Aricò, P.; Aloise, F.; Schettini, F.; Salinari, S.; Mattia, D.; Cincotti, F.

2014-06-01

Objective. Several ERP-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can be controlled even without eye movements (covert attention) have been recently proposed. However, when compared to similar systems based on overt attention, they displayed significantly lower accuracy. In the current interpretation, this is ascribed to the absence of the contribution of short-latency visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in the tasks performed in the covert attention modality. This study aims to investigate if this decrement (i) is fully explained by the lack of VEP contribution to the classification accuracy; (ii) correlates with lower temporal stability of the single-trial P300 potentials elicited in the covert attention modality. Approach. We evaluated the latency jitter of P300 evoked potentials in three BCI interfaces exploiting either overt or covert attention modalities in 20 healthy subjects. The effect of attention modality on the P300 jitter, and the relative contribution of VEPs and P300 jitter to the classification accuracy have been analyzed. Main results. The P300 jitter is higher when the BCI is controlled in covert attention. Classification accuracy negatively correlates with jitter. Even disregarding short-latency VEPs, overt-attention BCI yields better accuracy than covert. When the latency jitter is compensated offline, the difference between accuracies is not significant. Significance. The lower temporal stability of the P300 evoked potential generated during the tasks performed in covert attention modality should be regarded as the main contributing explanation of lower accuracy of covert-attention ERP-based BCIs.

Validation of EncephalApp, Smartphone-Based Stroop Test, for the Diagnosis of Covert Hepatic Encephalopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bajaj, Jasmohan S; Heuman, Douglas M; Sterling, Richard K; Sanyal, Arun J; Siddiqui, Muhammad; Matherly, Scott; Luketic, Velimir; Stravitz, R Todd; Fuchs, Michael; Thacker, Leroy R; Gilles, HoChong; White, Melanie B; Unser, Ariel; Hovermale, James; Gavis, Edith; Noble, Nicole A; Wade, James B

2015-10-01

Detection of covert hepatic encephalopathy (CHE) is difficult, but point-of-care testing could increase rates of diagnosis. We aimed to validate the ability of the smartphone app EncephalApp, a streamlined version of Stroop App, to detect CHE. We evaluated face validity, test-retest reliability, and external validity. Patients with cirrhosis (n = 167; 38% with overt HE [OHE]; mean age, 55 years; mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, 12) and controls (n = 114) were each given a paper and pencil cognitive battery (standard) along with EncephalApp. EncephalApp has Off and On states; results measured were OffTime, OnTime, OffTime+OnTime, and number of runs required to complete 5 off and on runs. Thirty-six patients with cirrhosis underwent driving simulation tests, and EncephalApp results were correlated with results. Test-retest reliability was analyzed in a subgroup of patients. The test was performed before and after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement, and before and after correction for hyponatremia, to determine external validity. All patients with cirrhosis performed worse on paper and pencil and EncephalApp tests than controls. Patients with cirrhosis and OHE performed worse than those without OHE. Age-dependent EncephalApp cutoffs (younger or older than 45 years) were set. An OffTime+OnTime value of >190 seconds identified all patients with CHE with an area under the receiver operator characteristic value of 0.91; the area under the receiver operator characteristic value was 0.88 for diagnosis of CHE in those without OHE. EncephalApp times correlated with crashes and illegal turns in driving simulation tests. Test-retest reliability was high (intraclass coefficient, 0.83) among 30 patients retested 1-3 months apart. OffTime+OnTime increased significantly (206 vs 255 seconds, P = .007) among 10 patients retested 33 ± 7 days after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement. OffTime+OnTime decreased significantly (242 vs

Does oculomotor readiness mediate exogenous capture of visual attention?

Science.gov (United States)

MacLean, Gregory H; Klein, Raymond M; Hilchey, Matthew D

2015-10-01

The oculomotor readiness hypothesis makes 2 predictions: Shifts in covert attention are accompanied by preparedness to move one's eyes to the attended region, and preparedness to move one's eyes to a region in space is accompanied by a shift in covert attention to the prepared location. Both predictions have been disconfirmed using an endogenous attention task. In the 2 experiments presented here, the same 2 predictions were tested using an exogenous attention task. It was found that participants experienced covert capture without accompanying oculomotor activation and experienced oculomotor activation without accompanying covert capture. While under everyday conditions the overt and covert orienting systems may be strongly linked, apparently they can nonetheless operate with a high degree of independence from one another. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Color vision in ADHD: part 2--does attention influence color perception?

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soyeon; Al-Haj, Mohamed; Fuller, Stuart; Chen, Samantha; Jain, Umesh; Carrasco, Marisa; Tannock, Rosemary

2014-10-24

To investigate the impact of exogenous covert attention on chromatic (blue and red) and achromatic visual perception in adults with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Exogenous covert attention, which is a transient, automatic, stimulus-driven form of attention, is a key mechanism for selecting relevant information in visual arrays. 30 adults diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy adults, matched on age and gender, performed a psychophysical task designed to measure the effects of exogenous covert attention on perceived color saturation (blue, red) and contrast sensitivity. The effects of exogenous covert attention on perceived blue and red saturation levels and contrast sensitivity were similar in both groups, with no differences between males and females. Specifically, exogenous covert attention enhanced the perception of blue saturation and contrast sensitivity, but it had no effect on the perception of red saturation. The findings suggest that exogenous covert attention is intact in adults with ADHD and does not account for the observed impairments in the perception of chromatic (blue and red) saturation.

Building the "fable hospital"--the CEO's perspective: an interview with Michael H. Covert, president and chief executive officer, Palomar Pomerado Health. Interview by David A Tam.

Science.gov (United States)

Covert, Michael

2012-01-01

Hospital construction is a significant event in any health system. The financial implications are great, especially at a time of shrinking capital resources. Personnel are affected, as are the processes to perform their tasks. Often, new facilities are catalysts that change organizational culture; it has been clearly shown that new facilities have a positive impact on patient satisfaction scores. The members of the C-suite of a hospital/health system play important roles in construction projects. However, no one is more critical to the success of such major endeavors than the chief executive officer (CEO). The CEO sets the tone for the project, giving direction to the design and construction process that may have implications for the rest of the organization. Palomar Pomerado Health (PPH) is the largest public health district in California. In 2002, the PPH governing board authorized the creation of a new facility master plan for the district, which included the construction of a replacement facility for its tertiary care trauma center. The new Palomar Medical Center is slated to open in August 2012. HERD had the opportunity to speak with PPH CEO Michael H. Covert on the role of the CEO in the building of this "fable hospital".

School nurses and sex education: surveillance and disciplinary practices in primary schools.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayter, Mark; Piercy, Hilary; Massey, Marie-Therese; Gregory, Trudy

2008-02-01

This paper is a report of a study to explore how school nurses perceive the influence of schools on their role in delivering sex and relationship education in primary schools. School nurses play a key role in sex education in English schools. However, sex education is a contentious issue meaning the sex education of children is often an area of tension within the curriculum. However, the impact of these tensions upon school nursing practice is poorly described. Three focus groups with a convenience sample of 16 nurses experienced in conducting sex and relationship education were conducted during 2006. Focus groups were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and subjected to a thematic analysis. Four themes were identified in the data: 'covert surveillance' refers to school staff conducting clandestine surveillance of the classroom actions of the nurse; 'overt surveillance' reflects how nurses felt they were being openly monitored by teachers in the classroom; 'Teacher attitude' refers to the interventions of the supervising teacher in the classroom during the sex education session and 'resistance practices' detailed how nurses attempted to manage the disciplinary practices of the school. School nurses need to be pragmatic about the fact that there will be some attempts by the school to regulate sex education. Developing an early dialogue with the school can mediate this. Closer working practices and the involvement of school nurses in the development of sex education policy and practice is vital to ensure that they continue to make a valuable contribution to sex education in schools.

'The industry must be inconspicuous': Japan Tobacco's corruption of science and health policy via the Smoking Research Foundation.

Science.gov (United States)

Iida, Kaori; Proctor, Robert N

2018-02-04

To investigate how and why Japan Tobacco, Inc. (JT) in 1986 established the Smoking Research Foundation (SRF), a research-funding institution, and to explore the extent to which SRF has influenced science and health policy in Japan. We analysed documents in the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents archive, along with recent Japanese litigation documents and published documents. JT's effort to combat effective tobacco control was strengthened in the mid-1980s, following privatisation of the company. While remaining under the protection of Japan's Ministry of Finance, the semiprivatised company lost its 'access to politicos', opening up a perceived need for collaboration with global cigarette makers. One solution, arrived at through clandestine planning with American companies, was to establish a third-party organisation, SRF, with the hope of capturing scientific and medical authority for the industry. Guarded by powerful people in government and academia, SRF was launched with the covert goal of influencing tobacco policy both inside and outside Japan. Scholars funded by SRF have participated in international conferences, national advisory committees and tobacco litigation, in most instances helping the industry to maintain a favourable climate for the continued sale of cigarettes. Contrary to industry claims, SRF was never meant to be independent or neutral. With active support from foreign cigarette manufacturers, SRF represents the expansion into Asia of the denialist campaign that began in the USA in 1953. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Micro-sociology of mass rampage killings.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Randall

2014-01-01

Spectacular but very rare violent events such as mass killings by habitual non-criminals cannot be explained by factors which are very widespread, such as possession of firearms, being a victim of bullying, an introvert, or a career failure. A stronger clue is clandestine preparation of attack by one or two individuals, against randomly chosen representatives of a hated collective identity. Mass killers develop a deep back-stage, obsessed with planning their attack, overcoming social inferiority and isolation by an emotion of clandestine excitement.

Fixed-wing gamma measurement for the detection of radioactive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kettunen, M.J.; Nikkinen, M.T.

2005-01-01

Finland has the operational capability to take airborne gamma-ray measurements in emergency situations. The original purpose of airborne radiation mapping in Finland was to identify hazardous areas containing radioactive fall-out after a nuclear accident or use of nuclear weapons. Regular exercises are held annually to keep the operational functionality at a high level. The achieved capability has been well demonstrated in international INEX-2-FIN 1997 and Barents Rescue 2001 exercises. The knowledge and competence achieved can easily be applied in international radiation monitoring campaigns designed to expose undeclared nuclear materials or other clandestine nuclear activities. The essential improvements in the detection system are linked to the ability to locate point-like radiation sources rather than large areas of fall-out. Aerial gamma-ray measurement method and its usability for the detection of nuclear material production chains and trails of fission or activation products is described. The ability of airborne detection systems in revealing the use of undeclared nuclear materials has been tested. Various scenarios for exposing clandestine nuclear material production, enrichment and nuclear waste trails have been considered. Based on detection capability calculations and testing in practice, it was found that the detection of one un-shielded significant quantity of natural uranium (10 tons of yellow cake in storage barrels) is possible through the daughter products, using one single 6' x 4' NaI detector on the airplane. The developed fixed wing gamma measurement technique is now able to detect significant amounts of nuclear material conveniently and cost-effectively. Large areas can be screened to identify suspicious sub-areas for more detailed ground-based inspection. (author)

Next Generation Safeguards Initiative: Overview and Policy Context of UF6 Cylinder Tracking Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyer, Brian D [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Whitaker, J. Michael [ORNL; White-Horton, Jessica L. [ORNL; Durbin, Karyn R. [NNSA

2012-07-12

Thousands of cylinders containing uranium hexafluoride (UF{sub 6}) move around the world from conversion plants to enrichment plants to fuel fabrication plants, and their contents could be very useful to a country intent on diverting uranium for clandestine use. Each of these large cylinders can contain close to a significant quantity of natural uranium (48Y cylinder) or low-enriched uranium (LEU) (30B cylinder) defined as 75 kg {sup 235}U which can be further clandestinely enriched to produce 1.5 to 2 significant quantities of high enriched uranium (HEU) within weeks or months depending on the scale of the clandestine facility. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) kicked off a 5-year plan in April 2011 to investigate the concept of a unique identification system for UF{sub 6} cylinders and potentially to develop a cylinder tracking system that could be used by facility operators and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The goal is to design an integrated solution beneficial to both industry and inspectorates that would improve cylinder operations at the facilities and provide enhanced capabilities to deter and detect both diversion of low-enriched uranium and undeclared enriched uranium production. The 5-year plan consists of six separate incremental tasks: (1) define the problem and establish the requirements for a unique identification (UID) and monitoring system; (2) develop a concept of operations for the identification and monitoring system; (3) determine cylinder monitoring devices and technology; (4) develop a registry database to support proof-of-concept demonstration; (5) integrate that system for the demonstration; and (6) demonstrate proof-of-concept. Throughout NNSA's performance of the tasks outlined in this program, the multi-laboratory team emphasizes that extensive engagement with industry stakeholders, regulatory authorities and inspectorates is essential to its success.

What factors predict individual subjects' re-learning of words during anomia treatment?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William Hayward

2014-04-01

Full Text Available A growing number of studies are addressing methodological approaches to treating anomia in persons with aphasia. What is missing from these studies are validated procedures for determining which words have the greatest potential for recovery. The current study evaluates the usefulness of several word-specific variables and one subject-specific measure in predicting success in re-learning problematic words. Methods: Two participants, YPR and ODH, presented with fluent aphasia and marked anomia. YPR’s Aphasia Quotient on the Western Aphasia Battery was 58.8; ODH’s AQ was 79.5. Stimuli were 96 pictures chosen individually for each participant from among those that they named incorrectly on multiple baselines. Subsequently, participants were presented with each picture and asked to indicate whether they could name it covertly, or “in their head.” Each subject completed a biweekly anomia treatment for these pictures. We performed separate statistical analyses for each subject. Dependent variables included whether each word was learned during treatment (Acquisition and the number of sessions required to learn each word (#Sessions. We used logistic regression models to evaluate the association of (self-reported covert naming success with Acquisition, and linear regression models to assess the relationship between (self-reported covert naming success and #Sessions. Starting with the predictors of covert naming accuracy, number of syllables (#syllables, number of phonemes (#phonemes, and frequency, we used backwards elimination methods to select the final regression models. Results: By the end of 25 treatment sessions, YPR had learned 90.2% (37/41 of the covertly correct words but only 70.4% (38/54 of the covertly incorrect words. In the unadjusted analysis, covert naming was significantly associated with Acquisition, OR=3.89, 95% CI: (1.19, 12.74, p=0.025. The result remained significant after adjustment for #phonemes (the only other predictor

European Anarchism and its Early Influences in Mexico after the Paris Commune: 1871- 1881

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara E. Lida

2001-07-01

Full Text Available This article examines the links between European anarchism and social and agrarian movements in Mexico  after the Paris Commune. During those years, while anarchists remained in clandestinity, they developed new revolutionary theories and practices. These included the organization in freely federated autonomous communes, and the right to the land and the product of labor. Occasionally, such reivindications intertwined with those of the agrarian communities in Mexico allowing for European anarchism and Mexican social and peasant groups to come in contact with each other.

Light-weight analyzer for odor recognition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vass, Arpad A; Wise, Marcus B

2014-05-20

The invention provides a light weight analyzer, e.g., detector, capable of locating clandestine graves. The detector utilizes the very specific and unique chemicals identified in the database of human decompositional odor. This detector, based on specific chemical compounds found relevant to human decomposition, is the next step forward in clandestine grave detection and will take the guess-work out of current methods using canines and ground-penetrating radar, which have historically been unreliable. The detector is self contained, portable and built for field use. Both visual and auditory cues are provided to the operator.

A Perspective on Knowing about Global Warming and a Critical Comment about Schools and Curriculum in Relation to Socio-Scientific Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Levinson, Ralph

2012-01-01

The focus of this response to Virginie Albe and Marie-Jose Gombert's (2011) article on a research study of students' school science conference on global warming is to develop some thoughts on covert assumptions which underpin any such conference. My comments refer to the politics behind the production of scientific knowledge of climate change and…

Sherlock Holmes counts the atoms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tuniz, C. E-mail: tuniz@ansto.gov.au; Zoppi, U.; Hotchkis, M.A.C

2004-01-01

Modern forensic science has to deal not only with homicides and other traditional crimes but also with more global threats such as smuggling of nuclear materials, clandestine production of weapons of mass destruction, stockpiling of illicit drugs by state-controlled groups and war crimes. Forensic applications have always benefited from the use of advanced analytical tools that can characterise materials found at crime scenes. In this paper we will discuss the use of accelerator mass spectrometry as an ultra sensitive tool for the crime labs of the third millennium.

Sherlock Holmes counts the atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuniz, C.; Zoppi, U.; Hotchkis, M.A.C.

2004-01-01

Modern forensic science has to deal not only with homicides and other traditional crimes but also with more global threats such as smuggling of nuclear materials, clandestine production of weapons of mass destruction, stockpiling of illicit drugs by state-controlled groups and war crimes. Forensic applications have always benefited from the use of advanced analytical tools that can characterise materials found at crime scenes. In this paper we will discuss the use of accelerator mass spectrometry as an ultra sensitive tool for the crime labs of the third millennium

Low-decontamination approach to a proliferation-resistant fuel cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asquith, J.G.; Grantham, L.F.

1978-01-01

To prevent the diversion of nuclear material from power production to weapon production either by a nation or by clandestine groups within a nation, the nuclear fuel cycle must be proliferation-resistant and safeguarded. Potentially proliferation-resistant and safeguarded fuel cycles based on low-decontamination pyroreprocessing have been developed for the light water reactor (LWR), fast breeder reactor (FBR), and FBR-LWR combination. The major penalty for recycling fission products to the LWR is that fuel enrichment must be somewhat greater to overcome parasitic fission product absorption of neutrons. In the FBR, the major penalty is a slight reduction in breeding ratio due to the displacement of fertile material by fission products. Preliminary cost analysis indicates that these fuel cycles are economically competitive with fuel cycles using conventional reprocessing or those using virgin uranium if spent fuel storage costs are considered

Toward a functional analysis of private verbal self-regulation.

OpenAIRE

Taylor, I; O'Reilly, M F

1997-01-01

We developed a methodology, derived from the theoretical literatures on rule-governed behavior and private events, to experimentally investigate the relationship between covert verbal self-regulation and nonverbal behavior. The methodology was designed to assess whether (a) nonverbal behavior was under the control of covert rules and (b) verbal reports of these rules were functionally equivalent to the covert rules that control non-verbal behavior. The research was conducted in the context of...

Find and neutralize clandestine nuclear weapons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canavan, G.H.

1997-09-01

The objective of finding nuclear material at entry portals is to provide a secure perimeter as large as a weapon damage radius so that operations could be conducted within it relatively unencumbered. The objective of wide area search for nuclear material to provide a safe zone of similar dimensions in an area in which it is not possible to maintain a secure perimeter, to provide assurance for civilians living at an area at risk, or to provide rapid, wide area search of regions that could conceal nuclear threats to forces in the field. This rapid, wide-area, and confident detection of nuclear materials is the essential first step in developing the ability to negate terrorist nuclear assemblies or weapons. The ability to detect and negate nuclear materials are necessary to prevent the forced, massive evacuation of urban populations or the disruption of military operations in response to terrorist threats. This paper describes the limitations to current sensors used for nuclear weapon detection and discusses a novel approach to nuclear weapon detection using a combination of directional information (imaging) and gamma ray energy (color) to produce a gamma ray color camera

Clandestine abortions are not necessarily illegal.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, R J

1991-01-01

It is common to find the term illegal abortion misused. Often times this misuse is perpetrated by antiabortion advocates who wish to reinforce negative stereotypes and thus apply pressure on doctors to refrain from performing abortions. Until a practitioner is prosecuted and convicted of performing an abortion contrary to the law, the procedure should not be referred to as illegal. Instead the legally neutral term, abortion, should be used instead. This would better serve the interests of women's reproductive health. There is no legal system that makes abortion illegal in all circumstances. For example, abortion is often legal if the life of the mother in danger. This includes a perception on behalf of the practitioner that the women may be suicidal or attempt to terminate the pregnancy by herself. A practitioner performing an abortion in such circumstances is not doing so illegally. The use of the term illegal abortion ignores the fact that in criminal law one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A prosecutor must prove 1st that an intervention was performed and 2nd that a criminal intent accompanied the intervention. It is this 2nd criterion that is often the hardest to prove, since the practitioner must only testify that the intervention was indicated by legally allowed circumstances to be innocent. The prosecutor must show bad faith in order to gain a justified conviction. Even abortion by unqualified practitioners may not be illegal if doctors refuse to perform the intervention because it is still indicated. Accurate description of abortions would clarify situations in which abortion can be legally provided.

Identity Activities

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-03

in reaction to their environment. They reflect an individual’s internal or external, conscious or subconscious , overt or covert, voluntary or...identity activities under a range of legal authorities, policy constraints, transnational threats, regional concerns and biases , and most likely...Biography. A baseline and descriptive analytic product that supports the development of the behavioral influences analysis ( BIA ) individual behavioral

Updating the premotor theory: the allocation of attention is not always accompanied by saccade preparation.

Science.gov (United States)

Belopolsky, Artem V; Theeuwes, Jan

2012-08-01

There is an ongoing controversy regarding the relationship between covert attention and saccadic eye movements. While there is quite some evidence that the preparation of a saccade is obligatory preceded by a shift of covert attention, the reverse is not clear: Is allocation of attention always accompanied by saccade preparation? Recently, a shifting and maintenance account was proposed suggesting that shifting and maintenance components of covert attention differ in their relation to the oculomotor system. Specifically, it was argued that a shift of covert attention is always accompanied by activation of the oculomotor program, while maintaining covert attention at a location can be accompanied either by activation or suppression of oculomotor program, depending on the probability of executing an eye movement to the attended location. In the present study we tested whether there is such an obligatory coupling between shifting of attention and saccade preparation and how quickly saccade preparation gets suppressed. The results showed that attention shifting was always accompanied by saccade preparation whenever covert attention had to be shifted during visual search, as well as in response to exogenous or endogenous cues. However, for the endogenous cues the saccade program to the attended location was suppressed very soon after the attention shift was completed. The current findings support the shifting and maintenance account and indicate that the premotor theory needs to be updated to include a shifting and maintenance component for the cases in which covert shifts of attention are made without the intention to execute a saccade. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Metabonomics for detection of nuclear materials processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alam, Todd Michael; Luxon, Bruce A.; Neerathilingam, Muniasamy; Ansari, S.; Volk, David; Sarkar, S.; Alam, Mary Kathleen

2010-01-01

Tracking nuclear materials production and processing, particularly covert operations, is a key national security concern, given that nuclear materials processing can be a signature of nuclear weapons activities by US adversaries. Covert trafficking can also result in homeland security threats, most notably allowing terrorists to assemble devices such as dirty bombs. Existing methods depend on isotope analysis and do not necessarily detect chronic low-level exposure. In this project, indigenous organisms such as plants, small mammals, and bacteria are utilized as living sensors for the presence of chemicals used in nuclear materials processing. Such 'metabolic fingerprinting' (or 'metabonomics') employs nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to assess alterations in organismal metabolism provoked by the environmental presence of nuclear materials processing, for example the tributyl phosphate employed in the processing of spent reactor fuel rods to extract and purify uranium and plutonium for weaponization.

Subversion: The Neglected Aspect of Computer Security.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-06-01

it into the memory of the computer . These are called flows on covert channels... A simple covert channel is the running time of a program . Because... program and, in doing so, gives it ’permission’ to perform its covert functions. Not only will most computer systems not prevent the employment of such a...R. Schell, Major, USAF, June 1974. 109 11. Lackey, R.p., "Penetration of Computer Systems, an Overviev , Honeywell Computer Journal, Vol. 8, no. 21974

Eating carbohydrate mostly at lunch and protein mostly at dinner within a covert hypocaloric diet influences morning glucose homeostasis in overweight/obese men.

Science.gov (United States)

Alves, Raquel Duarte Moreira; de Oliveira, Fernanda Cristina Esteves; Hermsdorff, Helen Hermana Miranda; Abete, Itziar; Zulet, María Angeles; Martínez, José Alfredo; Bressan, Josefina

2014-02-01

To evaluate the effects of two dietary patterns in which carbohydrates and proteins were eaten mostly at lunch or dinner on body weight and composition, energy metabolism, and biochemical markers in overweight/obese men. Fifty-eight men (30.0 ± 7.4 years; 30.8 ± 2.4 kg/m(2)) followed a covert hypocaloric balanced diet (-10 % of daily energy requirements) during 8 weeks. Subjects were randomly assigned to three groups: control diet (CT); diurnal carbohydrate/nocturnal protein (DCNP); and nocturnal carbohydrate/diurnal protein (NCDP). Main analyzed outcomes were weight loss, body composition, diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT), and glucose/lipid profile. In all groups, a significant decrease in body weight, BMI, and fat mass (kg and %) was verified, without differences between groups. Interestingly, within group analyses showed that the fat-free mass (kg) significantly decreased in NCDP and in CT after 8-week intervention, but not in DCNP. A detrimental increase in fasting glucose, insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) was verified only in DCNP, while NCDP and CT groups presented a non-significant reduction. Moreover, significant differences between DCNP and the other groups were detected for fasting insulin and HOMAIR. After the adjustments, NCDP presented a significantly higher DIT and energy expenditure after lunch, compared with DCNP, but after dinner, there were no differences among groups. Eating carbohydrates mostly at dinner and protein mostly at lunch within a hypocaloric balanced diet had similar effect on body composition and biochemical markers, but higher effect on DIT compared with control diet. Moreover, eating carbohydrates mostly at lunch and protein mostly at dinner had a deleterious impact on glucose homeostasis.

Proliferation resistance of the fuel cycle for the Integral Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burris, L.

1993-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory has developed an electrorefining pyrochemical process for recovery and recycle of metal fuel discharged from the Integral Fast Reactor (FR). This inherently low decontamination process has an overall decontamination factor of only about 100 for the plutonium metal product. As a result, all of the fuel cycle operations must be conducted in heavily shielded cells containing a high-purity argon atmosphere. The FR fuel cycle possesses high resistance to clandestine diversion or overt, state- supported removal of plutonium for nuclear weapons production because of two main factors: the highly radioactive product, which is also contaminated with heat- and neutron-producing isotopes of plutonium and other actinide elements, and the difficulty of removing material from the FR facility through the limited number of cell transfer locks without detection

On-site inspection: A brief overview and bibliography of techniques pertinent to assessing suspected nuclear test sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrigan, C.R.

1993-03-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a brief overview and bibliography of those techniques that may have application for the evaluation of a site to determine if a high energy release event is nuclear in nature. This effort is motivated by recognition of the changing world political climate and the perception that low yield and non-proliferation issues will grow in importance as countries become increasingly involved as signators to treaties that are intended to limit the development and testing of nuclear weapons. Along with an increasing interest in such issues is the awareness of the need to implement improved capabilities for treaty monitoring programs that must deal with assessing suspicious occurrences of high energy release events. In preparing this report, it is recognized that monitoring can take two main forms. The first involves the resolution of unidentified events detected by seismic and satellite National Technical Means. Events of an indeterminate nature could occur world-wide and could induce tension in neighboring countries. If an on-site measurement capability were available, a monitoring team could be sent to the suspected site of an event to take measurements that could confirm or disprove the occurrence of a clandestine nuclear test. The second monitoring form is the confirmation that a clandestine event is not masked by a declared event. For example, a large mining explosion could mask a decoupled nuclear explosion. On-site measurements before and during the test could confirm that a clandestine event did not occur and could provide assurance that the party carrying out the explosion is not taking advantage of clandestine testing opportunities. 48 refs

Intelligence and Nuclear Proliferation: Lessons Learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, Keith A.

2011-09-01

Intelligence agencies play a fundamental role in the prevention of nuclear proliferation, as they help to understand other countries' intentions and assess their technical capabilities and the nature of their nuclear activities. The challenges in this area remain, however, formidable. Past experiences and the discoveries of Iraq's WMD programs, of North Korean nuclear weapon program, and of Iranian activities, have put into question the ability of intelligence to monitor small, clandestine proliferation activities from either states or non-state entities. This Proliferation Paper analyzes the complex challenges intelligence faces and the various roles it plays in supporting national and international nuclear non-proliferation efforts, and reviews its track record. In an effort to shed light on the role and contribution of intelligence in national and international efforts to halt, if not prevent, further nuclear weapon proliferation, this paper first analyzes the challenges intelligence faces in monitoring small, clandestine proliferation activities and the role it plays in supporting non-proliferation efforts. It then reviews the intelligence track record in monitoring proliferation including the lessons learned from Iraq. Finally, it addresses whether it is possible for intelligence to accurately monitor future clandestine proliferation efforts. (author)

Interhemispheric Plasticity following Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Chronic Poststroke Aphasia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph C. Griffis

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The effects of noninvasive neurostimulation on brain structure and function in chronic poststroke aphasia are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS applied to residual language-responsive cortex in chronic patients using functional and anatomical MRI data acquired before and after iTBS. Lateralization index (LI analyses, along with comparisons of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG activation and connectivity during covert verb generation, were used to assess changes in cortical language function. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM was used to assess effects on regional grey matter (GM. LI analyses revealed a leftward shift in IFG activity after treatment. While left IFG activation increased, right IFG activation decreased. Changes in right to left IFG connectivity during covert verb generation also decreased after iTBS. Behavioral correlations revealed a negative relationship between changes in right IFG activation and improvements in fluency. While anatomical analyses did not reveal statistically significant changes in grey matter volume, the fMRI results provide evidence for changes in right and left IFG function after iTBS. The negative relationship between post-iTBS changes in right IFG activity during covert verb generation and improvements in fluency suggests that iTBS applied to residual left-hemispheric language areas may reduce contralateral responses related to language production and facilitate recruitment of residual language areas after stroke.

Interhemispheric Plasticity following Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation in Chronic Poststroke Aphasia.

Science.gov (United States)

Griffis, Joseph C; Nenert, Rodolphe; Allendorfer, Jane B; Szaflarski, Jerzy P

2016-01-01

The effects of noninvasive neurostimulation on brain structure and function in chronic poststroke aphasia are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) applied to residual language-responsive cortex in chronic patients using functional and anatomical MRI data acquired before and after iTBS. Lateralization index (LI) analyses, along with comparisons of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) activation and connectivity during covert verb generation, were used to assess changes in cortical language function. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess effects on regional grey matter (GM). LI analyses revealed a leftward shift in IFG activity after treatment. While left IFG activation increased, right IFG activation decreased. Changes in right to left IFG connectivity during covert verb generation also decreased after iTBS. Behavioral correlations revealed a negative relationship between changes in right IFG activation and improvements in fluency. While anatomical analyses did not reveal statistically significant changes in grey matter volume, the fMRI results provide evidence for changes in right and left IFG function after iTBS. The negative relationship between post-iTBS changes in right IFG activity during covert verb generation and improvements in fluency suggests that iTBS applied to residual left-hemispheric language areas may reduce contralateral responses related to language production and facilitate recruitment of residual language areas after stroke.

Metabonomics for detection of nuclear materials processing.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alam, Todd Michael; Luxon, Bruce A. (University Texas Medical Branch); Neerathilingam, Muniasamy (University Texas Medical Branch); Ansari, S. (University Texas Medical Branch); Volk, David (University Texas Medical Branch); Sarkar, S. (University Texas Medical Branch); Alam, Mary Kathleen

2010-08-01

Tracking nuclear materials production and processing, particularly covert operations, is a key national security concern, given that nuclear materials processing can be a signature of nuclear weapons activities by US adversaries. Covert trafficking can also result in homeland security threats, most notably allowing terrorists to assemble devices such as dirty bombs. Existing methods depend on isotope analysis and do not necessarily detect chronic low-level exposure. In this project, indigenous organisms such as plants, small mammals, and bacteria are utilized as living sensors for the presence of chemicals used in nuclear materials processing. Such 'metabolic fingerprinting' (or 'metabonomics') employs nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to assess alterations in organismal metabolism provoked by the environmental presence of nuclear materials processing, for example the tributyl phosphate employed in the processing of spent reactor fuel rods to extract and purify uranium and plutonium for weaponization.

Social alienation in schizophrenia patients: association with insula responsiveness to facial expressions of disgust.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindner, Christian; Dannlowski, Udo; Walhöfer, Kirsten; Rödiger, Maike; Maisch, Birgit; Bauer, Jochen; Ohrmann, Patricia; Lencer, Rebekka; Zwitserlood, Pienie; Kersting, Anette; Heindel, Walter; Arolt, Volker; Kugel, Harald; Suslow, Thomas

2014-01-01

Among the functional neuroimaging studies on emotional face processing in schizophrenia, few have used paradigms with facial expressions of disgust. In this study, we investigated whether schizophrenia patients show less insula activation to macro-expressions (overt, clearly visible expressions) and micro-expressions (covert, very brief expressions) of disgust than healthy controls. Furthermore, departing from the assumption that disgust faces signal social rejection, we examined whether perceptual sensitivity to disgust is related to social alienation in patients and controls. We hypothesized that high insula responsiveness to facial disgust predicts social alienation. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure insula activation in 36 schizophrenia patients and 40 healthy controls. During scanning, subjects passively viewed covert and overt presentations of disgust and neutral faces. To measure social alienation, a social loneliness scale and an agreeableness scale were administered. Schizophrenia patients exhibited reduced insula activation in response to covert facial expressions of disgust. With respect to macro-expressions of disgust, no between-group differences emerged. In patients, insula responsiveness to covert faces of disgust was positively correlated with social loneliness. Furthermore, patients' insula responsiveness to covert and overt faces of disgust was negatively correlated with agreeableness. In controls, insula responsiveness to covert expressions of disgust correlated negatively with agreeableness. Schizophrenia patients show reduced insula responsiveness to micro-expressions but not macro-expressions of disgust compared to healthy controls. In patients, low agreeableness was associated with stronger insula response to micro- and macro-expressions of disgust. Patients with a strong tendency to feel uncomfortable with social interactions appear to be characterized by a high sensitivity for facial expression signaling social

Associations between narcissism and emotion regulation difficulties: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity as a moderator.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hui; Wang, Zhenhong; You, Xuqun; Lü, Wei; Luo, Yun

2015-09-01

The aim of the current study was to examine the direct and interactive effects of two types of narcissism (overt and covert) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity on emotion regulation difficulties in 227 undergraduate students. Overt and covert narcissism and emotion regulation difficulties were assessed with self-report measures (narcissistic personality inventory (NPI)-16, hypersensitive narcissism scale (HSNS), and difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS)), and physiological data were measured during the baseline, stress (a public-speaking task), and recovery periods in the laboratory. Results indicated that overt narcissism was negatively related to a lack of emotional awareness and emotional clarity, whereas covert narcissism was positively related to overall emotion regulation difficulties, nonacceptance of emotional responses, impulse control difficulties, limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and a lack of emotional clarity. RSA reactivity in response to a mock job interview moderated the associations between covert narcissism (as a predictor) and overall emotion regulation difficulties and impulse control difficulties (as outcomes). This finding showed that a greater stress-induced RSA decrease may serve as a protective factor and ameliorate the effect of covert narcissism on individuals' emotion regulation difficulties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tobacco industry use of judicial seminars to influence rulings in products liability litigation

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, L C

2006-01-01

Objectives This paper examines the tobacco industry's efforts to influence litigation by sponsoring judicial seminars. Methods Thousands of internal tobacco documents were examined, including memos, reports, presentations, and newsletters. Connections to outside organisations were corroborated by examining tobacco industry financial records, budgets, and letters pledging funds. Facts about outside organisations were triangulated through examining their websites and publicly‐filed financial records, and verifying facts through their representatives' statements in newspaper and law review articles. Results There are direct financial ties between the tobacco industry and groups that organise judicial seminars in an effort to influence jurisprudence, and judges who attend these seminars may be breaching judicial ethics either by not inquiring about the source of funding or by ignoring funding by potential litigants. Conclusions The tobacco industry's attempts to clandestinely influence judges' decisions in cases to which they are a party endangers the integrity of the judiciary. PMID:16565460

Biomass production from electricity using ammonia as an electron carrier in a reverse microbial fuel cell.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendell O Khunjar

Full Text Available The storage of renewable electrical energy within chemical bonds of biofuels and other chemicals is a route to decreasing petroleum usage. A critical challenge is the efficient transfer of electrons into a biological host that can covert this energy into high energy organic compounds. In this paper, we describe an approach whereby biomass is grown using energy obtained from a soluble mediator that is regenerated electrochemically. The net result is a separate-stage reverse microbial fuel cell (rMFC that fixes CO₂ into biomass using electrical energy. We selected ammonia as a low cost, abundant, safe, and soluble redox mediator that facilitated energy transfer to biomass. Nitrosomonas europaea, a chemolithoautotroph, was used as the biocatalyst due to its inherent capability to utilize ammonia as its sole energy source for growth. An electrochemical reactor was designed for the regeneration of ammonia from nitrite, and current efficiencies of 100% were achieved. Calculations indicated that overall bioproduction efficiency could approach 2.7±0.2% under optimal electrolysis conditions. The application of chemolithoautotrophy for industrial bioproduction has been largely unexplored, and results suggest that this and related rMFC platforms may enable biofuel and related biochemical production.

History of the nuclear menace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Guelte, G.

1997-01-01

For a half century, the nuclear conflict represents a permanent menace for the whole humanity. Through the crisis of Cuba rockets, Israel weapons, Indian explosion, Pakistan equipment, the dismantling of South Africa weapons, the discovery of the clandestine program of Iraq or the North Korean crisis, we understand nuclear threat. 178 countries decided to extend the non proliferation treaty for an indefinite period. But some questions are still to be studied: how it is possible to avoid the clandestine making of nuclear weapons, or if it is possible to convince recalcitrant countries to adhere to a treaty and only when all the questions will find an answer, the nuclear threat will be eliminated. (N.C.)

Harraga dans la littérature francophone : Boualem Sansal, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Mathias Enard et Marie Ndiaye

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Désirée Schyns

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Résumé : Le présent article offre une analyse de l’immigration clandestine représentée en fiction. Je commenterai quatre productions romanesques francophones qui évoquent la recherche d’une vie meilleure en Europe par des personnages des pays du Sud, à savoir l’Algérie (Boualem Sansal, le Maroc (Tahar Ben Jelloun et Mathias Enard, et un pays d’Afrique subsaharienne qui ne sera nulle part mentionné (Marie Ndiaye. Nous allons voir que Sansal se sert de la fiction pour dénoncer surtout la situation socio-politique en Algérie qui fait que tant de jeunes veulent quitter le pays. Tahar Ben Jelloun et Mathias Enard ont recours à des références intertextuelles afin de replacer le sujet de l’immigration clandestine dans un contexte plus large, et notamment de critiquer les relations coloniales et d’établir un lien avec le passé. Quant à Marie Ndiaye, elle interpelle le lecteur en donnant un témoignage déchirant de l’errance de son personnage, mais en même temps insère des éléments fantastiques qui créent une distance esthétique et affective par rapport à l’expérience migratoire.

The time course of color- and luminance-based salience effects.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabel C Dombrowe

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Salient objects in the visual field attract our attention. Recent work in the orientation domain has shown that the effects of the relative salience of two singleton elements on covert visual attention disappear over time. The present study aims to investigate how salience derived from color and luminance differences affects covert selection. In two experiments, observers indicated the location of a probe which was presented at different stimulus-onset-asynchronies after the presentation of a singleton display containing a homogeneous array of oriented lines and two distinct color singletons (Experiment 1 or luminance singletons (Experiment 2. The results show that relative singleton salience from luminance and color differences, just as from orientation differences, affects covert visual attention in a brief time span after stimulus onset. The mere presence of an object, however, can affect covert attention for a longer time span regardless of salience.

North Korea's Perennial Diet of Carrots and Sticks

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wickman, Stephen B

2002-01-01

.... During the first high-level contact between the Bush Administration and the isolated North Korean government in early October 2002, the DPRK acknowledged it had clandestinely developed facilities...

Focus of spatial attention during spatial working memory maintenance : Evidence from pupillary light response

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fabius, J. H.; Mathôt, Sebastiaan; Schut, M. J.; Nijboer, T. C.W.; Van der Stigchel, S.

2017-01-01

In this experiment, we demonstrate modulation of the pupillary light response by spatial working memory (SWM). The pupillary light response has previously been shown to reflect the focus of covert attention, as demonstrated by smaller pupil sizes when a subject covertly attends a location on a

Gauging the Commitment of Clandestine Group Members

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Downs, Doneda D

2006-01-01

.... Until a few years ago, most research on individual commitment and organizational cohesion has been based primarily on questionnaires and open observations on groups that desire to be understood...

Customer Surveillance: Consumer Attitudes and Management Strategies

OpenAIRE

Plangger, Kirk Anton

2015-01-01

Due to technological advances, customer surveillance (i.e., the collection, capture, use, or storage of customers’ personal data) is becoming less expensive and more covert. Brands use these personal data that contain needs, preferences, characteristics, behavior, attitudes, or other customer attributes (i.e., market intelligence) to develop more competitive products and services. Customer surveillance also can put stress on customer relationships with brands, thus brands must conduct custome...

People and Planned Change/Manipulation versus Modification.

Science.gov (United States)

West, Bob; Dormant, Diane

1979-01-01

Presents excerpts from a workshop (on change agentry) participant's letter in which he disagrees with equating "covert,""overt," and "infiltrate" with the unethical manipulation of people. He defines covert and overt methods of influencing decision makers and identifies methods that could be borrowed from other areas to broaden options. (Author/JD)

Modulation of Posterior Alpha Activity by Spatial Attention Allows for Controlling A Continuous Brain-Computer Interface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Horschig, J.M.; Oosterheert, W.; Oostenveld, R.; Jensen, O.

2015-01-01

Here we report that the modulation of alpha activity by covert attention can be used as a control signal in an online brain-computer interface, that it is reliable, and that it is robust. Subjects were instructed to orient covert visual attention to the left or right hemifield. We decoded the

On the context-dependent nature of the contribution of the ventral premotor cortex to speech perception

Science.gov (United States)

Tremblay, Pascale; Small, Steven L.

2011-01-01

What is the nature of the interface between speech perception and production, where auditory and motor representations converge? One set of explanations suggests that during perception, the motor circuits involved in producing a perceived action are in some way enacting the action without actually causing movement (covert simulation) or sending along the motor information to be used to predict its sensory consequences (i.e., efference copy). Other accounts either reject entirely the involvement of motor representations in perception, or explain their role as being more supportive than integral, and not employing the identical circuits used in production. Using fMRI, we investigated whether there are brain regions that are conjointly active for both speech perception and production, and whether these regions are sensitive to articulatory (syllabic) complexity during both processes, which is predicted by a covert simulation account. A group of healthy young adults (1) observed a female speaker produce a set of familiar words (perception), and (2) observed and then repeated the words (production). There were two types of words, varying in articulatory complexity, as measured by the presence or absence of consonant clusters. The simple words contained no consonant cluster (e.g. “palace”), while the complex words contained one to three consonant clusters (e.g. “planet”). Results indicate that the left ventral premotor cortex (PMv) was significantly active during speech perception and speech production but that activation in this region was scaled to articulatory complexity only during speech production, revealing an incompletely specified efferent motor signal during speech perception. The right planum temporal (PT) was also active during speech perception and speech production, and activation in this region was scaled to articulatory complexity during both production and perception. These findings are discussed in the context of current theories theory of

Science and Technology Review, January-February 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

Table of contents: accelerators at Livermore; the B-Factory and the Big Bang; assessing exposure to radiation; next generation of computer storage; and a powerful new tool to detect clandestine nuclear tests

Science and Technology Review, January-February 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-01-01

Table of contents: accelerators at Livermore; the B-Factory and the Big Bang; assessing exposure to radiation; next generation of computer storage; and a powerful new tool to detect clandestine nuclear tests.

Movie moguls: British American Tobacco's covert strategy to promote cigarettes in Eastern Europe.

Science.gov (United States)

LeGresley, Eric M; Muggli, Monique E; Hurt, Richard D

2006-10-01

Though the cigarette companies have long publicly denied paying for product placement in films, the documentary evidence from the 1950s-1980s overwhelmingly suggests otherwise. Approximately 800,000 pages of previously secret internal corporate British American Tobacco Company documents were reviewed at the Minnesota Tobacco Document Depository from March 2003 through May 2005. Documents were also searched online at the various tobacco document collections between February 2004 and November 2004. A small collection of internal corporate documents from British American Tobacco show that in the late 1990s the company evaluated investing in a movie destined for Eastern Europe. By being an investor, BAT could influence the alteration of the movie script to promote BAT's brands, thus providing marketing opportunities without a clear violation of movie product placement restrictions. Future protocols to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control should seek to curtail more than just payment for tobacco product placement. More restrictive provisions will be needed to hinder creative strategies by the tobacco industry to continue tobacco promotion and trademark diversification through movies.

The K2/Spice Phenomenon: emergence, identification, legislation and metabolic characterization of synthetic cannabinoids in herbal incense products

Science.gov (United States)

Brents, Lisa K.; Prather, Paul L.

2014-01-01

In 2008, the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) detected unregulated, psychoactive synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) in purportedly all-natural herbal incense products (often known as K2 or Spice) that were being covertly abused as marijuana substitutes. These drugs, which include JWH-018, JWH-073 and CP-47,497, bind and activate the cannabinoid receptors CB1R and CB2R with remarkable potency and efficacy. Serious adverse effects that often require medical attention, including severe cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and psychiatric sequelae, are highly prevalent with SCB abuse. Consequently, progressively restrictive legislation in the US and Europe has banned the distribution, sale and use of prevalent SCBs, initiating cycles in which herbal incense manufacturers replace banned SCBs with newer unregulated SCBs. The contents of the numerous, diverse herbal incense products was unknown when SCB abuse first emerged. Furthermore, the pharmacology of the active components was largely uncharacterized, and confirmation of SCB use was hindered by a lack of known biomarkers. These knowledge gaps prompted scientists across multiple disciplines to rapidly (1) monitor, identify and quantify with chromatography/mass spectrometry the ever-changing contents of herbal incense products, (2) determine the metabolic pathways and major urinary metabolites of several commonly abused SCBs and (3) identify active metabolites that possibly contribute to the severe adverse effect profile of SCBs. This review comprehensively describes the emergence of SCB abuse and provides a historical account of the major case reports, legal decisions and scientific discoveries of the ″K2/Spice Phenomenon″. Hypotheses concerning potential mechanisms SCB adverse effects are proposed in this review. PMID:24063277

Exogenous orienting of attention depends upon the ability to execute eye movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Daniel T; Rorden, Chris; Jackson, Stephen R

2004-05-04

Shifts of attention can be made overtly by moving the eyes or covertly with attention being allocated to a region of space that does not correspond to the current direction of gaze. However, the precise relationship between eye movements and the covert orienting of attention remains controversial. The influential premotor theory proposes that the covert orienting of attention is produced by the programming of (unexecuted) eye movements and thus predicts a strong relationship between the ability to execute eye movements and the operation of spatial attention. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that impaired spatial attention is observed in an individual (AI) who is neurologically healthy but who cannot execute eye movements as a result of a congenital impairment in the elasticity of her eye muscles. This finding provides direct support for the role of the eye-movement system in the covert orienting of attention and suggests that whereas intact cortical structures may be necessary for normal attentional reflexes, they are not sufficient. The ability to move our eyes is essential for the development of normal patterns of spatial attention.

Migrant workers and labor market segmentation in Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, H

1994-01-01

The amended Immigration Control Act of 1990 focused on 1) redefinition of the resident status of foreign nationals, 2) clarification of immigration regulations, and 3) countermeasures to cope with the problem of illegal migrant workers. Tough penalties were introduced for illegal employment. The reform paved the way for third generation Nikkei (foreigners of Japanese ancestry) and also opened the door to non-Nikkei married to second generation Nikkei to reside in the country. The migration of Nikkei workers to Japan dates back to the beginning of the 1980s. The Technical Intern Training Program introduced in 1993 also opened a legal channel for the employment of unskilled or semi-skilled foreigners. The categories of foreign workers were heavily concentrated in the automobile and electric appliances industries, mostly as assembly line workers. Foreign students and clandestine workers had a wider dispersion in the labor force than the Nikkei. Students often find work in the urban service sector while attending school. Clandestine male workers predominate in the construction industry as unskilled workers. According to the size of firms, small firms had had the most acute labor shortages in the past 15 years prior to 1994, especially in the late 1980s. The Immigration Law of 1990 brought major changes in the hiring practices of large firms that began hiring legal workers such as the Nikkei, while small firms continued hiring clandestine workers from Asian countries. Foreign workers also earned almost as much as native part-time workers and sometimes even outstripped native seasonal workers. In terms of wages, Nikkei South Americans were on the top followed by Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, Nepalese, Ghanians, and Iranians on the bottom. Unskilled foreign workers generally had a high turnover rate with the Nikkei showing the lowest rate. Only 7% of the Nikkei changed jobs more than four times vs. 16-17% of foreign students and 21% of clandestine workers.

The Impact of Interdependencies on the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Safeguards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kyriakopoulos, Nicholas [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC (United States)

2012-06-15

The purpose of Integrated Safeguards is to evaluate a State as a whole and provide credible assurance of the absence of undeclared nuclear activities. The new system is not viewed as an addition to the traditional safeguards system but as a collection of measures to verify the correctness and completeness of the declarations. The broadening of the scope to evaluate the State for the purpose of enhancing non-proliferation introduces uncertainties that affect the performance of the safeguards system. The processes within a State that Integrated Safeguards seeks to monitor are not clearly defined. Neither are the measurement and evaluation systems for the verification of the absence of undeclared activities. A refinement of the existing diversion process model is needed that takes into account the likelihood that a State would undertake a clandestine program. To develop such a model this paper examines the nuclear programs of seven States that have built or attempted to build nuclear weapons and one that is being accused of having one but denies it. Analysis of the factors that are essential in the decision of a State to embark on a nuclear weapons program indicates leads to the identification of certain indicators for clandestine nuclear weapons programs. It identifies the conditions and interdependencies that most likely lead those States to undertake clandestine weapons programs and develops a set of likelihood indicators that can be used in the application of safeguards to a State as a whole. Existence of serious conflicts involving territorial disputes, transparency in the social system, militarization of the State, and democratization of the political process are the common characteristics of those States. Although these are not easily quantifiable indicators, concepts such as fuzzy logic can be used to construct likelihood estimators for the presence of absence of clandestine programs leading to a State-specific safeguards approach adapted to the conditions of

A novel quantum information hiding protocol based on entanglement swapping of high-level Bell states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Shu-Jiang; Wang Lian-Hai; Chen Xiu-Bo; Niu Xin-Xin; Yang Yi-Xian

2015-01-01

Using entanglement swapping of high-level Bell states, we first derive a covert layer between the secret message and the possible output results of the entanglement swapping between any two generalized Bell states, and then propose a novel high-efficiency quantum information hiding protocol based on the covert layer. In the proposed scheme, a covert channel can be built up under the cover of a high-level quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) channel for securely transmitting secret messages without consuming any auxiliary quantum state or any extra communication resource. It is shown that this protocol not only has a high embedding efficiency but also achieves a good imperceptibility as well as a high security. (paper)

Anti-infective medicine quality: analysis of basic product quality by approval status and country of manufacture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bate R

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Roger Bate,1 Lorraine Mooney,2 Kimberly Hess,3 Julissa Milligan,1 Amir Attaran41American Enterprise Institute, Washington DC, USA; 2Africa Fighting Malaria, London, UK; 3Africa Fighting Malaria, Washington DC, USA; 4Faculty of Law and Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, CanadaBackground: Some medicines for sale in developing countries are approved by a stringent regulatory authority (SRA or the World Health Organization (WHO prequalification program; many of these are global brands. This study ascertains whether medicines approved by SRAs or the WHO perform better in simple quality tests than those that have not been approved by either.Methods: Over the past 4 years, 2652 essential drugs (products to treat malaria, tuberculosis, and bacterial infections were procured by covert shoppers from eleven African cities and eight cities in a variety of mid-income nations. All samples were assessed using the Global Pharma Health Fund eV Minilab® protocol to identify whether they were substandard, degraded, or counterfeit.Results: The failure rate among SRA-approved products was 1.01%, among WHO-approved products was 6.80%, and 13.01% among products that were not approved by either. African cities had a greater proportion of SRA- or WHO-approved products (31.50% than Indian cities (26.57%, but they also experienced a higher failure rate (14.21% than Indian cities (7.83%. The remainder of cities tested had both the highest proportion of approved products at 34.46% and the lowest failure rate at 2.70%. Products made in Africa had the highest failure rate at 25.77%, followed by Chinese products at 15.74%, Indian products at 3.70%, and European/US products, which failed least often, at 1.70%. Most worrying is that 17.65% of Chinese products approved by the WHO failed.Conclusion: The results strongly indicate that approval by either an SRA or the WHO is correlated with higher medicine quality at a statistically significant level. The comparatively high

Pattern and Outcome of Induced Abortion in Abakaliki, Southeast of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

for clandestine means of terminating an unintended pregnancy thereby posing a ... long-term morbidity, chronic disabilities and reproductive health problems.[7] .... Table 4 shows contraceptive usage and awareness of the patient who were ...

Associations of parental feeding styles with child snacking behaviour and weight in the context of general parenting.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodenburg, Gerda; Kremers, Stef P J; Oenema, Anke; van de Mheen, Dike

2014-05-01

To examine cross-sectional and longitudinal (one-year follow-up) associations of parental feeding styles with child snacking behaviour and weight in the context of general parenting, taking into account the multidimensionality of the controlling feeding style. Linear regression analyses were performed. Parents completed a questionnaire to measure five feeding style dimensions (Instrumental Feeding, Emotional Feeding, Encouragement, Overt Control and Covert Control) and children's fruit, energy-dense snack and sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intakes. Children's height and weight were measured to calculate their BMI Z-scores. Moderation by parenting style was tested by adding interaction terms to the regression analyses. Observational study in the Netherlands. Parent-child dyads (n 1275) participating in the INPACT (IVO Nutrition and Physical Activity Child cohorT) study; children were (on average) 9 years of age. Instrumental Feeding and Emotional Feeding were negatively related to child fruit intake one year later and positively to (changes in) child energy-dense snack intake. Encouragement was negatively related to child energy-dense snacking and SSB intake one year later. Overt Control was cross-sectionally and prospectively related to (changes in) child energy-dense snacking and SSB intake in a negative direction. Covert Control showed similar associations with child energy-dense snacking and SSB intake as Overt Control. Although Covert Control was also positively related to child fruit intake and (changes in) child BMI Z-score, bootstrapping analyses revealed only a differential effect of Overt Control and Covert Control on child BMI Z-score one year later, with Covert Control displaying a stronger, positive association. Moderation analyses showed that some significant associations between parental feeding styles and outcome measures were dependent on the degree of psychological control and behavioural control. Instrumental Feeding and Emotional Feeding may have

1H and 31P benchtop NMR of liquids and solids used in and/or produced during the manufacture of methamphetamine by the HI reduction of pseudoephedrine/ephedrine.

Science.gov (United States)

Bogun, Ben; Moore, Sarah

2017-09-01

In this study, the use of benchtop NMR spectroscopy in the analysis of solids and liquids used and/or produced during the HI reduction of pseudoephedrine was evaluated. The study focused on identifying organic precursors and phosphorus containing compounds used in and/or produced during the manufacturing process. Samples taken from clandestine laboratories, where this synthesis process was suspected of occurring, were also analysed and evaluated. Benchtop NMR was able to distinguish between ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and methamphetamine as the free base and hydrochloride salt. This technique was also effective at identifying and distinguishing between phosphorus containing compounds used and/or produced during the manufacture of methamphetamine. Benchtop NMR was also determined to be effective at analysing samples from suspected clandestine laboratories. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integration of holography into the design of bank notes and security documents

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Paul

2000-10-01

The use of holograms and other diffractive optically variable devices have been used successfully in the fight against counterfeiting of security documents for several years. More recently they have become globally accepted as a key security feature on banknotes as reflected in their prime use on the Euronotes to be issues in 2002. The success of the design and origination of these images depends upon their strong visual appeal, their overt and covert content and the ability to offer unique features that provides an extremely difficult barrier for the would be counterfeiter to overcome. The basic design principles both for banknote and general security print application are discussed in this review document. TO be effective as a security device the image must be fit for the purpose. This means that the image must contain the level of overt and covert features that are easy to recognize, containing high level security features and form part of an educational program aimed at the product user and specifically trained security personnel. More specifically it must meet a clearly defined performance criteria.

How do you select the right security features for your company's products

Science.gov (United States)

Pickett, Gordon E.

1998-04-01

this paper will attempt to assist you and your associates define (1) what products are or may be under threat and how many different ways the product(s) might be compromised, (2) who might attempt to compromise your company's product(s), (3) what product security features may be effective in deterring the perceived threats, (4) how many deterrent features are needed, and should the features be overt, covert, or a combination of the two, (5) how will the candidate features hold up in the 'usage' environment, and (6) who will 'validate' the features and what skill levels, or auxiliary equipment, will be needed? Obviously, the cost effectiveness for adding possible security features to the product(s) needs to be considered, but more than just the cost of the feature, or the value of the product, needs to be factored into these considerations. For example, the effect of any compromise on the company's reputation and legal liabilities. This paper obviously can not provide all of the 'answers' but will attempt to provide you with 'food for thought.'

Reproductive Health and the Question of Abortion in Botswana: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

AJRH Managing Editor

The stigma attached to abortion leads some women to seek clandestine procedures, or alternatively, to carry the fetus to term and ..... key sources of labour and they help strengthen ..... Mogobe D. Denying and preserving self: Batswana.

Categorization of Radioxenon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, Paul E.

2012-04-26

This report summarizes a study into some false positive issues in the use of radioxenon as a method to verify a clandestine nuclear weapons explosion. False positives arise due to similarities between the radioxenon signature generated in medical isotope production and that generated in a nuclear weapon explosion. This report also discusses how to categorize the radioxenon by levels of urgency for manual analysis and interpretation and recommends applying machine learning and time series analysis techniques in the automation of radioxenon characterization. The literature indicates that medical isotope production is a major contributor to atmospheric radioxenon and is the main source of confusion in determining the source of radioxenon. While radioxenon emissions from nuclear power plants can be distinguished from that from nuclear weapon explosions, emissions from medical isotope production generate signatures similar to certain nuclide ratios found in nuclear weapons explosions. Different techniques for analyzing nuclide concentrations and ratios as well as including other sensing modalities via sensor fusion are discussed.

Enhancing the prediction of self-handicapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, R N; Snyder, C R; Higgins, R L; Schrag, J L

1986-12-01

Levels of test anxiety, Type A and Type B coronary-prone behavior, fear of failure, and covert self-esteem were studied as predictors of self-handicapping performance attributions for college women who were placed in either a high- (N = 49) or low- (N = 49) evaluative test or task situation. We hypothesized that test anxiety. Type A or Type B level, and their interaction would account for reliable variance in the prediction of self-handicapping. However, we also theorized that underlying high fear of failure and low covert self-esteem would explain the self-handicapping claims of test-anxious and Type A subjects. The results indicated that only high levels of test anxiety and high levels of covert self-esteem were related to women's self-handicapping attributions.

KEEFEKTIFAN STRATEGI MODELING PARTISIPAN DALAM BANTUAN TEMAN SEBAYA (PEER HELPING UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KOMUNIKASI INTERPERSONAL SISWA SMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeti Novitasari

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Interpersonal communication is one of important skills that should be owned by a student to reach success in the future. Thus, it is needed a proper strategy to improve students interpersonal communication.this study aims at knowing the effectivity 0f participant modelling strategy and covert modelling implemented in peer helping to improve interpersonal communication of senior high students. This study uses pretest and posttest control group design. Participant modeling strategy as experimental group and covert modeling as control group. Every experimental group and control group consist of six students who have low interpersonal communication. The instruments used are interpersonal communication scale, instruction of peer helping by using participant modelling strategy and covert modeling, reflexion sheet, and observation sheet. This study uses two kinds analysis, namely non parametric statistic test, two-independent sample Test-Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon test, an analysis to know the changing of each group. The result of study shows participant modeling strategy could improve students interpersonal communication. Komunikasi interpersonal merupakan salah satu ketrampilan yang sangat penting dimiliki oleh seorang pelajar untuk mencapai keberhasilan dalam aktivitas masa depan. Hal tersebut menyebabkan perlu strategi yang tepat untuk meningkatkan komunikasi interpersonal siswa. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui keefektifan strategi modeling partisipan dan covert modeling yang diimplementasi dalam bantuan teman sebaya untuk meningkatkan komunikasi interpersonal siswa SMA. Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan adalah pretest and posttest control group design. Strategi modeling partisipan sebagai kelompok eksperimen dan covert modeling sebagai kelompok control. Setiap kelompok eksperimen dan control terdiri dari enam siswa yang terjaring memiliki komunikasi interpersonal rendah. Instrument yang digunakan adalah skala komunikasi

Clandestine Bushmeat Trade in Cross River State, Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper surveyed the herp species traded in secret bush meat markets of Cross River State, with the view of assessing their conservation status and uses they are put to. The study mainly focused on six selected communities in Akamkpa Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross Rivers State, Nigeria – the host LGA of ...

Approach to proliferation risk assessment based on multiple objective analysis framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrianov, A.; Kuptsov, I. [Obninsk Institute for Nuclear Power Engineering of NNRU MEPhI (Russian Federation); Studgorodok 1, Obninsk, Kaluga region, 249030 (Russian Federation)

2013-07-01

The approach to the assessment of proliferation risk using the methods of multi-criteria decision making and multi-objective optimization is presented. The approach allows the taking into account of the specifics features of the national nuclear infrastructure, and possible proliferation strategies (motivations, intentions, and capabilities). 3 examples of applying the approach are shown. First, the approach has been used to evaluate the attractiveness of HEU (high enriched uranium)production scenarios at a clandestine enrichment facility using centrifuge enrichment technology. Secondly, the approach has been applied to assess the attractiveness of scenarios for undeclared production of plutonium or HEU by theft of materials circulating in nuclear fuel cycle facilities and thermal reactors. Thirdly, the approach has been used to perform a comparative analysis of the structures of developing nuclear power systems based on different types of nuclear fuel cycles, the analysis being based on indicators of proliferation risk.

Approach to proliferation risk assessment based on multiple objective analysis framework

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrianov, A.; Kuptsov, I.

2013-01-01

The approach to the assessment of proliferation risk using the methods of multi-criteria decision making and multi-objective optimization is presented. The approach allows the taking into account of the specifics features of the national nuclear infrastructure, and possible proliferation strategies (motivations, intentions, and capabilities). 3 examples of applying the approach are shown. First, the approach has been used to evaluate the attractiveness of HEU (high enriched uranium)production scenarios at a clandestine enrichment facility using centrifuge enrichment technology. Secondly, the approach has been applied to assess the attractiveness of scenarios for undeclared production of plutonium or HEU by theft of materials circulating in nuclear fuel cycle facilities and thermal reactors. Thirdly, the approach has been used to perform a comparative analysis of the structures of developing nuclear power systems based on different types of nuclear fuel cycles, the analysis being based on indicators of proliferation risk

Scientific and technical development and the chemical weapon convention

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqui, P.H.

2008-01-01

The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was drafted with the recognition that it is impossible to envision every way in which toxic chemicals might be used for aggressive purposes. As terrorist organizations and rogue states replace the major powers as the most likely candidates to employ chemical weapons, the agents of choice may differ from those developed for battlefield use. Twenty- first century chemical warfare may target civilians or agricultural production, and clandestine production-facilities may manufacture toxic agents from chemical precursors, not monitored under the CWC control regime. The effects (on CWC implementation) of changing industrial technologies, including ongoing developments in chemical process technology, dual-use industrial chemicals, and rapid methods for discovering biologically active chemicals, are considerable Also considered is how commercial technologies could be misused for the development of novel chemical weapons, and how such abuses might be detected and monitored. (author)

Nuclear weapons and the Arab-Israeli conflict

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lomas, P.

1989-01-01

The implications of the clandestine Israeli nuclear arsenal for the conflict in the Middle East are studied in the light of emerging Arab reactions to it. The opportunities for European influence on the policy and programmes of this threshold state are described

Automated hand hygiene auditing with and without an intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwok, Yen Lee Angela; Juergens, Craig P; McLaws, Mary-Louise

2016-12-01

Daily feedback from continuous automated auditing with a peer reminder intervention was used to improve compliance. Compliance rates from covert and overt automated auditing phases with and without intervention were compared with human mandatory audits. An automated system was installed to covertly detect hand hygiene events with each depression of the alcohol-based handrub dispenser for 5 months. The overt phase included key clinicians trained to share daily rates with clinicians, set compliance goals, and nudge each other to comply for 6 months. During a further 6 months, the intervention continued without being refreshed. Hand Hygiene Australia (HHA) human audits were performed quarterly during the intervention in accordance with the World Health Organization guidelines. Percentage point (PP) differences between compliance rates were used to determine change. HHA rates for June 2014 were 85% and 87% on the medical and surgical wards, respectively. These rates were 55 PPs and 38 PPs higher than covert automation rates for June 2014 on the medical and surgical ward at 30% and 49%, respectively. During the intervention phase, average compliance did not change on the medical ward from their covert rate, whereas the surgical ward improved compared with the covert phase by 11 PPs to 60%. On average, compliance during the intervention without being refreshed did not change on the medical ward, whereas the average rate on the surgical ward declined by 9 PPs. Automation provided a unique opportunity to respond to daily rates, but compliance will return to preintervention levels once active intervention ceases or human auditors leave the ward, unless clinicians are committed to change. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modularly Constructed Synthetic Granzyme B Molecule Enables Interrogation of Intracellular Proteases for Targeted Cytotoxicity.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Patrick; Ede, Christopher; Chen, Yvonne Y

2017-08-18

Targeted therapies promise to increase the safety and efficacy of treatments against diseases ranging from cancer to viral infections. However, the vast majority of targeted therapeutics relies on the recognition of extracellular biomarkers, which are rarely restricted to diseased cells and are thus prone to severe and sometimes-fatal off-target toxicities. In contrast, intracellular antigens present a diverse yet underutilized repertoire of disease markers. Here, we report a protein-based therapeutic platform-termed Cytoplasmic Oncoprotein VErifier and Response Trigger (COVERT)-which enables the interrogation of intracellular proteases to trigger targeted cytotoxicity. COVERT molecules consist of the cytotoxic protein granzyme B (GrB) fused to an inhibitory N-terminal peptide, which can be removed by researcher-specified proteases to activate GrB function. We demonstrate that fusion of a small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO1) protein to GrB yields a SUMO-GrB molecule that is specifically activated by the cancer-associated sentrin-specific protease 1 (SENP1). SUMO-GrB selectively triggers apoptotic phenotypes in HEK293T cells that overexpress SENP1, and it is highly sensitive to different SENP1 levels across cell lines. We further demonstrate the rational design of additional COVERT molecules responsive to enterokinase (EK) and tobacco etch virus protease (TEVp), highlighting the COVERT platform's modularity and adaptability to diverse protease targets. As an initial step toward engineering COVERT-T cells for adoptive T-cell therapy, we verified that primary human T cells can express, package, traffic, and deliver engineered GrB molecules in response to antigen stimulation. Our findings set the foundation for future intracellular-antigen-responsive therapeutics that can complement surface-targeted therapies.

An epidemic of illicit fentanyl deaths in Cook County, Illinois: September 2005 through April 2007.

Science.gov (United States)

Denton, J Scott; Donoghue, Edmund R; McReynolds, Jennifer; Kalelkar, Mitra B

2008-03-01

Between September 2005 and April 2007, 350 fentanyl intoxication deaths were investigated and certified by the Cook County Medical Examiners Office. Investigations revealed that the majority of these fatalities were by intravenous injection of a white powder followed by a rapid collapse. The fentanyl was clandestinely produced in a lab in Toluca, Mexico and sold by the Mickey Cobra street gang. The term "Drop Dead" was coined for this "tainted heroin." Postmortem samples were screened by ELISA and confirmed by standard GC-MS methods. Fentanyl fatalities peaked at 47 per month in May and June 2006. Fifty-two percent were single fentanyl intoxications, with the remainder accompanied by either cocaine, morphine from heroin, or alcohol. This epidemic stressed the limited resources of the toxicology laboratory and autopsy service of the Medical Examiners Office. The clandestine lab was terminated, distributing gang members and leaders arrested, and the epidemic ceased in April 2007.

History of the Iraqi Nuclear Center of Tuwaitha

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabbri, Silvio

2009-01-01

The Tuwaitha site, 20 km south of Baghdad, was chosen at the beginning of the sixties to be the Center for Research and Development of the Iraqi Nuclear Program. The israeli air attack to the Osirak reactor in 1981, the clandestine activities for nuclear weapons production and the inspections carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to verify such activities are parts of the history of that nuclear complex. Its installations were extensively damaged in 1991 during the so called Golf War and finally destroyed by air bombardment during the invasion by the Coalition Forces in 2003. The IAEA and other several countries have elaborated an international assistance program for the future activities of installations dismantling and site remediation. (author) [es

A study on the anxiety disorder and related factors among highschool students of Ghasem Abad, Islamshahr, December, 1986

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moshkani Z

1998-08-01

Full Text Available Anxiety is one of the most common disorders among the adolescent. Because in this period they have to make many new adjustments such as establishing the sense of identity, thinking about the choice of their career and decide which one matches with their abilities and also makes some social adjustments. In this study 793 highschool students (boys and girls took the Spiel Berger anxiety tests which measure the overt and covert anxiety. They also completed a structured questionnaire containing questions about the independent variables. Findings of this study indicate that 15% of the highschool students had severe overt anxiety disorder and 20.1% had severe covert anxiety disorder. A statistically significant relation has been found between the covert anxiety and father's education (P=0.006, mother's death (P=0.01, the student's disability (P=0.04, religious believes (P=0.006, illness of family members (P=0.05, educational achievement (P=0.01, mother's occupation (P=0.02. Also a significant relation has been found between the covert anxiety and sex (P=0.01, student's occupation after school hours (P=0.002, religious belief (P=0.01, father's education (P=0.01, illeness of family members (P=0.004.

Visual attention: The past 25 years

Science.gov (United States)

Carrasco, Marisa

2012-01-01

This review focuses on covert attention and how it alters early vision. I explain why attention is considered a selective process, the constructs of covert attention, spatial endogenous and exogenous attention, and feature-based attention. I explain how in the last 25 years research on attention has characterized the effects of covert attention on spatial filters and how attention influences the selection of stimuli of interest. This review includes the effects of spatial attention on discriminability and appearance in tasks mediated by contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution; the effects of feature-based attention on basic visual processes, and a comparison of the effects of spatial and feature-based attention. The emphasis of this review is on psychophysical studies, but relevant electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies and models regarding how and where neuronal responses are modulated are also discussed. PMID:21549742

Children's magazines: reading resources or food marketing tools?

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Sandra C; Reid, Amanda

2010-03-01

Magazines targeted at children under 12 years old are growing in popularity; past studies have asserted that food items are rarely exposed, but methodological issues may have covered the true extent of covert promotion. The primary purpose of the present study was to quantify the nature and extent of the promotion of branded food products in Australian children's magazines. We conducted a content analysis of possible food promotions in seven top-selling Australian children's magazines published in 2005. In addition to regular food advertisements, the number of advertisements for premiums, editorials, puzzles or games, competitions and branded non-food promotions by food companies was recorded. Category frequencies are reported with a detailed description of the promotions present during September 2005. Only fifty-eight out of the 444 items identified could be classed as regular food advertisements. Several advertisements appeared to be in breach of codes regarding advertising to children and premiums. The pervasiveness of covert food marketing in the present study was contrary to previous findings and raises questions about the effectiveness of legal restrictions and self-regulation of advertising in protecting children from commercial food messages that may not be regarded as advertising.

Die »Verrechtlichung« heimlicher Ermittlungsmaßnahmen im Übergang vom Inquisitionsprozess des gemeinen Rechts zum reformierten Strafprozess des 19. Jahrhunderts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre Hauck

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The »juridification« of covert investigations in the transition from the ius commune inquisition process to the reformed criminal justice process of the 19th century, understood as a material (i. e. law creating normative distinction between true or wrongful circumstances, is a complex phenomenon. This paper traces the introduction of covert investigations into the law of criminal procedure. It takes its starting point in the uncodified, but nevertheless legally sophisticated search and seizure of letters or the use of informers in the ius commune process. Influences of the French Revolution on the development of law, the 19th century’s early individual legislation, but mainly the tumultuous times before the Revolution of 1848 and the great surge of single procedural codes in the mid 19th century are the subject-matter of this analysis. This research has unearthed some surprising facts: Juridification affects various measures in quite different ways. At the same time, it is shaped by subjects which are hardly comparable with one another (monarchs, parliaments etc., and it is associated with the production of the criminal process as a subject that manifests itself particularly in the redefining of the pre-trial phase.

Gender, resistance and land: interlinked struggles over resources and meanings in South Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, B

1994-10-01

This article examines the nature of women's resistance to gender inequities in resource distribution and ideological representation. It argues that to understand how women perceive these inequities it is necessary to take into account not only their overt protests but also the many covert forms their resistance might take. At the same time, to significantly alter gendered structures of property and power it appears necessary to move beyond 'individual-covert' to 'group-overt' (organized collective) resistance. These issues are examined here especially in the context of women's struggles for land rights and gender equality in South Asia. Although historically South Asian women have been important participants in peasant movements, these movements have not been typified by women demanding independent land rights or contesting iniquitous gender relations within the movements and within their families. Some recent challenges in this direction indicate that attaining gender equality in the distribution of productive resources will require a simultaneous struggle against constraining ideological constructions of gender, including (in many regions) associated social practices such as purdah. And in both types of struggle (namely concerning resources and gender ideologies), group-overt resistance is likely to be of critical importance.

Metacognitive deficits in categorization tasks in a population with impaired inner speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Langland-Hassan, Peter; Gauker, Christopher; Richardson, Michael J; Dietz, Aimee; Faries, Frank R

2017-11-01

This study examines the relation of language use to a person's ability to perform categorization tasks and to assess their own abilities in those categorization tasks. A silent rhyming task was used to confirm that a group of people with post-stroke aphasia (PWA) had corresponding covert language production (or "inner speech") impairments. The performance of the PWA was then compared to that of age- and education-matched healthy controls on three kinds of categorization tasks and on metacognitive self-assessments of their performance on those tasks. The PWA showed no deficits in their ability to categorize objects for any of the three trial types (visual, thematic, and categorial). However, on the categorial trials, their metacognitive assessments of whether they had categorized correctly were less reliable than those of the control group. The categorial trials were distinguished from the others by the fact that the categorization could not be based on some immediately perceptible feature or on the objects' being found together in a type of scenario or setting. This result offers preliminary evidence for a link between covert language use and a specific form of metacognition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recycling by coverting organic waste to fertilize at Ikata Nuclear Power Station

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubota, T.; Matsuoka, H.

2008-01-01

In order to cope with global- warming and Dioxin issue, we started the Project in which all kinds of organic wastes originated on site are fermented to organic fertilizer with the help of YM bacteria in 2001. And in 2006 our product was officially approved as fertilizer by regulatory body, and then we started to sell these fertilizers to farmers near-by. Among many power stations in Japan, Ikata Nuclear Power Station may be the first plant where organic wastes are totally reused as commercial-based fertilizer. (author)

Assessing Environmental Prevention Strategies for Reducing the Prevalence and Associated Harms of Methamphetamine Use

Science.gov (United States)

Yacoubian, George S.

2007-01-01

Developed primarily in clandestine laboratories, methamphetamine is a highly addictive synthetic drug whose physical effects include hyperactivity, euphoria, tremors, and a sense of increased energy. While the accuracy of recent accounts suggesting a methamphetamine epidemic in the United States is unclear, these reports have nevertheless…

State Of The Art In Digital Steganography Focusing ASCII Text Documents

OpenAIRE

Rafat, Khan Farhan; Sher, Muhammad

2010-01-01

Digitization of analogue signals has opened up new avenues for information hiding and the recent advancements in the telecommunication field has taken up this desire even further. From copper wire to fiber optics, technology has evolved and so are ways of covert channel communication. By "Covert" we mean "anything not meant for the purpose for which it is being used". Investigation and detection of existence of such cover channel communication has always remained a serious concern of informat...

E-cigarettes, a safer alternative for teenagers? A UK focus group study of teenagers' views.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilton, Shona; Weishaar, Heide; Sweeting, Helen; Trevisan, Filippo; Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal

2016-11-16

Concerns exist that e-cigarettes may be a gateway to traditional cigarettes and/or (re)normalise teenage smoking. This qualitative study explores how teenagers in the UK currently perceive e-cigarettes and how and why they do or do not use them. 16 focus groups were conducted across the UK between November 2014 and February 2015, with 83 teenagers aged 14-17. All discussions were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, imported into NVivo 10 and thematically analysed. Teenagers generally agreed that e-cigarettes are useful products for smokers, including teenage smokers, to quit or reduce traditional cigarette use. Concerns were expressed about lack of information on their precise ingredients and any unknown risks for users and bystanders. However, teenagers typically viewed e-cigarettes as substantially less harmful than traditional cigarettes. They perceived e-cigarettes as attractive, with products described as 'fun' and having 'great flavourings'. Seeing websites or social media featuring e-cigarettes, especially YouTube 'vaping tricks', prompted some experimentation and imitation. E-cigarettes were used in a variety of situations, including at parties or when they could not smoke traditional cigarettes. A very few participants suggested covert use was a possibility and that e-cigarettes might help maintain a fledgling nicotine habit. Teenagers support the use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids for established adult smokers. However, they engage with these products differently from adults, with the novel hypothesis that covert use could potentially reinforce traditional cigarette smoking requiring further investigation. Policy responses should more clearly meet the needs of young people, as well as helping established adult smokers. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Selective attention within the foveola.

Science.gov (United States)

Poletti, Martina; Rucci, Michele; Carrasco, Marisa

2017-10-01

Efficient control of attentional resources and high-acuity vision are both fundamental for survival. Shifts in visual attention are known to covertly enhance processing at locations away from the center of gaze, where visual resolution is low. It is unknown, however, whether selective spatial attention operates where the observer is already looking-that is, within the high-acuity foveola, the small yet disproportionally important rod-free region of the retina. Using new methods for precisely controlling retinal stimulation, here we show that covert attention flexibly improves and speeds up both detection and discrimination at loci only a fraction of a degree apart within the foveola. These findings reveal a surprisingly precise control of attention and its involvement in fine spatial vision. They show that the commonly studied covert shifts of attention away from the fovea are the expression of a global mechanism that exerts its action across the entire visual field.

Age determination of mallards

Science.gov (United States)

Krapu, G.L.; Johnson, D.H.; Dane, C.W.

1979-01-01

A technique for distinguishing adult from yearling wild mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), from late winter through the nesting season, was developed by applying discriminant analysis procedures to selected wing feather characters of 126 yearlings and 76 adults (2-year-olds) hand-reared from wild eggs during 1974, 1975, and 1977. Average values for feather characters generally increased as the birds advanced from yearlings to adults. Black-white surface area of greater secondary covert 2 was the single most reliable aging character identified during the study. The error rate was lowest in females (3%) when discriminant functions were used with measurements of primary 1 weight and black-white area of greater secondary covert 2 and in males (9%) when the functions were used with black-white area of greater secondary coverts 1, 2, and 3. Methodology precludes aging of birds in the field during capture operations.

Can hyperspectral remote sensing detect species specific biochemicals?

Science.gov (United States)

Discrimination of a few plants scattered among many plants is a goal common to detection of agricultural weeds and invasive species. Detection of clandestinely grown Cannabis sativa L. is in many ways a special case of weed detection. Remote sensing technology provides an automated, computer based,...

La industria editorial española ante los mercados americanos del libro 1892-1936

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Martínez Rus

2002-12-01

Full Text Available The article analyses the book trade with Latin American from the end of the nineteenth century until the civil war. It addresses the condition of trade with the various Latin American republics, the problems affecting book production, distribution and sale; and, finally, the strategies adopted by Spanish editors and booksellers to increase exports. The Spanish book industry was necessarily oriented towards exports because of the economic and cultural limitations of the national market, and because of new and high demand from twenty Spanish-speaking countries. Although it was always profitable, the publishers had to face foreign competition in Spanish-language book production, clandestine publication in Latin American countries, the difficulties derived from producing expensive books in limited editions, the weakness of financial support, ineffective transport and poor publicity. This article also studies the role of the state in the diffusion of Spanish book, emphasising the importance of protectionism, which proved very damaging to the publishing industry.

Nuclear-weapon-free zones: Pursuing security, region by region. Conference of States Parties and Signatories of treaties that establish nuclear-weapon-free zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

2005-01-01

The development of nuclear-weapon-free zones, over the past four decades, is a testament to what nations can do, region by region, to achieve common security objectives. In fact, when considering the history of nuclear non-proliferation efforts, it might be said that here in Mexico City is w here it all began . The 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco was the first multilateral treaty to establish a region free of nuclear weapons and a requirement for comprehensive IAEA safeguards for its parties - and clearly gave impetus to the conclusion of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Nuclear-weapon-free zones provide tangible security benefits. They help to reassure the larger international community of the peaceful nuclear intentions of countries in these regions. They provide their members with security assurances against the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons by a nuclear-weapon State. They include control mechanisms for dealing with non-compliance in a regional setting. And in all cases, they prohibit the development, stationing or testing of nuclear weapons in their respective regions. An important benefit of these zones is that they open a forum for expanded regional dialogue on issues of security. Because the causes of insecurity vary from region to region, security solutions do not come in a 'one-size-fits-all' package. It is for this reason that regional dialogues, as we see in the nuclear-weapon-free zones, are so beneficial. It is clear that such treaties, and such security dialogues, would be invaluable in other areas of the world, such as the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula. Since the end of the Cold War, the international security landscape has undergone dramatic changes. For example, the rise in terrorism, the discovery of clandestine nuclear programmes, and the emergence of covert nuclear procurement networks have heightened our awareness of vulnerabilities in the nuclear non-proliferation regime. This statement focuses on two issues

Latest developments in on- and off-line inspection of bank notes during production

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Stephen C.

2004-06-01

The inspection of bank notes is a highly labour intensive process where traditionally every note on every sheet is inspected manually. However with the advent of more and more sophisticated security features, both visible and invisible, and the requirement of cost reduction in the printing process, it is clear that automation is required. Machines for the automatic inspection of bank notes have been on the market for the past 10 to 12 years, but recent developments in technology have enabled a new generation of detectors and machines to be developed. This paper focuses on the latest developments in both the off-line and on-line inspection of bank notes covering not only the visible spectrum but also a new range of detectors for inspection some of the more common invisible features used as covert features in today's bank notes.

Covert Action: A Systems Approach

Science.gov (United States)

2014-12-01

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vii TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION...21st Century Problems (Boca Rotan, FL: CRC Press, 2008), xix. 21 cognizing, analyzing, and synthesizing to ruminate on the systems that confront us...took great interest in their content .122 The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 made BSC’s

New Covert Channels in HTTP

OpenAIRE

Bauer, Matthias

2004-01-01

This paper presents new methods enabling anonymous communication on the Internet. We describe a new protocol that allows us to create an anonymous overlay network by exploiting the web browsing activities of regular users. We show that the overlay network provides an anonymity set greater than the set of senders and receivers in a realistic threat model. In particular, the protocol provides unobservability in our threat model.

Update and improvement of the global krypton-85 emission inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahlswede, Jochen; Hebel, Simon; Ross, J. Ole; Schoetter, Robert; Kalinowski, Martin B.

2013-01-01

Krypton-85 is mainly produced in nuclear reactors by fission of uranium and plutonium and released during chopping and dissolution of spent fuel rods in nuclear reprocessing facilities. As noble gas it is suited as a passive tracer for evaluation of atmospheric transport models. Furthermore, research is ongoing to assess its quality as an indicator for clandestine reprocessing activities. This paper continues previous efforts to compile a comprehensive historic emission inventory for krypton-85. Reprocessing facilities are the by far largest emitters of krypton-85. Information on sources and calculations used to derive the annual krypton-85 emission is provided for all known reprocessing facilities in the world. In addition, the emission characteristics of two plants, Tokai (Japan) and La Hague (France), are analysed in detail using emission data with high temporal resolution. Other types of krypton-85 sources are power reactors, naval reactors and isotope production facilities. These sources contribute only little or negligible amounts of krypton-85 compared to the large reprocessing facilities. Taking the decay of krypton-85 into account, the global atmospheric inventory is estimated to about 5500 PBq at the end of 2009. The correctness if the inventory has been proven by meteorological simulations and its error is assumed to be in the range of a few percent. - Highlights: ► Krypton-85 is mainly produced in nuclear reactors and released during reprocessing. ► Krypten-85 can be possibly used as an indicator for clandestine reprocessing. ► This work provides an up-to-date global krypton-85 emission inventory. ► The inventory includes emissions from all possible artificial sources.

Reproductive Health and the Question of Abortion in Botswana: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Reproductive Health and the Question of Abortion in Botswana: A Review. Stephanie S Smith. Abstract. The complications of unsafe, illegal abortions are a significant cause of maternal mortality in Botswana. The stigma attached to abortion leads some women to seek clandestine procedures, or alternatively, to carry the ...

A Case for Limiting the Reach of Institutional Review Boards

Science.gov (United States)

Hessler, Richard M.; Donnell-Watson, D. J.; Galliher, John F.

2011-01-01

Institutional review boards (IRBs) governing social and behavioral research seem to systematically exceed the guidelines established by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. We examine a clandestine study of prostitution and another of employment discrimination and conclude that IRBs,…

Whispering through DDoS attack

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miralem Mehic

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Denial of service (DoS attack is an attempt of the attacker to disable victim's machine by depleting network or computing resources. If this attack is performed with more than one machine, it is called distributed denial of service (DDoS attack. Covert channels are those channels which are used for information transmission even though they are neither designed nor intended to transfer information at all. In this article, we investigated the possibility of using of DDoS attack for purposes of hiding data or concealing the existing covert channel. In addition, in this paper we analyzed the possibility of detection of such covert communication with the well-known statistical method. Also, we proposed the coordination mechanisms of the attack which may be used. A lot of research has been done in order to describe and prevent DDoS attacks, yet research on steganography on this field is still scarce.

Managing young children's snack food intake. The role of parenting style and feeding strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Boots, Samantha B; Tiggemann, Marika; Corsini, Nadia; Mattiske, Julie

2015-09-01

One major contributor to the problem of childhood overweight and obesity is the over-consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar, such as snack foods. The current study aimed to examine young children's snack intake and the influence of feeding strategies used by parents in the context of general parenting style. Participants were 611 mothers of children aged 2-7 years who completed an online questionnaire containing measures of general parenting domains and two particular feeding strategies, restriction and covert control. It was found that greater unhealthy snack intake was associated with higher restriction and lower covert control, while greater healthy snack intake was associated with lower restriction and higher covert control. Further, the feeding strategies mediated the association between parental demandingness and responsiveness and child snack intake. These findings provide evidence for the differential impact of controlling and positive parental feeding strategies on young children's snack intake in the context of general parenting. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

USBcat - Towards an Intrusion Surveillance Toolset

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris Chapman

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This paper identifies an intrusion surveillance framework which provides an analyst with the ability to investigate and monitor cyber-attacks in a covert manner. Where cyber-attacks are perpetrated for the purposes of espionage the ability to understand an adversary's techniques and objectives are an important element in network and computer security. With the appropriate toolset, security investigators would be permitted to perform both live and stealthy counter-intelligence operations by observing the behaviour and communications of the intruder. Subsequently a more complete picture of the attacker's identity, objectives, capabilities, and infiltration could be formulated than is possible with present technologies. This research focused on developing an extensible framework to permit the covert investigation of malware. Additionally, a Universal Serial Bus (USB Mass Storage Device (MSD based covert channel was designed to enable remote command and control of the framework. The work was validated through the design, implementation and testing of a toolset.

Factors contributing to the development of overt encephalopathy in liver cirrhosis patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwasa, Motoh; Sugimoto, Ryosuke; Mifuji-Moroka, Rumi; Hara, Nagisa; Yoshikawa, Kyoko; Tanaka, Hideaki; Eguchi, Akiko; Yamamoto, Norihiko; Sugimoto, Kazushi; Kobayashi, Yoshinao; Hasegawa, Hiroshi; Takei, Yoshiyuki

2016-10-01

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationships among psychometric testing results, blood ammonia (NH3) levels, electrolyte abnormalities, and degree of inflammation, and their associations with the development of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in liver cirrhosis (LC) patients. The relationships between covert HE and blood NH3, sodium (Na), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were examined in 40 LC patients. The effects of elevated NH3, hyponatremia, and elevated CRP on the development of overt HE were also investigated. The covert HE group had significantly lower serum Na levels and significantly higher serum CRP levels. During the median observation period of 11 months, 10 patients developed overt HE, and the results of multivariate analysis showed that covert HE and elevated blood NH3 were factors contributing to the development of overt HE. Electrolyte abnormalities and mild inflammation are involved in the pathogenesis of HE. Abnormal psychometric testing results and hyperammonemia are linked to subsequent development of overt HE.

The association between hemispheric specialization for language production and for spatial attention depends on left-hand preference strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Zago, Laure; Petit, Laurent; Mellet, Emmanuel; Jobard, Gaël; Crivello, Fabrice; Joliot, Marc; Mazoyer, Bernard; Tzourio-Mazoyer, Nathalie

2016-12-01

Cerebral lateralization for language production and spatial attention and their relationships with manual preference strength (MPS) were assessed in a sample of 293 healthy volunteers, including 151 left-handers, using fMRI during covert sentence production (PROD) and line bisection judgment (LBJ) tasks, as compared to high- and low-level reference tasks. At the group level, we found the expected complementary hemispheric specialization (HS) with leftward asymmetries for PROD within frontal and temporal regions and rightward asymmetries for LBJ within frontal and posterior occipito-parieto-temporal regions. Individual hemispheric (HLI) and regional (frontal and occipital) lateralization indices (LI) were then calculated on the activation maps for PROD and LBJ. We found a correlation between the degree of rightward cerebral asymmetry and the leftward behavioral attentional bias recorded during LBJ task. This correlation was found when LBJ-LI was computed over the hemispheres, in the frontal lobes, but not in the occipital lobes. We then investigated whether language production and spatial attention cerebral lateralization relate to each other, and whether manual preference was a variable that impacted the complementary HS of these functions. No correlation was found between spatial and language LIs in the majority of our sample of participants, including right-handers with a strong right-hand preference (sRH, n=97) and mixed-handers (MH, n=97), indicating that these functions lateralized independently. By contrast, in the group of left-handers with a strong left-hand preference (sLH, n= 99), a negative correlation was found between language and spatial lateralization. This negative correlation was found when LBJ-LI and PROD-LI were computed over the hemispheres, in the frontal lobes and between the occipital lobes for LBJ and the frontal lobes for PROD. These findings underline the importance to include sLH in the study sample to reveal the underlying mechanisms of

Control and repression on clandestine immigration from North Africa

OpenAIRE

María José Rodríguez Mesa

2014-01-01

By its geographic position, Spain is the forced way of thousands of North African and Sub-Saharan citizens who try to arrive and to settle in Europe. But, in addition, in the last years, Spain has become a receiving country of foreign citizens who, in a situation of regularity or of administrative irregularity remain more or less continuously in its territory. This fact, along with the restrictive criteria imposed by the European norms and the visa requirement from May 1991 for Moroccan subje...

Clandestine nuclear trade and the threat of nuclear terrorism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spector, L.S.

1987-01-01

The nuclear netherworld may ultimately contribute to the danger of nuclear terrorism in at least three ways. First, as national governments exploit this underground market and nuclear weapons spread to additional states, the possibility that terrorists will gain access to them will grow. Such weapons in nuclear threshold countries are likely to be more vulnerable to terrorist seizure than they are in today's more advanced nuclear weapons states. Second, terrorist groups might seek to exploit the nuclear gray market themselves, using the same subterfuges that national governments use. Although in today's nuclear netherworld, subnational groups cannot obtain nuclear arms or nuclear weapons material and cannot hope to build the complex installations needed to produce the latter, they might be able to engage in a form of barter with sympathetic emerging nuclear states (for example, offering raw materials or needed nuclear hardware in return for nuclear weapons material. Finally, there is always the risk that nuclear arms or nuclear weapon materials will someday become available on the nuclear black market. There is evidence indicating that terrorist organizations might well be interested in acquiring such items. Understanding underground nuclear commerce in its current form is essential to prevent such future dangers

A System Shock Approach to Modelling Clandestine Network Disruption

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dipper, Tamlan

2004-01-01

.... This model took as its focus the disruption of successful terrorist operations. In doing so it drew upon operational art, group behavioural studies, and psychological research into problem solving...

Exploring a Taboo of Cultural Reproduction

Science.gov (United States)

Holligan, Chris

2018-01-01

Cultural reproduction is rarely, if ever, theorised through clandestine practices of sexual offending by teachers in the gendered hierarchies of state schools. Drawing upon Freedom of Information requests and other official qualitative data provided by a U.K. teaching council, this article endeavours to explain the form of a gendered cultural…

239 Inter-Agency Cooperation in Combating Terrorism in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

In recent times, terrorism has become one of the most dangerous threats to .... groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience”. (ITSR ... terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon ..... Books. Imobighe, T.A. (2006b). “Combating Terrorism in Africa: An Integrated.

Singing Well-Becoming: Student Musical Therapy Case Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Murphey, Tim

2014-01-01

Much research supports the everyday therapeutic and deeper social-neurophysiological influence of singing songs alone and in groups (Austin, 2008; Cozolino, 2013; Sacks, 2007). This study looks at what happens when Japanese students teach short English affirmation songlet-routines to others out of the classroom (clandestine folk music therapy). I…

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment), 1 - 31 January 1982. Volume 2, Number 1, 1982.

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

Letelier, and has tried to murder Castro, Indira Ghandi and Iranian government leaders. From 1961 to 1976 the CIA has con- ducted over 900 clandestine...revolution." "More Afghanistan counterrevolutionary bands are destroyed by the Afghanistan Army." "Indira Ghandi says that the Soviet Union did not inter

Connecting Participant Observation Positions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McCurdy, Patrick; Uldam, Julie

2014-01-01

In this article, we argue for the importance of considering participant observation roles in relation to both insider/outsider and overt/covert roles. Through combining key academic debates on participant observation, which have separately considered insider/outsider and overt/covert participant...... observation, we develop a reflexive framework to assist researchers in (1) locating the type of participant observation research; (2) identifying implications of participant observation for both the research and the subjects under study; and (3) reflecting on how one’s role as participant observer shifts over...

A New Images Hiding Scheme Based on Chaotic Sequences

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIU Nian-sheng; GUO Dong-hui; WU Bo-xi; Parr G

2005-01-01

We propose a data hidding technique in a still image. This technique is based on chaotic sequence in the transform domain of covert image. We use different chaotic random sequences multiplied by multiple sensitive images, respectively, to spread the spectrum of sensitive images. Multiple sensitive images are hidden in a covert image as a form of noise. The results of theoretical analysis and computer simulation show the new hiding technique have better properties with high security, imperceptibility and capacity for hidden information in comparison with the conventional scheme such as LSB (Least Significance Bit).

Air-gap Limitations and Bypass Techniques: “Command and Control” using Smart Electromagnetic Interferences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaouki Kasmi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Air gaps are generally considered to be a very efficient information security protection. However, this technique also showed limitations, involving finding covert channels for bridging the air gap. Interestingly, recent publications have pointed out that a smart use of the intentional electromagnetic interferences introduced new threats for information security. In this paper, an innovative way for remotely communicating with a malware already installed on a computer by involving the induced perturbations is discussed leading to the design of a new air gap bridging covert channel.

Material control and accounting requirements for uranium enrichment facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ting, P.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has defined material control and accounting (MC and A) requirement for low-enriched uranium enrichment plants licensed under 10 CFR parts 40 and 70. Following detailed assessment of potential safeguards issues relevant to these facilities, a new MC and A rule was developed. The primary safeguards considerations are detection of the loss of special nuclear material, detection of clandestine production of special nuclear material of low strategic significance for unauthorized use or distribution, and detection of unauthorized production of uranium enriched to ≥10 wt % U-235. The primary safeguards concerns identified were the large absolute limit of error associated with the material balance closing, the inability to shutdown some uranium enrichment technologies to perform a cleanout inventory of the process system, and the flexibility of some of these technologies to produce higher enrichments. Unauthorized production scenarios were identified for some technologies that could circumvent the detection of the production and removal of 5 kilograms of U-235 as high-enriched uranium through conventional material control and accounting programs. Safeguards techniques, including the use of production and process control information, measurements, and technical surveillance, were identified to compensate for these concerns

Septic abortion at a university teaching hospital in South West Nigeria.

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Abortion is a common cause of maternal mortality and this usually follows severe haemorrhage or sepsis. Septic abortion is sequelae of unsafe abortion and this usually occurs when it is done in a clandestine manner which may be due to lack of legalization of abortion. The study is to determine the pattern of ...

Metabolic alkalosis from unsuspected ingestion: use of urine pH and anion gap.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Joo-Hark; Han, Sang-Woong; Song, June-Seok; Kim, Ho-Jung

2012-04-01

Underlying causes of metabolic alkalosis may be evident from history, evaluation of effective circulatory volume, and measurement of urine chloride concentration. However, identification of causes may be difficult for certain conditions associated with clandestine behaviors, such as surreptitious vomiting, use of drugs or herbal supplements with mineralocorticoid activity, abuse of laxatives or diuretics, and long-term use of alkalis. In these circumstances, clinicians often are bewildered by unexplained metabolic alkalosis from an incomplete history or persistent deception by the patient, leading to misdiagnosis and poor outcome. We present a case of severe metabolic alkalosis and hypokalemia with a borderline urine chloride concentration in an alcoholic patient treated with a thiazide. The cause of the patient's metabolic alkalosis eventually was linked to surreptitious ingestion of baking soda. This case highlights the necessity of a high index of suspicion for the diverse clandestine behaviors that can cause metabolic alkalosis and the usefulness of urine pH and anion gap in its differential diagnosis. Copyright © 2012 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proliferation Resistance and Material Type considerations within the Collaborative Project for a European Sodium Fast Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renda, Guido; Alim, Fatih; Cojazzi, Giacomo GM.

2015-01-01

The collaborative project for a European Sodium Fast Reactor (CP‑ESFR) is an international project where 25 European partners developed Research & Development solutions and concepts for a European sodium fast reactor. The project was funded by the 7. European Union Framework Programme and covered topics such as the reactor architectures and components, the fuel, the fuel element and the fuel cycle, and the safety concepts. Within sub‑project 3, dedicated to safety, a task addressed proliferation resistance considerations. The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection (PR and PP) Evaluation Methodology has been selected as the general framework for this work, complemented by punctual aspects of the IAEA‑INPRO Proliferation Resistance methodology and other literature studies - in particular for material type characterization. The activity has been carried out taking the GIF PR and PP Evaluation Methodology and its Addendum as the general guideline for identifying potential nuclear material diversion targets. The targets proliferation attractiveness has been analyzed in terms of the suitability of the targets’ nuclear material as the basis for its use in nuclear explosives. To this aim the PR and PP Fissile Material Type measure was supplemented by other literature studies, whose related metrics have been applied to the nuclear material items present in the considered core alternatives. This paper will firstly summarize the main ESFR design aspects relevant for PR following the structure of the GIF PR and PP White Paper template. An analysis on proliferation targets is then discussed, with emphasis on their characterization from a nuclear material point of view. Finally, a high‑level ESFR PR analysis according to the four main proliferation strategies identified by the GIF PR and PP Evaluation Methodology (concealed diversion, concealed misuse, breakout, clandestine production in clandestine facilities) is

Sante de la reproduction et avortement a Antananarivo (Madagascar)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A Madagascar, l'interruption volontaire de grossesse est totalement interdite. Toutefois, de nombreuses femmes y ont recours, tout particulièrement dans la capitale, Antananarivo. Ces avortements clandestins sont pratiqués par des matrones mais aussi par des médecins libéraux. Cet article présente les résultats d'une ...

Fungal genomics: forensic evidence of sexual activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Gow, Neil A R

2005-07-12

The genome sequence of the 'asexual' human pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus suggests it has the capability to undergo mating and meiosis. That this organism engages in clandestine sexual activity is also suggested by observations of two equally distributed complementary mating types in nature, the expression of mating type genes and evidence of recent genome recombination events.

Illicit Trafficking of Natural Radionuclides

Science.gov (United States)

Friedrich, Steinhäusler; Lyudmila, Zaitseva

2008-08-01

Natural radionuclides have been subject to trafficking worldwide, involving natural uranium ore (U 238), processed uranium (yellow cake), low enriched uranium (20% U 235), radium (Ra 226), polonium (Po 210), and natural thorium ore (Th 232). An important prerequisite to successful illicit trafficking activities is access to a suitable logistical infrastructure enabling an undercover shipment of radioactive materials and, in case of trafficking natural uranium or thorium ore, capable of transporting large volumes of material. Covert en route diversion of an authorised uranium transport, together with covert diversion of uranium concentrate from an operating or closed uranium mines or mills, are subject of case studies. Such cases, involving Israel, Iran, Pakistan and Libya, have been analyzed in terms of international actors involved and methods deployed. Using international incident data contained in the Database on Nuclear Smuggling, Theft and Orphan Radiation Sources (DSTO) and international experience gained from the fight against drug trafficking, a generic Trafficking Pathway Model (TPM) is developed for trafficking of natural radionuclides. The TPM covers the complete trafficking cycle, ranging from material diversion, covert material transport, material concealment, and all associated operational procedures. The model subdivides the trafficking cycle into five phases: (1) Material diversion by insider(s) or initiation by outsider(s); (2) Covert transport; (3) Material brokerage; (4) Material sale; (5) Material delivery. An Action Plan is recommended, addressing the strengthening of the national infrastructure for material protection and accounting, development of higher standards of good governance, and needs for improving the control system deployed by customs, border guards and security forces.

Illicit Trafficking of Natural Radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedrich, Steinhaeusler; Lyudmila, Zaitseva

2008-01-01

Natural radionuclides have been subject to trafficking worldwide, involving natural uranium ore (U 238), processed uranium (yellow cake), low enriched uranium ( 20% U 235), radium (Ra 226), polonium (Po 210), and natural thorium ore (Th 232). An important prerequisite to successful illicit trafficking activities is access to a suitable logistical infrastructure enabling an undercover shipment of radioactive materials and, in case of trafficking natural uranium or thorium ore, capable of transporting large volumes of material. Covert en route diversion of an authorised uranium transport, together with covert diversion of uranium concentrate from an operating or closed uranium mines or mills, are subject of case studies. Such cases, involving Israel, Iran, Pakistan and Libya, have been analyzed in terms of international actors involved and methods deployed. Using international incident data contained in the Database on Nuclear Smuggling, Theft and Orphan Radiation Sources (DSTO) and international experience gained from the fight against drug trafficking, a generic Trafficking Pathway Model (TPM) is developed for trafficking of natural radionuclides. The TPM covers the complete trafficking cycle, ranging from material diversion, covert material transport, material concealment, and all associated operational procedures. The model subdivides the trafficking cycle into five phases: (1) Material diversion by insider(s) or initiation by outsider(s); (2) Covert transport; (3) Material brokerage; (4) Material sale; (5) Material delivery. An Action Plan is recommended, addressing the strengthening of the national infrastructure for material protection and accounting, development of higher standards of good governance, and needs for improving the control system deployed by customs, border guards and security forces

Evidence against associative blocking as a cause of cue-independent retrieval-induced forgetting.

Science.gov (United States)

Hulbert, Justin C; Shivde, Geeta; Anderson, Michael C

2012-01-01

Selectively retrieving an item from long-term memory reduces the accessibility of competing traces, a phenomenon known as retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF). RIF exhibits cue independence, or the tendency for forgetting to generalize to novel test cues, suggesting an inhibitory basis for this phenomenon. An alternative view (Camp, Pecher, & Schmidt, 2007; Camp et al., 2009; Perfect et al., 2004) suggests that using novel test cues to measure cue independence actually engenders associative interference when participants covertly supplement retrieval with practiced cues that then associatively block retrieval. Accordingly, the covert-cueing hypothesis assumes that the relative strength of the practiced items at final test – and not the inhibition levied on the unpracticed items during retrieval practice – underlies cue-independent forgetting. As such, this perspective predicts that strengthening practiced items by any means, even if not via retrieval practice, should induce forgetting. Contrary to these predictions, however, we present clear evidence that cue-independent forgetting is induced by retrieval practice and not by repeated study exposures. This dissociation occurred despite significant, comparable levels of strengthening of practiced items in each case, and despite the use of Anderson and Spellman's original (1995) independent probe method criticized by covert-cueing theorists as being especially conducive to associative blocking. These results demonstrate that cue-independent RIF is unrelated to the strengthening of practiced items, and thereby fail to support a key prediction of the covert-cueing hypothesis. The results, instead, favor a role of inhibition in resolving retrieval interference. © 2011 Hogrefe Publishing

Strong neutron sources - How to cope with weapon material production capabilities of fusion and spallation neutron sources?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Englert, M.; Franceschini, G.; Liebert, W.

2013-01-01

In this article we investigate the potential and relevance for weapon material production in future fusion power plants and spallation neutron sources (SNS) and sketch what should be done to strengthen these technologies against a non-peaceful use. It is shown that future commercial fusion reactors may have military implications: first, they provide an easy source of tritium for weapons, an element that does not fall under safeguards and for which diversion from a plant could probably not be detected even if some tritium accountancy is implemented. Secondly, large fusion reactors - even if not designed for fissile material breeding - could easily produce several hundred kg Pu per year with high weapon quality and very low source material requirements. If fusion-only reactors will prevail over fission-fusion hybrids in the commercialization phase of fusion technology, the safeguard challenge will be more of a legal than of a technical nature. In pure fusion reactors (and in most SNS) there should be no nuclear material present at any time by design. The presence of undeclared nuclear material would indicate a military use of the plant. This fact offers a clear-cut detection criterion for a covert use of a declared facility. Another important point is that tritium does not fall under the definition of 'nuclear material', so a pure fusion reactor or a SNS that do not use nuclear materials are not directly falling under any international non-proliferation treaty requirements. Non-proliferation treaties have to be amended to take into account that fact. (A.C.)

Membrane Inlet Mass Spectrometry for Homeland Security and Forensic Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Giannoukos, Stamatios; Brkić, Boris; Taylor, Stephen; France, Neil

2015-02-01

A man-portable membrane inlet mass spectrometer has been built and tested to detect and monitor characteristic odors emitted from the human body and also from threat substances. In each case, a heated membrane sampling probe was used. During human scent monitoring experiments, data were obtained for inorganic gases and volatile organic compounds emitted from human breath and sweat in a confined space. Volatile emissions were detected from the human body at low ppb concentrations. Experiments with compounds associated with narcotics, explosives, and chemical warfare agents were conducted for a range of membrane types. Test compounds included methyl benzoate (odor signature of cocaine), piperidine (precursor in clandestine phencyclidine manufacturing processes), 2-nitrotoluene (breakdown product of TNT), cyclohexanone (volatile signature of plastic explosives), dimethyl methylphosphonate (used in sarin and soman nerve agent production), and 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (simulant compound for sulfur mustard gas). Gas phase calibration experiments were performed allowing sub-ppb LOD to be established. The results showed excellent linearity versus concentration and rapid membrane response times.

Classification of Opium by UPLC-Q-TOF Analysis of Principal and Minor Alkaloids.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Cuimei; Hua, Zhendong; Bai, Yanping

2016-11-01

Opium is the raw material for the production of heroin, and the characterization of opium seizures through laboratory analysis is a valuable tool for law enforcement agencies to trace clandestine opium production and trafficking. In this work, a method for opium profiling based on the relative content of five principal and 14 minor opium alkaloids was developed and validated. UPLC-Q-TOF was adopted in alkaloid analysis for its high selectivity and sensitivity, which facilitated the sample preparation and testing. The authentic sample set consisted of 100 "Myanmar" and 45 "Afghanistan" opium seizures; based on the data set of the 19 alkaloid variables in them, a partial least squares discriminant analysis classification model was successfully achieved. Minor alkaloids were found to be vitally important for opium profiling, although combined use of both principal and minor alkaloids resulted in the best geographical classification result. The developed method realized a simple and accurate way to differentiate opium from Myanmar and Afghanistan, which may find wide application in forensic laboratories. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Cachexia and anorexia: cancer's covert killer.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, M P; Dickerson, D

2000-05-01

Cachexia and anorexia are often not observed at the time of diagnosis of cancer. While the initial medical intervention for cancer patients includes antitumor therapy and pain management, the consequences of cachexia and anorexia may be ignored, to the detriment of the patient's quality of life and his or her potential response to chemotherapy. The importance of a well-defined therapeutic strategy to treat cachexia is in order if the patient's overall wellbeing is to improve. Presented is a review of the pharmacological management of anorexia and cachexia, including a four-step ladder approach to medical management.

Behavior Modification Through Covert Semantic Desensitization

Science.gov (United States)

Hekmat, Hamid; Vanian, Daniel

1971-01-01

Results support the hypothesized relationship between meaning and phobia. Semantic desensitization techniques based on counter conditioning of meaning were significantly effective in altering the semantic value of the word from unpleasantness to neutrality. (Author)

Clandestine Readers: Boys and Girls Going "Undercover" in School Spaces

Science.gov (United States)

Scholes, Laura

2015-01-01

Exploring the diverse nature of students' interpretations of their reading experiences, this study moves beyond broad generalizations about boys and girls to consider complexities inherent in the social processes that influence students' engagement in reading. While the study aimed to develop understandings about the ways notions of masculinity…

Threatened fishes of the world: Coptodon walteri (Thys van den Audenaerde 1968 (Perciformes: Cichlidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konan Felix Koffi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Coptodon walteri Thys van den Audenaerde 1968, an endemic cichlid of Ivory Coast and Liberia, is assessed as Near Threatened due to fishing pressure and loss of habitats, and aquatic pollution as a result of extensive clandestine gold mining in the bed of the Cavally River. There is an immediate need for developing conservation and management plans for this species.

Un infierno catalán. Apuntes para una bibliografía de publicaciones eróticas catalanas clandestinas (siglo XIX - primer tercio del siglo XX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jean-Louis Guereña

2014-06-01

Full Text Available El presente artículo colecciona un buen número de las publicaciones catalanas de tema erótico que vieron la luz clancestinamente durante el siglo XIX y principios del XX. This article collects a good number of Catalan publications with a erotic topic that came out clandestinely during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

John B. Watson's Alleged Sex Research: An Appraisal of the Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Benjamin, Ludy T. Jr.; Whitaker, Jodi L.; Ramsey, Russell M.; Zeve, Daniel R.

2007-01-01

In 1974, a story was published about clandestine research done by John B. Watson that was judged to be so reprehensible that it was offered as the real reason he was fired from his faculty position at Johns Hopkins University in 1920, at perhaps the peak of his academic career. Watson's dismissal from Johns Hopkins may have been the most important…

Financing the Taliban: The Convergence of Ungoverned Territory and Unofficial Economy

Science.gov (United States)

2009-12-11

forensics work can in turn provide detailed information to governmental agencies posing a significant risk for the organization that desires to remain...clandestine. 47 The financial forensics capability of the formal banking system is strengthened through the reliance on policy and law designed to...Unofficial Economy Popular Support Legitimacy Reliability External Manipulation Regulation Sustain the Taliban organization while enabling growth IOT

Toward a reliable gaze-independent hybrid BCI combining visual and natural auditory stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbosa, Sara; Pires, Gabriel; Nunes, Urbano

2016-03-01

Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) are one of the last communication options for patients in the locked-in state (LIS). For complete LIS patients, interfaces must be gaze-independent due to their eye impairment. However, unimodal gaze-independent approaches typically present levels of performance substantially lower than gaze-dependent approaches. The combination of multimodal stimuli has been pointed as a viable way to increase users' performance. A hybrid visual and auditory (HVA) P300-based BCI combining simultaneously visual and auditory stimulation is proposed. Auditory stimuli are based on natural meaningful spoken words, increasing stimuli discrimination and decreasing user's mental effort in associating stimuli to the symbols. The visual part of the interface is covertly controlled ensuring gaze-independency. Four conditions were experimentally tested by 10 healthy participants: visual overt (VO), visual covert (VC), auditory (AU) and covert HVA. Average online accuracy for the hybrid approach was 85.3%, which is more than 32% over VC and AU approaches. Questionnaires' results indicate that the HVA approach was the less demanding gaze-independent interface. Interestingly, the P300 grand average for HVA approach coincides with an almost perfect sum of P300 evoked separately by VC and AU tasks. The proposed HVA-BCI is the first solution simultaneously embedding natural spoken words and visual words to provide a communication lexicon. Online accuracy and task demand of the approach compare favorably with state-of-the-art. The proposed approach shows that the simultaneous combination of visual covert control and auditory modalities can effectively improve the performance of gaze-independent BCIs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Project Coast: eugenics in apartheid South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jerome Amir

2008-03-01

It is a decade since the exposure of Project Coast, apartheid South Africa's covert chemical and biological warfare program. In that time, attention has been focused on several aspects of the program, particularly the production of narcotics and poisons for use against anti-apartheid activists and the proliferation of both chemical and biological weapons. The eugenic dimension of Project Coast has, by contrast, received scant attention. It is time to revisit the testimony that brought the suggestion of eugenic motives to light, reflect on some of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's findings and search for lessons that can be taken from this troubled chapter in South Africa's history.

Test-potentiated learning: three independent replications, a disconfirmed hypothesis, and an unexpected boundary condition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wissman, Kathryn T; Rawson, Katherine A

2018-04-01

Arnold and McDermott [(2013). Test-potentiated learning: Distinguishing between direct and indirect effects of testing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 39, 940-945] isolated the indirect effects of testing and concluded that encoding is enhanced to a greater extent following more versus fewer practice tests, referred to as test-potentiated learning. The current research provided further evidence for test-potentiated learning and evaluated the covert retrieval hypothesis as an alternative explanation for the observed effect. Learners initially studied foreign language word pairs and then completed either one or five practice tests before restudy occurred. Results of greatest interest concern performance on test trials following restudy for items that were not correctly recalled on the test trials that preceded restudy. Results replicate Arnold and McDermott (2013) by demonstrating that more versus fewer tests potentiate learning when trial time is limited. Results also provide strong evidence against the covert retrieval hypothesis concerning why the effect occurs (i.e., it does not reflect differential covert retrieval during pre-restudy trials). In addition, outcomes indicate that the magnitude of the test-potentiated learning effect decreases as trial length increases, revealing an unexpected boundary condition to test-potentiated learning.

Is it better to be average? High and low performance as predictors of employee victimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Jaclyn M; Patel, Pankaj C; Raver, Jana L

2014-03-01

Given increased interest in whether targets' behaviors at work are related to their victimization, we investigated employees' job performance level as a precipitating factor for being victimized by peers in one's work group. Drawing on rational choice theory and the victim precipitation model, we argue that perpetrators take into consideration the risks of aggressing against particular targets, such that high performers tend to experience covert forms of victimization from peers, whereas low performers tend to experience overt forms of victimization. We further contend that the motivation to punish performance deviants will be higher when performance differentials are salient, such that the effects of job performance on covert and overt victimization will be exacerbated by group performance polarization, yet mitigated when the target has high equity sensitivity (benevolence). Finally, we investigate whether victimization is associated with future performance impairments. Results from data collected at 3 time points from 576 individuals in 62 work groups largely support the proposed model. The findings suggest that job performance is a precipitating factor to covert victimization for high performers and overt victimization for low performers in the workplace with implications for subsequent performance.

Directional excitation of Rg due to ripple-fired explosions: 2-Dimensional finite-difference simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jih, Rong-Song

1993-01-01

A major issue for the Non-Proliferation Treaty is the discrimination of large chemical explosions from possible clandestine or small nuclear tests. Unless discrimination is possible, the numerous mining blasts could give ample opportunity for concealing clandestine tests. Ripple-fired explosions are commonly used to fragment rocks during quarry and open-pit mining. The periodicity inherent in the ripple firing could produce a seismic reinforcement at the frequency of the delay between shots or rows. It has been suggested that the convolution of a single explosion with a comb function of variable spacing and variable amplitude can be used to model the distinctive signature of ripple firing. Baumgardt and Ziegler (1988) delicately demonstrated that the incoherent array-stack spectra can be used to identify some multiple shots recorded at NORSAR. By superpositioning the waveform due to a single shot with proper time delay, they were able to model the source multiplicity under the assumption that the spatial spreading of the shots is negligible with respect to the distance to the receiver. The work by Stump et al. successfully characterized the major features of the wavefield due to ripple firings at near-source ranges

A technical analysis of the IAEA nuclear safeguards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, J. W.

1998-01-01

In the post-Cold War era, the threats of horizontal nuclear proliferation emerge as the forefront security issue while the nuclear arms races among existing nuclear weapon states reduce to a remarkable extent. In this context, there arises lots of research attention to the IAEA nuclear safeguards which have been viewed as the core of international monitoring on the clandestine nuclear activities of potential proliferators. However, previous attention tended to highlight the political aspects of the IAEA nuclear safeguards, centering on the possibilities and limitations of the IAEA's inspection authority. In contrast, this paper purports to focus on the technical aspects of the IAEA nuclear safeguards, so it can show the intrinsic problems of those safeguards in stemming the proliferation of nuclear weapons. This paper mainly deals with the technical objectives and options of the IAEA nuclear safeguards, the technical indices of clandestine nuclear activities, and some measures to improve the efficacy of the IAEA nuclear safeguards. Hopefully, this paper is expected to lead us to approach the issue of the North Korean nuclear transparency from the technical perspective as well as the political one

Opaque Communities: A Framework for Assessing Potential Homeland Security Threats from Voids on the Map

Science.gov (United States)

2014-09-01

and the amount of undiscovered clandestine activity mounts.39 Although this rubric is interchangeable between actors, it does not adequately...public assistance. The FLDS twin communities at Short Creek exhibit the highest global prevalence of fumarase deficiency, a rare genetic disorder that...Physician Finds Rare Disease in FLDS Kids; Genetic Disorder: About 20 Cases Have Been Discovered in 15 Years in Two Polygamous Towns; Rare Disorder Not

Le développement démocratique | CRDI - Centre de recherches ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

12 janv. 2011 ... Globalization and Summit Reform: an Experiment in International ... exclusion, réclamant justice et indemnisation, souvent même leur simple droit à la survie. ... et des affinités clandestines que sur la définition précise des rôles et responsabilités. ... sont effectuées ailleurs dans le secteur public au Sénégal.

Translations on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Number 317

Science.gov (United States)

1977-08-31

the command of Maj Camilo Gomez Bonilla arrested eight persons engaged in the cocaine and cocaine:paste traffic. The persons taken into custody... Pablo Morales Santanice, coordinator of the campaign against drug 117 trafficking in Durango, acknowledged the incident and said that...Dionisio Ocotepec, where a laboratory was destroyed. In the town of San Pablo Guila, another clandestine laboratory was found. And a Ford Maverick car

Long-term sequential monitoring of controlled graves representing common burial scenarios with ground penetrating radar: Years 2 and 3

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, John J.; Walter, Brittany S.; Healy, Carrie

2016-09-01

Geophysical techniques such as ground-penetrating radar (GPR) have been successfully used for forensic searches to locate clandestine graves and physical evidence. However, additional controlled research is needed to fully understand the applicability of this technology when searching for clandestine graves in various environments, soil types, and for longer periods of time post-burial. The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of GPR for detecting controlled graves in a Spodosol representing multiple burial scenarios for Years 2 and 3 of a three-year monitoring period. Objectives included determining how different burial scenarios are factors in producing a distinctive anomalous response; determining how different GPR imagery options (2D reflection profiles and horizontal time slices) can provide increased visibility of the burials; and comparing GPR imagery between 500 MHz and 250 MHz dominant frequency antennae. The research site contained a grid with eight graves representing common forensic burial scenarios in a Spodosol, a common soil type of Florida, with six graves containing a pig carcass (Sus scrofa). Burial scenarios with grave items (a deep grave with a layer of rocks over the carcass and a carcass wrapped in a tarpaulin) produced a more distinctive response with clearer target reflections over the duration of the monitoring period compared to naked carcasses. Months with increased precipitation were also found to produce clearer target reflections than drier months, particularly during Year 3 when many grave scenarios that were not previously visible became visible after increased seasonal rainfall. Overall, the 250 MHz dominant frequency antenna imagery was more favorable than the 500 MHz. While detection of a simulated grave may be difficult to detect over time, long term detection of a grave in a Spodosol may be possible if the disturbed spodic horizon is detected. Furthermore, while grave visibility increased with the 2D

Self-, other-, and joint monitoring using forward models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin John Pickering

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In the psychology of language, most accounts of self-monitoring assume that it is based on comprehension. Here we outline and develop the alternative account proposed by Pickering and Garrod (2013, in which speakers construct forward models of their upcoming utterances and compare them with the utterance as they produce them. We propose that speakers compute inverse models derived from the discrepancy (error between the utterance and the predicted utterance and use that to modify their production command or (occasionally begin anew. We then propose that comprehenders monitor other people’s speech by simulating their utterances using covert imitation and forward models, and then comparing those forward models with what they hear. They use the discrepancy to compute inverse models and modify their representation of the speaker’s production command, or realize that their representation is incorrect and may develop a new production command. We then discuss monitoring in dialogue, paying attention to sequential contributions, concurrent feedback, and the relationship between monitoring and alignment.

[The "secret book" of Dr Friedrich Benjamin Osiander: anonymous births in the Göttingen Accouchierhaus, 1794-1819].

Science.gov (United States)

Schlumbohm, Jürgen

2014-01-01

The problem of anonymous or confidential deliveries, a subject of current controversy, has a long history. Some maternity hospitals offered the possibility for "clandestine" births as early as the 18th and 19th century. A recently emerged source about the maternity clinic of Göttingen University allows insight into the motives that led to keeping a birth secret and the consequences of such a clandestine birth for mother, father and child. The director of the institution, a professor of obstetrics, wrote case reports on the women, who paid a handsome sum for his help and the in-patient care they received. In return, these women could be admitted under a pseudonym, and thus falsify their child's birth certificate; moreover they were not used as teaching material for medical students and midwife apprentices, whereas "regular" patients had to give their names and, in return for being treated free of charge, be available for teaching purposes. The ten cases that have been painstakingly investigated reveal that the reasons that led the women and men to opt for an anonymous birth were manifold, that they used this offer in different ways and with different consequences. All of these pregnancies were illegitimate, of course. In one case the expectant mother was married. In several cases it would be the father who was married. Most of the women who gave birth secretly seem to have given the professor their actual details and he kept quiet about them--with the exception of one case where he revealed the contents of the case report many years later in an alimony suit. Only one of the men admitted paternity openly, but many revealed their identity implicitly by registering the pregnant woman or by accompanying her to the clinic. If the birth was to be kept secret the child needed to be handed over to foster parents. By paying a lump sum that covered the usual fourteen years of parenting, one mother was able to avoid any later contact with her son. In most cases contact seems

Tobacco industry surveillance of public health groups: the case of STAT (Stop Teenage Addiction to Tobacco) and INFACT (Infant Formula Action Coalition).

Science.gov (United States)

Malone, Ruth E

2002-06-01

The goal of this study was to describe how the tobacco industry collects information about public health groups. Publicly available internal tobacco industry documents were reviewed and analyzed using a chronological case study approach. The industry engaged in aggressive intelligence gathering, used intermediaries to obtain materials under false pretenses, sent public relations spies to the organizations' meetings, and covertly taped strategy sessions. Other industry strategies included publicly minimizing the effects of boycotts, painting health advocates as "extreme," identifying and exploiting disagreements, and planning to "redirect the funding" of tobacco control organizations to other purposes. Public health advocates often make light of tobacco industry observers, but industry surveillance may be real, intense, and covert and may obstruct public health initiatives.

Collecting Safeguards Relevant Trade Information: The IAEA Procurement Outreach Programme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schot, P.; El Gebaly, A.; Tarvainen, M.

2010-01-01

The increasing awareness of activities of transnational procurement networks to covertly acquire sensitive nuclear related dual use equipment prompted an evolution of safeguards methodologies. One of the responses to this challenge by the Department of Safeguards in the IAEA was to establish the Trade and Technology Unit (TTA) in November 2004 to analyse and report on these covert nuclear related trade activities. To obtain information relevant to this analysis, TTA is engaging States that might be willing to provide this information to the Secretariat on a voluntary basis. This paper will give an overview of current activities, sum up the results achieved and discuss suggestions to further improve this programme made by Member States. (author)

Does the placebo effect modulate drug bioavailability? Randomized cross-over studies of three drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hammami, Muhammad M; Yusuf, Ahmed; Shire, Faduma S; Hussein, Rajaa; Al-Swayeh, Reem

2017-05-23

for ibuprofen C max (76.66-98.99), ibuprofen C max /AUC I (77.19-98.39), and ibuprofen (45.32-91.62) and paracetamol (51.45-98.96) AUC Overttmax . Out of the 126 individual covert/overt ratios, 2.0-16.7% were outside the +25% range for AUC T , 2.0-4.2% for AUC I , 25.0-44.9% for C max , 67.3-76.7% for AUC Overttmax , and 45.8-71.4% for T max . This study couldn't confirm that awareness of drug ingestion modulates its bioavailability. However, it demonstrates the trivial effect of blinding in bioequivalence studies and the extent of bio-variability that would be expected when comparing a drug product to itself. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01501747 (registered Dec 26, 2011).

La trinidad no santa: delicuencia transnacional, corrupción y terrorismo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise Shelley

Full Text Available The traditional groups of transnational delinquency and their more recently formed homologous ones have quite different relations with the State and with terrorism. In long stablished countries, the more ancient criminal groups were developed along the state organs and depend on the existent institutional and financial structures to move their products and to invest their earnings. These groups also require stable communities and frequently try to contribute to them, while rejecting any contact with terrorist groups.The more recent groups of transnational delinquency have often their origins in post-conflict situations, where there can still be a state of chaos: they are the actors that dominate the clandestine economy. These new groups generate alliances with terrorist organizations because none of the two possess long term financial strategies or political horizons. The destabilizing link between the transnational crime and terrorism are so difficult to attack because the planners of the policies continue considering crime in terms of the traditional paradigms.

Anticounterfeit packaging technologies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruchir Y Shah

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Packaging is the coordinated system that encloses and protects the dosage form. Counterfeit drugs are the major cause of morbidity, mortality, and failure of public interest in the healthcare system. High price and well-known brands make the pharma market most vulnerable, which accounts for top priority cardiovascular, obesity, and antihyperlipidemic drugs and drugs like sildenafil. Packaging includes overt and covert technologies like barcodes, holograms, sealing tapes, and radio frequency identification devices to preserve the integrity of the pharmaceutical product. But till date all the available techniques are synthetic and although provide considerable protection against counterfeiting, have certain limitations which can be overcome by the application of natural approaches and utilization of the principles of nanotechnology.

Proliferation Vulnerability Red Team report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hinton, J.P.; Barnard, R.W.; Bennett, D.E. [and others

1996-10-01

This report is the product of a four-month independent technical assessment of potential proliferation vulnerabilities associated with the plutonium disposition alternatives currently under review by DOE/MD. The scope of this MD-chartered/Sandia-led study was limited to technical considerations that could reduce proliferation resistance during various stages of the disposition processes below the Stored Weapon/Spent Fuel standards. Both overt and covert threats from host nation and unauthorized parties were considered. The results of this study will be integrated with complementary work by others into an overall Nonproliferation and Arms Control Assessment in support of a Secretarial Record of Decision later this year for disposition of surplus U.S. weapons plutonium.

CONNEXIONS DE LA CONTREBANDE AVEC D’AUTRES FORMES DU CRIME ORGANISÉ

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana CĂLIN

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Smuggling is not only a pivot of organized crime, but also a binder that facilitates the components of the organized crime. Its relationship with other forms of crime is so visible that there is no need to demonstrate it. Observers examine and study the reactions that govern the organized crime. The judicial practices have shown the relations of smuggling acts with corruption, drug trafficking, terrorism and clandestine migration.

Group of scientific experts third technical test (GSETT-III) experiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dahlman, O.

1999-01-01

The purpose of the established verification system is to provide confidence through adequate monitoring, deter clandestine activities and counteract 'false arms'. The task og the Group of Scientific Experts was to design and test the seismic verification system including designing og the international system, sharing knowledge from national programs, encouraging establishment of new monitoring facilities, development of data analysis procedures, conducting large scale testing and training of experts

Exploring pregnancy termination experiences and needs among Malaysian women: A qualitative study

OpenAIRE

Tong Wen; Low Wah; Wong Yut; Choong Sim; Jegasothy Ravindran

2012-01-01

Abstract Background Malaysia has relatively liberal abortion laws in that they permit abortions for both physical and mental health cases. However, abortion remains a taboo subject. The stagnating contraceptive prevalence rate combined with the plunging fertility rate suggests that abortion might be occurring clandestinely. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of women and their needs with regard to abortion. Methods Women from diverse backgrounds were purposively selected ...

Technology Against Terrorism: Structuring Security

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

nesses (e.g., Ford, Coca - Cola , American Airlines, " Destruction of Pan American Flight 103 over American Express, Holiday Inn, Citibank, ChaseDesruin...network, involving links between many clandestine, undeclared war. governments. Cases in which a consortium of gov- State sponsorship refers to the...Syria has setup centers constitutes concrete and convincing evidence of in Syria itself, in Lebanon’s Beka’a Valley (which is sponsorship of terrorism.𔄁

Urbanization and ambient quality: the prodution process of the brazilian coast space

OpenAIRE

Borelli, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

This text discuss about the question of the relations between urbanization and ambient quality in the coastal zone. The increasing degradation of coastal ecosystems is provoked by the disordered urban expansion, in function of the interests of the capital. Real estate speculation, irregular land divisions, predatory tourism, clandestine nestings, demographic growth with significant migratory movement, are elements that exemplifies the urbanization process that comes occurring of disordered fo...

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 8 December 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1997-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 8 December 1997. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are presented: nuclear energy, Agency's inspections in Iraq in relation to its clandestine nuclear programme, Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and conclusion of safeguards agreements and additional protocols

A Network Version of the Pump

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kang, Myong H; Moskowitz, Ira S; Lee, Daniel C

1995-01-01

A designer of reliable MLS networks must consider covert channels and denial of service attacks in addition to traditional network performance measures such as throughput, fairness, and reliability...

Information Hiding: an Annotated Bibliography

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Anderson, Ross

1999-01-01

... so. These steganography, copyright marking, the study of covert channels in operating systems, low-probability of intercept communications, and the study of subliminal channels in digital signature schemes...

Mahdi and the Iranian Nuclear Threat

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Crytzer, Kurt S

2007-01-01

.... The Iranians refuse to fold to international pressures concerning their nuclear program, covertly and overtly back radical Shiite Groups, and respond with ever increasing confidence to any international...

On the Impacts and Benefits of Implementing Full-Duplex Communications Links in an Underwater Acoustic Network

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gibson, J; Larraza, A; Rice, J; Smith, K; Xie, G

2002-01-01

.... These networks may provide command and control for autonomous underwater vehicles, forward reporting by arrays of sensor grids, ad hoc communications links to covert forces, or positive control...

LES SUBSAHARIENS ENTRE TRANSIT AU MAROC ET IMMIGRATION CLANDESTINE EN ESPAGNE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Faleh

2009-01-01

Full Text Available La migración irregular llega a ser la forma dominante de los flujos migratorios con destino a los países de la Unión Europea, y altera las relaciones entre las dos riveras del Estrecho de Gibraltar: Marruecos y España. El presente artículo aborda el análisis del fl ujo migratorio subsahariano en tránsito por Marruecos, la descripción del perfil sociodemográfico de los migrantes, así como el conocimiento de los motivos de partida, itinerarios y condiciones de vida en Marruecos de los retornados subsaharianos así como sus aspiraciones.

Examining Clandestine Social Networks for the Presence of Non-Random Structure

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Seder, Joshua S

2007-01-01

.... The proposed hypothesis testing framework is employed to statistically quantify a given partition's relativity in explaining the variability in the observed adjacency matrix relative to what can be explained by chance...

[The new migratory deal in Southern Europe].

Science.gov (United States)

Simon, G

1986-09-01

The author examines migration patterns in Southern Europe during the 1970s and early 1980s, noting particularly the reduction in migration northward from this region. It is noted that "departure potential remains sizable in certain areas of Portugal, Spain, Southern Italy, and most particularly, of Turkey and Yugoslavia. Transoceanic migrations have by no means ceased, as new flows of skilled labor have, since 1974, gone towards Arab states endowed with petrol (oil) revenues. And yet, the paramount fact is most surely the emergence and the proliferation in Greece, Spain, and (especially) in Italy, of basically clandestine (illegal) immigration. This movement is due to the convergence of several factors: economic and demographic disparities between northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the sealing-off of borders in Northwestern Europe and the 'carry-over' effect upon nations of 'transit', the extent of the flow of refugees, and--most particularly--the appeal provided by the development, in these new employer countries, of an underground economy accompanied by the extension into industry of the practice of 'undeclared' work. And notwithstanding the series of rules lastly drawn up in Spain and in Greece, such forms of clandestine (unauthorized) migration appear highly likely--to say the least--to persist." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA) excerpt

Covert Channels and Simple Timed Mix-Firewalls

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Newman, Richard

2004-01-01

Traditional methods for evaluating the amount of anonymity afforded by various Mix configurations have depended on either measuring the size of the set of possible senders of a particular message (anonymity set size...

Covert Channels and Simple Timed Mix-Firewalls

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Newman, Richard

2004-01-01

.... Initial work considered a simple model where an observer (Eve) was restricted to counting the number of messages leaving a Mix configured as a firewall guarding the enclave with one malicious sender (Alice) and some other naive senders (Clueless's). Here, we consider the case where Eve can distinguish between multiple destinations, and the senders can select to which destination their message (if any) is sent each clock tick.

Scalable System Design for Covert MIMO Communications

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

Vehicles US United States VHDL VHSIC Hardware Description Language VLSI Very Large Scale Integration WARP Wireless open-Access Research Platform WLAN ...communications, satellite radio and Wireless Local Area Network ( WLAN ) OFDM has been utilized for its multi-path resistance. OFDM relies on the...develop hardware specific to the application provides faster computation times, making FPGA development a very powerful tool. 2.5.1 MIMO Receiver Latency

Finding the Right Indigenous Leader and Force for Counterinsurgency Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-01

Shooting at the Moon: The Story of Americas Clandestine War in Laos (South Royalton: Steerforth Press, 1996). 53Defense, Army Special Operations...warfare can only be accomplished with the support of the indigenous population. One of Mao Tse -tung’s most famous aphorisms is that “the people are...Sept 2011 93 Mao Tse -Tung, Aspects of China’s Anti-Japanese Struggle (Bombay: Open library, 1948), 48. 52 partnership between the FMF and LIF does

Changing patterns of migration in the Adriatic region.

Science.gov (United States)

Schatzer, P

1988-06-01

International migration in the Adriatic countries of Albania, Greece, Italy, San Marino, and Yugoslavia is briefly examined using data from official and other published sources. The main types of migratory movements identified by the author within the region are "1) economically motivated migration (legal and clandestine); 2) immigration of refugees for resettlement; 3) immigration with the scope of final resettlement in a third country (transit movements); [and] 4) return migration by former emigrants." excerpt

The main issues preventing Kosovo’s economic development

OpenAIRE

Demir Lima

2017-01-01

This study provides an analysis of several problematic factors preventing Kosovo’s economic development. Several sectors that could have been the main pillars of economic development, such as manufacturing, energy, mines and minerals, and other economic sectors have been neglected from the development by domestic institutions or were used clandestinely by certain interest groups, whose focus was not in the development of the country but rather their personal gain. Trade remained the preferred...

The Soviet-Cuban Connection in Central America and the Caribbean

Science.gov (United States)

1985-04-01

bly for civilian use, was built primarily by armed clandestinely ferrying a cargo of military supplies to Cubans, despite the high unemployment on the...reorm an deocraic lecion. Th sucesive population now either own their land outright or par- governments of El Salvador have worked to follow ticipate as...launcher, airstrips and unloading their cargo of arms and am-munition. Air drops are also used. .’.. subsequently captured by communist forces after

Enhancing Comprehension and Production of Argumentation through Critical Thinking Awareness-Raising

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahlagha Akbari

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Language pedagogy aims to equip learners with tools to cope critically with the complexity of the language input and rationally evaluate the authenticity of the data. An indispensable part of learning to read and write a foreign language should, hence, develop critical thinking skills that allow interpretation and accurate expression of overt and covert propositions. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of an eleven-session critical thinking (CT awareness-raising (AR mingled with an Advanced Writing Course on 50 male and female Iranian postgraduate TEFL students’ reading comprehension and the accuracy, complexity, and organization of their writing of argumentative texts. The participants in two intact classes were randomly assigned as the experimental and control groups. The treatment followed a reading to writing direction with a stronger focus on explicit presentation and practice of reading-embedded argumentation elements and CT skills in the experimental group. The control group, however, started off with the same materials with now CT focus and proceeded to the detailed process-oriented writing phase. Comparison of the groups’ reading and writing post-test scores verified superior performance of the experimental group in reading and writing of argumentative texts and offer pedagogical implications.

Uranium from phosphate ores

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurst, F.J.

1983-01-01

The following topics are described briefly: the way phosphate fertilizers are made; how uranium is recovered in the phosphate industry; and how to detect covert uranium recovery operations in a phsophate plant

An Application of Alloy to Static Analysis for Secure Information Flow and Verification of Software Systems

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Shaffer, Alan B

2008-01-01

Within a multilevel secure (MLS) system, flaws in design and implementation can result in overt and covert channels, both of which may be exploited by malicious software to cause unauthorized information flows...

The Impact of Hidden Advertising on Consumers Purchase Behaviour of Books

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Rojec

2013-09-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACTCovert advertising is a form of illegal marketing when a text is published as editorial content although it is ordered and paid for by the advertiser. Covert advertising has an increasing influence on book consumption and on book consumers whose choices are often made unconsciously. They are frequently affected by various psychological factors such as motives, perceptions, attitudes and personality. The aim of the survey was to find out purchasing habits of book consumers, reasons for buying books and the amount of money they are willing to spend on books. We were interested whether consumers know that covert advertising is illegal and that it influences their behaviour. A web questionnaire accessible for three months was completed by 470 respondents. The results show that most respondents like to purchase books. Most often they buy books that are classified as the light reading (novels, thrillers, etc.. When buying books they usually pay attention to the book genre, its title and author. The survey results also point to the poor understanding of the term “covert advertising”. Thus, they could be an incentive to raise consumers awareness of this form of advertising. More stringent control of media editors and tougher penalties for offenders are suggested as well as a public list of all those who in any way contribute to misleading the public.

Age determination of blue-winged teal

Science.gov (United States)

Dane, C.W.

1968-01-01

Primary feather length, markings on the greater secondary coverts, and the degree of bill spotting were evaluated as characters for use in the spring to distinguish first-year, blue-winged teal (Anas discors) females from older ones. The length of the 10th primary feather did not prove suitable to separate different aged females. Extreme primary lengths might be used to determine the age of some males. In females that have been through a postnuptial molt the greater secondary coverts have a more symmetrical, and more acutely angled, white, inverted 'V'-marking. Any female with a 'V' subjectively classified as good has gone through at least one postnuptial molt, and a female with no sign of a 'V' on the coverts is a juvenile or yearling before her first postnuptial molt. By measuring the longest bill spot on the upper mandible of each known-age female, it was possible to determine the age of some female teal. Because the spots fade during the breeding season, no lower size limit could be set to delineate first-year females at that time of year, but any nest-trapped hen with a spot longer than 10 mm was considered to be older than 1 year. Upper and lower limits were also established to distinguish some yearlings and 2-year-olds in the fall.

Preschoolers' conformity (and its motivation) is linked to own and parents' personalities.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellmer, Kahl; Stenberg, Gunilla; Fawcett, Christine

2018-03-31

Previous studies on conformity have primarily focused on factors that moderate conformity rates overall and paid little attention to explaining the individual differences. In this study, we investigate five-factor model personality traits of both parents and children and experimentally elicited conformity in 3.5-year-olds (N = 59) using an Asch-like paradigm with which we measure both overt conformity (public responses) and covert opinions (private beliefs after conformist responses): A correct covert opinion after an incorrect conformist response results from a socially normative motivation, whereas an incorrect covert opinion results from an informational motivation. Our data show (1) low parental extroversion is associated with participants' overall rate of conformity, (2) and low participant extroversion and high openness are associated with an informational instead of a normative motivation to conform. This suggests that sensitivity to the social context or social engagement level, as manifested through extroversion, could be an important factor in conformist behaviour. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? We all conform, from early in life - and even when we should know better We can conform for normative and informational motivations Some are more prone to conform than others What does this study add? This is the first study to take an individual differences approach to developmental conformity Social engagement (extroversion) is an important factor in conformity. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Cadeias produtivas do carvão vegetal na agricultura familiar no sul do Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Carrieri-Souza

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The charcoal production is an important income generating activity for family farmers in the south of Brazil, but this relevance is not officially recognized. Much of the charcoal found in retail establishments is produced clandestinely. In the market, the coal produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way can be confused with the coal produced in undesirable contexts. We seek to understand the conditions of charcoal production in family farms and how this production comes to the final consumer, based on the concept of supply chains. We conducted a study of three representative cases in southern Brazil, in the cities of Biguaçu, SC, Santa Rosa de Lima, SC and Bituruna, PR. The tools for data collection were questionnaires, interviews and informal conversations with actors of all links of the production chain and with technicians from environmental agencies and rural extension, as well as direct observation in communities. In the municipality of Biguaçu, we identified long, short face-to-face, short with spatial proximity and short spatially extended chains. In the municipalities of Bituruna and Santa Rosa de Lima, we identify only the long chains. We discuss about the several implicit norms that guide the behavior of social actors, identifying the marketing of coal in short chains as a way of creating strategies for entering the market and add value, based on the identification of the quality characteristics of the product, with emphasis on the compliance with the requirements of environmental production obtained in family farming.

Attachment and couple satisfaction as predictors of expressed emotion in women facing breast cancer and their partners in the immediate post-surgery period.

Science.gov (United States)

Favez, Nicolas; Cairo Notari, Sarah; Antonini, Tania; Charvoz, Linda

2017-02-01

To investigate expressed emotion (EE) in couples facing breast cancer in the immediate post-surgery period. EE may be predictive of psychological disturbances that hinder both partners' capacities to cope with the stress of the disease. Severity of the disease, attachment tendencies, and couple satisfaction were tested as predictors of EE. The design was cross-sectional. Couples (N = 61) were interviewed 2 weeks after the women's breast surgery. Expressed emotion was assessed in women and in partners with the Five-Minute Speech Sample, with a focus on overt and covert criticisms. Self-reported EE, attachment tendencies, and couple satisfaction were assessed with questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed to test the predictors and possible interactions between them. Both partners expressed overt and covert criticisms; women expressed more overt criticisms than did their partners. Cancer stage was inversely related to the number of overt criticisms in women and to the number of covert criticisms in partners. Regression analyses showed that in women, higher attachment anxiety and lower couple satisfaction were positive predictors of overt criticisms; in partners, a higher cancer stage was a negative predictor of overt and covert criticisms. Practitioners should pay attention to the couple relationship in breast cancer. EE is most likely to appear when the cancer stage is low, showing that even when the medical prognosis is optimal, relational and emotional disturbances may occur. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The couple relationship is of paramount importance in breast cancer. Expressed emotion (EE) is related to negative individual and relational psychological outcomes in psychiatric and somatic diseases. Expressed emotion has not yet been studied in the context of breast cancer. What does this study add? Expressed emotion is present in breast cancer situations, especially when the cancer stage is low. There

Russian Strategy in Chechnya: A Case Study in Failure

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lutz, Raymond

1997-01-01

Russia initiated activity in Chechnya as a covert intelligence operation. It changed into an internal security mission which, in turn, became a mid-intensity conflict and then evolved into in a low-intensity conflict...

75 FR 4527 - Sunshine Act Notice

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-28

... on Civil Rights announced a business meeting to be held on Friday, January 15, 2010 at the Commission... on Covert Wiretapping in the War on Terror. Multi-Ethnic Placement Act Briefing Report. [[Page 4528...

Staying ahead of the game [The world's nuclear regime is being tested like never before

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinonen, O.J.

2007-01-01

The nuclear non-proliferation regime today faces a number of challenges. Not all would agree that the system is 'in crisis', but we can confidently say that the regime is certainly being tested. It goes without saying that the reported nuclear test by DPRK in October 2006 has not made the situation easier. So we should begin to find innovative solutions to overcome vulnerabilities or the international nuclear safeguards regime will become obsolete. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was ratified more than 30 years ago. Since then the world has undergone rapid social, political and economic changes, which have resulted in a changed non-proliferation landscape. Developments in the three pillars of the NPT -disarmament, technology transfer and verification- have not necessarily been even. The IAEA has a role to play, in particular, in the latter two pillars. Although one might argue that there has been slow progress with regards to disarmament, it is my belief that we should continue to improve nuclear verification methods and techniques to keep up with the changing non-proliferation landscape. If we fail to do so, we might not only impact international safeguards, but also the future prospects of peaceful nuclear applications. During the last two decades we have seen three major developments related to nuclear non-proliferation: the increased dissemination of nuclear technology and nuclear know-how, particularly in light of renewed interest in nuclear power; a renewed drive on the part of a few States to acquire technology suitable for nuclear weapons purpose; the emergence of clandestine procurement networks. Under the NPT regime, there is nothing illegal about any State having enrichment or reprocessing technology. However, we ought to ensure that nuclear material and infrastructure is not used for illicit and non-peaceful purposes. Better control of access to nuclear fuel cycle technology is being explored through initiatives such as

Identification of Chemical Attribution Signatures of Fentanyl Syntheses Using Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Orthogonal Analytical Data

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mayer, B. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Mew, D. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); DeHope, A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Spackman, P. E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Williams, A. M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-09-24

Attribution of the origin of an illicit drug relies on identification of compounds indicative of its clandestine production and is a key component of many modern forensic investigations. The results of these studies can yield detailed information on method of manufacture, starting material source, and final product - all critical forensic evidence. In the present work, chemical attribution signatures (CAS) associated with the synthesis of the analgesic fentanyl, N-(1-phenylethylpiperidin-4-yl)-N-phenylpropanamide, were investigated. Six synthesis methods, all previously published fentanyl synthetic routes or hybrid versions thereof, were studied in an effort to identify and classify route-specific signatures. 160 distinct compounds and inorganic species were identified using gas and liquid chromatographies combined with mass spectrometric methods (GC-MS and LCMS/ MS-TOF) in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The complexity of the resultant data matrix urged the use of multivariate statistical analysis. Using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), 87 route-specific CAS were classified and a statistical model capable of predicting the method of fentanyl synthesis was validated and tested against CAS profiles from crude fentanyl products deposited and later extracted from two operationally relevant surfaces: stainless steel and vinyl tile. This work provides the most detailed fentanyl CAS investigation to date by using orthogonal mass spectral data to identify CAS of forensic significance for illicit drug detection, profiling, and attribution.

Multi-UAVs Formation Autonomous Control Method Based on RQPSO-FSM-DMPC

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao-lei Zhou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available For various threats in the enemy defense area, in order to achieve covert penetration and implement effective combat against enemy, the unmanned aerial vehicles formation needs to be reconfigured in the process of penetration; the mutual collision avoidance problems and communication constraint problems among the formation also need to be considered. By establishing the virtual-leader formation model, this paper puts forward distributed model predictive control and finite state machine formation manager. Combined with distributed cooperative strategy establishing the formation reconfiguration cost function, this paper proposes that adopting the revised quantum-behaved particle swarm algorithm solves the cost function, and it is compared with the result which is solved by particle swarm algorithm. Simulation result shows that this algorithm can control multiple UAVs formation autonomous reconfiguration effectively and achieve covert penetration safely.

Is talking to yourself thinking?

Science.gov (United States)

Rachlin, Howard

2018-01-01

The question whether talking to yourself is thinking is considered from two viewpoints: radical behaviorism and teleological behaviorism. For radical behaviorism, following Skinner (1945), mental events such as 'thinking' may be explained in terms of private behavior occurring within the body, ordinarily unobservable by other people; thus, radical behaviorism may identify talking to yourself with thinking. However, to be consistent with its basic principles, radical behaviorism must hold that private behavior, hence thinking, is identical with covert muscular, speech movements (rather than proprioception of those movements). For teleological behaviorism, following Skinner (1938), all mental terms, including 'thinking,' stand for abstract, temporally extended patterns of overt behavior. Thus, for teleological behaviorism, talking to yourself, covert by definition, cannot be thinking. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Hepatic encephalopathy: current challenges and future prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Swaminathan M

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Mirashini Swaminathan,1 Mark Alexander Ellul,2 Timothy JS Cross1 1Department of Gastroenterology, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, 2Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK Abstract: Hepatic encephalopathy (HE is a common complication of liver dysfunction, including acute liver failure and liver cirrhosis. HE presents as a spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms ranging from subtle fluctuating cognitive impairment to coma. It is a significant contributor of morbidity in patients with liver disease. HE is observed in acute liver failure, liver bypass procedures, for example, shunt surgery and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, and cirrhosis. These are classified as Type A, B and C HE, respectively. HE can also be classified according to whether its presence is overt or covert. The pathogenesis is linked with ammonia and glutamine production, and treatment is based on mechanisms to reduce the formation and/or removal of these compounds. There is no specific diagnostic test for HE, and diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion, excluding other causes and use of clinical tests that may support its diagnosis. Many tests are used in trials and experimentally, but have not yet gained universal acceptance. This review focuses on the definitions, pathogenesis and treatment of HE. Consideration will be given to existing treatment, including avoidance of precipitating factors and novel therapies such as prebiotics, probiotics, antibiotics, laxatives, branched-chain amino acids, shunt embolization and the importance of considering liver transplant in appropriate cases. Keywords: hepatic encephalopathy, pathogenesis, treatment, lactulose, rifaximin, probiotics, covert hepatic encephalopathy

CTC Sentinel. Volume 3, Issue 2, February 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-01

difficulty of creating a Lebanese franchise , it is likely that al-Qa`ida has switched its strategy and gone underground.2 Clandestine terrorist...Of course, no leader belonging to al-Qa`ida central or to any of its franchises in the Middle East has made a pub- lic statement detailing a...Reilly was only prevented by his own incompetence when his bomb failed to detonate properly in the middle of a restaurant in Exeter in May 2008

Sensitive change detection for remote sensing monitoring of nuclear treaties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Canty, Morton J.; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg; Schlittenhardt, Jörg

2005-01-01

change is a commonplace application in remote sensing, the detection of anthropogenic changes associated with nuclear activities, whether declared or clandestine, presents a difficult challenge. It is necessary to discriminate subtle, often weak signals of interest on a background of irrelevant...... in multispectral, bitemporal image data: New approaches to change detection studies, Remote Sens. Environ. 64(1), 1998, pp. 1--19. Nielsen, A. A., Iteratively re-weighted multivariate alteration detection in multi- and hyperspectral data, to be published....

A documentation of, and statements in reply to, articles in the weekly 'Der Spiegel', laying BMFT staff members open to the approach of punishable acceptance of advantage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

In connection with the occurrences in the Hanau nuclear firms Nukem and Transnuklear, the weekly magazine 'Der Spiegel' published a number of articles and statements on allegedly further irregularities and cases of misconduct by staff members of the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, including alleged violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty because of clandestine supply of plutonium to Pakistan and Libya. The documentation presents background information and the response by the Federal Ministry. (DG) [de

Paracas Cultural Readaptation To The Nasca Entity: An Approach From The Settlement Of Cerro Cordova

OpenAIRE

Llanos Jacinto, Oscar Daniel

2017-01-01

Except rare exceptions, the Paracas society of the Ica valley has been extensively studied from decontextualized materials, including pottery collected from clandestine tomb excavations in the Ocucaje basin. From the stylistic analysis of these pieces, which also included Nasca specimens, the hypothesis was elaborated that assumed the birth from the Paracas, expressed in the well-known axiom «transition paracas-nasca». The works carried out in Cerro Córdova and those that since 2009 are carri...

A documentation of, and statements in reply to, articles in the weekly 'Der Spiegel', laying BMFT staff members open to the approach of punishable acceptance of advantage. Dokumentation von 'Spiegel'-Vorwuerfen 'Strafbare Vorteilsannahme BMFT-Mitarbeiter'

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1988-03-28

In connection with the occurrences in the Hanau nuclear firms Nukem and Transnuklear, the weekly magazine 'Der Spiegel' published a number of articles and statements on allegedly further irregularities and cases of misconduct by staff members of the Federal Ministry of Research and Technology, including alleged violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty because of clandestine supply of plutonium to Pakistan and Libya. The documentation presents background information and the response by the Federal Ministry. (DG).

Social Networks for Surveillance and Security: ‘Using Online Techniques to make something happen in the real or cyber world’

OpenAIRE

Harbisher, Ben

2017-01-01

This chapter examines the use of Social Networks for Surveillance and Security in relation to the deployment of intelligence resources in the UK. The chapter documents the rise of Military Intelligence agencies during both World Wars (such as GCHQ and MI5), and the subsequent use of these institutions to maintain order during peacetime. In addition to the way in which military organisations have used clandestine techniques such as double agents, spies, and various programmes designed for cond...

By land, sea, or air? A comparative analysis of cartel smuggling strategies

OpenAIRE

Harney, Sean M.

2017-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Cartels are known for their innovative smuggling techniques, across land, sea, or air, which allow them to clandestinely transport drugs across any point of entry into the United States. With this in mind, it is worth asking: why do cartels choose a certain drug smuggling technique over another, which domain is more commonly used and potentially more successful, and what sorts of structural changes would it take to shift from one metho...

qualite des eaux du bandama-blanc (cote d'ivoire) et de ses ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

La qualité écologique des eaux des localités soumises à l'exploitation artisanale et clandestine de l'or au niveau du Bandama-Blanc et de ses affluents a été étudiée entre le 01 et le 15 Avril 2015. Le prélèvement du phytoplancton a été réalisé à l'aide de la bouteille hydrologique et du filet à plancton, tandis que le.

Communications article

KAUST Repository

Fariborzi, Hossein

2017-01-01

Seamless, covert communications using a communications system integrated or incorporated within an article of clothing is described. In one embodiment, the communications system is integrated or incorporated into a shoe insole and includes a haptic

The Use of Resistivity Methods in Terrestrial Forensic Searches

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, R. C.; Raisuddin, I.; Bank, C.

2013-12-01

The increasing use of near-surface geophysical methods in forensic searches has demonstrated the need for further studies to identify the ideal physical, environmental and temporal settings for each geophysical method. Previous studies using resistivity methods have shown promising results, but additional work is required to more accurately interpret and analyze survey findings. The Ontario Provincial Police's UCRT (Urban Search and Rescue; Chemical, Biolgical, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives; Response Team) is collaborating with the University of Toronto and two additional universities in a multi-year study investigating the applications of near-surface geophysical methods to terrestrial forensic searches. In the summer of 2012, on a test site near Bolton, Ontario, the OPP buried weapons, drums and pigs (naked, tarped, and clothed) to simulate clandestine graves and caches. Our study aims to conduct repeat surveys using an IRIS Syscal Junior with 48 electrode switching system resistivity-meter. These surveys will monitor changes in resistivity reflecting decomposition of the object since burial, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of resistivity when used in a rural, clandestine burial setting. Our initial findings indicate the usefulness of this method, as prominent resistivity changes have been observed. We anticipate our results will help to assist law enforcement agencies in determining the type of resistivity results to expect based on time since burial, depth of burial and state of dress of the body.

[The history of heroin].

Science.gov (United States)

Hosztafi, S

2001-08-01

The discovery of heroin and the development of heroin abuse are introduced. Heroin, the hydrochloride of diacetylmorphine, was discovered by acetylation of morphine. Heroin, in pharmacological studies, proved to be more effective than morphine or codeine. The Bayer Company started the production of heroin in 1898 on a commercial scale. The first clinical results were so promising that heroin was considered a wonder drug. Indeed, heroin was more effective than codeine in respiratory diseases. It has turned out, however, that repeated administration of heroin results in the development of tolerance and the patients become heroin-addicts soon. In the early 1910s morphine addicts "discovered" the euphorising properties of heroin and this effect was enhanced by intravenous administration. Heroin became a narcotic drug and its abuse began to spread quickly. Restrictions on its production, use and distribution were regulated by international treties. The total ban on heroin production was also proposed. As a result of the strict regulations the production and cosumption of heroin showed a significant decrease after 1931. At the same time the underworld recognized the shortage of heroin and started the illicit production and trafficking. The quantity of heroin seized by law enforcement agencies in the past decades rose gradually. As an indicator of the worldwide heroin market, the quantity of confiscated heroin underwent a tenfold increase since 1970. The paper surveys the most important heroin-producing and trafficking countries. Heroin, prepared in clandestine ("kitchen" or "jungle") laboratories, is diluted ("cut") by every member of the illegal heroin distributing chain, i.e. smugglers, traffickers, dealers and vendors.

The influence of spatial congruency and movement preparation time on saccade curvature in simultaneous and sequential dual-tasks.

Science.gov (United States)

Moehler, Tobias; Fiehler, Katja

2015-11-01

Saccade curvature represents a sensitive measure of oculomotor inhibition with saccades curving away from covertly attended locations. Here we investigated whether and how saccade curvature depends on movement preparation time when a perceptual task is performed during or before saccade preparation. Participants performed a dual-task including a visual discrimination task at a cued location and a saccade task to the same location (congruent) or to a different location (incongruent). Additionally, we varied saccade preparation time (time between saccade cue and Go-signal) and the occurrence of the discrimination task (during saccade preparation=simultaneous vs. before saccade preparation=sequential). We found deteriorated perceptual performance in incongruent trials during simultaneous task performance while perceptual performance was unaffected during sequential task performance. Saccade accuracy and precision were deteriorated in incongruent trials during simultaneous and, to a lesser extent, also during sequential task performance. Saccades consistently curved away from covertly attended non-saccade locations. Saccade curvature was unaffected by movement preparation time during simultaneous task performance but decreased and finally vanished with increasing movement preparation time during sequential task performance. Our results indicate that the competing saccade plan to the covertly attended non-saccade location is maintained during simultaneous task performance until the perceptual task is solved while in the sequential condition, in which the discrimination task is solved prior to the saccade task, oculomotor inhibition decays gradually with movement preparation time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain-computer interfaces increase whole-brain signal to noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Papageorgiou, T Dorina; Lisinski, Jonathan M; McHenry, Monica A; White, Jason P; LaConte, Stephen M

2013-08-13

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can convert mental states into signals to drive real-world devices, but it is not known if a given covert task is the same when performed with and without BCI-based control. Using a BCI likely involves additional cognitive processes, such as multitasking, attention, and conflict monitoring. In addition, it is challenging to measure the quality of covert task performance. We used whole-brain classifier-based real-time functional MRI to address these issues, because the method provides both classifier-based maps to examine the neural requirements of BCI and classification accuracy to quantify the quality of task performance. Subjects performed a covert counting task at fast and slow rates to control a visual interface. Compared with the same task when viewing but not controlling the interface, we observed that being in control of a BCI improved task classification of fast and slow counting states. Additional BCI control increased subjects' whole-brain signal-to-noise ratio compared with the absence of control. The neural pattern for control consisted of a positive network comprised of dorsal parietal and frontal regions and the anterior insula of the right hemisphere as well as an expansive negative network of regions. These findings suggest that real-time functional MRI can serve as a platform for exploring information processing and frontoparietal and insula network-based regulation of whole-brain task signal-to-noise ratio.

Genome-wide association studies of mri-defined brain infarcts: Meta-analysis from the charge consortium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S. Debette (Stéphanie); J.C. Bis (Joshua); M. Fornage (Myriam); H.A. Schmid (Herbert); M.A. Ikram (Arfan); S. Sigurdsson (Stefan); G. Heiss (Gerardo); M.V. Struchalin (Maksim); A.V. Smith (Albert Vernon); A. van der Lugt (Aad); C. DeCarli (Charles); T. Lumley (Thomas); D.S. Knopman (David); C. Enzinger (Christian); G. Eiriksdottir (Gudny); P.J. Koudstaal (Peter Jan); A.L. DeStefano (Anita); B.M. Psaty (Bruce); C. Dufouil (Carole); D.J. Catellier (Diane); F. Fazekas (Franz); T. Aspelund (Thor); Y.S. Aulchenko (Yurii); A. Beiser (Alexa); J.I. Rotter (Jerome); C. Tzourio (Christophe); D.K. Shibata (Dean); M. Tscherner (Maria); T.B. Harris (Tamara); F. Rivadeneira Ramirez (Fernando); L.D. Atwood (Larry); K. Rice (Kenneth); R.F. Gottesman (Rebecca); M.A. van Buchem (Mark); A.G. Uitterlinden (André); M. Kelly-Hayes (Margaret); M. Cushman (Mary Ann); Y. Zhu (Yicheng); E.A. Boerwinkle (Eric); V. Gudnason (Vilmundur); A. Hofman (Albert); J.R. Romero (Jose Rafael); M.M.B. Breteler (Monique); R. Schmidt (Reinhold); L.J. Launer (Lenore); W.T. Longstreth Jr

2010-01-01

textabstractBackground and Purpose-Previous studies examining genetic associations with MRI-defined brain infarct have yielded inconsistent findings. We investigated genetic variation underlying covert MRI infarct in persons without histories of transient ischemic attack or stroke. We performed

THE JOINT MONITORING COMMISSION

African Journals Online (AJOL)

and at Cassinga. Other lightning ... logistic system was also increasingly intertwined with that of ..... protection of the scheme. 6. 3. .... tioned at the JMC site to provide protection and assist in ..... Lusaka Agreement by covertly building up its.

Product design - Molecules, devices, functional products, and formulated products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gani, Rafiqul; Ng, Ka M.

2015-01-01

Chemical product design is a multidisciplinary and diverse subject. This article provides an overview of product design while focusing on product conceptualization. Four product types are considered - molecular products, formulated products, devices and functional products. For molecular products......, computer-aided design tools are used to predict the physicochemical properties of single molecules and blends. For formulated products, an integrated experiment-modeling approach is used to generate the formula with the specified product attributes. For devices and functional products, conceptual product...... design is carried out by modeling the product based on thermodynamics, kinetics and transport processes, by performing experiments, and by decision making based on rule-based methods The results are product specifications in terms of the type of ingredients, composition, and the structure, form, shape...

The hows and whys of language-related stereotypes: A discussion based on Scandinavian examples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Tore

2017-01-01

survey-undersøgelser i Skandinavien. På den ene side tyder resultaterne på at overte stereotype vurderinger – som udbredes i ‘lærd’ offentlig diskurs – har enorm indflydelse på ‘almindelige’ mennesker, som beredvilligt reproducerer dem når de fx i interview og spørgeskemaer udsættes for direkte...... udspørgning om sprog. På den anden side synes alle tre studier samtidig at vise at ‘almindelige’ mennesker er fælles om modsatte, coverte stereotype vurderinger, som genspejler ’levet erfaring’ og viser sig i sprogbrugerevalueringseksperimenter. Ethvert forsøg på at ville påvirke sprogrelaterede stereotypier...... og fordomme (i form af pædagogiske og politiske tiltag) gør klogt i at regne med at der kan være forskel på overte og coverte stereotype vurderinger....

Identifying and tracking dynamic processes in social networks

Science.gov (United States)

Chung, Wayne; Savell, Robert; Schütt, Jan-Peter; Cybenko, George

2006-05-01

The detection and tracking of embedded malicious subnets in an active social network can be computationally daunting due to the quantity of transactional data generated in the natural interaction of large numbers of actors comprising a network. In addition, detection of illicit behavior may be further complicated by evasive strategies designed to camouflage the activities of the covert subnet. In this work, we move beyond traditional static methods of social network analysis to develop a set of dynamic process models which encode various modes of behavior in active social networks. These models will serve as the basis for a new application of the Process Query System (PQS) to the identification and tracking of covert dynamic processes in social networks. We present a preliminary result from application of our technique in a real-world data stream-- the Enron email corpus.

Spatially localized motion aftereffect disappears faster from awareness when selectively attended to according to its direction.

Science.gov (United States)

Murd, Carolina; Bachmann, Talis

2011-05-25

In searching for the target-afterimage patch among spatially separate alternatives of color-afterimages the target fades from awareness before its competitors (Bachmann, T., & Murd, C. (2010). Covert spatial attention in search for the location of a color-afterimage patch speeds up its decay from awareness: Introducing a method useful for the study of neural correlates of visual awareness. Vision Research 50, 1048-1053). In an analogous study presented here we show that a similar effect is obtained when a target spatial location specified according to the direction of motion aftereffect within it is searched by covert top-down attention. The adverse effect of selective attention on the duration of awareness of sensory qualiae known earlier to be present for color and periodic spatial contrast is extended also to sensory channels carrying motion information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 22 March 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1999-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 22 March 1999. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are presented: nuclear safety, measures against illicit trafficking and for the physical protection of nuclear material, status of safeguards agreements and additional protocols, Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and inspections in Iraq in relation to its clandestine nuclear programme

Lucha tras las rejas franquistas. La prisión central de mujeres de Segovia

OpenAIRE

Vega Sombría, Santiago; García Funes, Juan Carlos

2012-01-01

A Panopticon building opened in 1924 as a Women’s Reformatory, it subsequently became the Penitentiary Hospital for the elderly and TB patients. With the Civil War, it was crowded with political prisoners, who would not leave the building throughout the dictatorship. It became the Central Women’s Prison in 1946 and, during its ten years of existence, held the largest contingent of Spanish anti- Franco women fighters, who turned the prison into a clandestine political and cultural training cen...

Chapter 4. Fayuca Hormiga: The Cross-border Trade of Used Clothing between the United States and Mexico

OpenAIRE

Gauthier, Mélissa

2017-01-01

Borders, regardless of their location, represent lucrative zones of exchange and trade, often illicit and clandestine. Along the US-Mexico border there is a lively trade taking second-hand clothing into Mexico through a complex system of smuggling, which is locally known as fayuca. Although used clothing is a restricted import in Mexico, it is sold everywhere in urban markets. This chapter details the “unauthorized” flow of used clothing across the US-Mexico border in light of ethnographic fi...

Socio-demographic variables and perceptual moderators related to mental health stigma.

Science.gov (United States)

Stickney, Sean; Yanosky, Daniel; Black, David R; Stickney, Natalie L

2012-06-01

For many, seeking mental healthcare services remains a clandestine, shameful, or secret activity due in part, to the stigma associated with it. This study examined the mental health stigma associated with mental illness within the USA as a product of differences in ethnicity, gender, perceptions of a just worldview, and individual controllability. A total of 466 participants completed a questionnaire measuring perceptions of social sensitivity, likelihood of engaging in helping behaviors, perceptions of danger, and global just worldviews. Women were stigmatized less than men with mental illness (p = 0.0113), just worldview was not significantly correlated with the stigma, and controllability of mental health condition was positively associated with increased stigma (p mental illness versus Asian Americans or Caucasians (p Mental health stigma, while not associated with one's just worldview, remains relevant in examining, and ultimately changing the acceptance of receiving mental health services. Implications of the findings are discussed about increasing public mental health awareness and reducing mental health stigma as a function of gender, ethnic disparity, and shared life experiences.

A Simple and Effective Physical Characteristic Profiling Method for Methamphetamine Tablet Seized in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tao; Hua, Zhendong; Meng, Xin; Liu, Cuimei

2018-03-01

Methamphetamine (MA) tablet production confers chemical and physical properties. This study developed a simple and effective physical characteristic profiling method for MA tablets with capital letter "WY" logos, which realized the discrimination between linked and unlinked seizures. Seventeen signature distances extracted from the "WY" logo were explored as factors for multivariate analysis and demonstrated to be effective to represent the features of tablets in the drug intelligence perspective. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate efficiency of different pretreatments and distance/correlation metrics, while "Standardization + Euclidean" and "Logarithm + Euclidean" algorithms outperformed the rest. Finally, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was applied to the data set of 200 MA tablet seizures randomly selected from cases all around China in 2015, and 76% of them were classified into a group named after "WY-001." Moreover, the "WY-001" tablets occupied 51-80% tablet seizures from 2011 to 2015 in China, indicating the existence of a huge clandestine factory incessantly manufacturing MA tablets. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Noble gas atmospheric monitoring at reprocessing facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakhleh, C.W.; Perry, R.T. Jr.; Poths, J.; Stanbro, W.D.; Wilson, W.B.; Fearey, B.L.

1997-01-01

The discovery in Iraq after the Gulf War of the existence of a large clandestine nuclear-weapon program has led to an across-the-board international effort, dubbed Programme 93+2, to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. One particularly significant potential change is the introduction of environmental monitoring (EM) techniques as an adjunct to traditional safeguards methods. Monitoring of stable noble gas (Kr, Xe) isotopic abundances at reprocessing plant stacks appears to be able to yield information on the burnup and type of the fuel being processed. To estimate the size of these signals, model calculations of the production of stable Kr, Xe nuclides in reactor fuel and the subsequent dilution of these nuclides in the plant stack are carried out for two case studies: reprocessing of PWR fuel with a burnup of 35 GWd/tU, and reprocessing of CAND fuel with a burnup of 1 GWd/tU. For each case, a maximum-likelihood analysis is used to determine the fuel burnup and type from the isotopic data

Maintaining non-nuclear weapon status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muller, H.

1991-01-01

Among the some 170 sovereign states in the world, five are legally recognized as nuclear weapon states (NWS) under the terms of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Six countries (Argentina, Brazil, India, Israel, Pakistan, and South Africa) are counted as threshold states: they possess sizeable unsafeguarded nuclear facilities or have passed the brink of a nuclear test or of clandestine weapon production. Six other countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Taiwan, and North and South Korea) have been suspected periodically of either considering the nuclear weapon option or of working secretly on the development of weapons. Thus, about 150 non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) remain which neither possess nuclear weapons nor strive to acquire them. These states are distributed throughout the globe and encompass highly industrialized as well as underdeveloped countries, liberal democracies, socialist states, sheikdoms and dictatorships. Some NNWS face acute military threats; other are far removed from the quarrels of the world, as in the case of some remote fortunate islands. Furthermore, NNWS may be members of nuclear-umbrella alliances or may have opted for a policy of neutrality or non-alignment

On Dramatic Instruction: Towards a Taxonomy of Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtney, Richard

1987-01-01

Examines the many possible methods used by instructors who work with dramatic action: in educational drama, drama therapy, social drama, and theater. Discusses an emergent taxonomy whereby instructors choose either spontaneous/formal, overt/covert/, or intrinsic/extrinsic methods. (JC)

Women in Managerial Positions in Greek Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Athanassoula-Reppa, Anastasia; Koutouzis, Manolis

2002-01-01

Discusses the under representation of women in managerial positions in Greece and the evidence of barriers that inhibit women from pursuing and taking such positions, a type of covert discrimination that is counter to notions of democratic citizenship. (SLD)

Electricity generation devices using formic acid

KAUST Repository

Huang, Kuo-Wei; Zheng, Junrong

2017-01-01

The present disclosure relates generally to new forms of portable energy generation devices and methods. The devices are designed to covert formic acid into released hydrogen, alleviating the need for a hydrogen tank as a hydrogen source for fuel

Frontal eye fields control attentional modulation of alpha and gamma oscillations in contralateral occipitoparietal cortex

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marshall, T.R.; O'Shea, J.; Jensen, O.; Bergmann, T.O.

2015-01-01

Covertly directing visuospatial attention produces a frequency-specific modulation of neuronal oscillations in occipital and parietal cortices: anticipatory alpha (8-12 Hz) power decreases contralateral and increases ipsilateral to attention, whereas stimulus-induced gamma (>40 Hz) power is boosted

perceptions on contraceptives use in Malawi

African Journals Online (AJOL)

economic benefits of contraceptives and/or family planning were well recognized by the study participants. Covert use .... In each of the selected districts, an urban or peri-urban centre and a remote area were selected ..... rural Mexico. Studies ...

Electricity generation devices using formic acid

KAUST Repository

Huang, Kuo-Wei

2017-06-22

The present disclosure relates generally to new forms of portable energy generation devices and methods. The devices are designed to covert formic acid into released hydrogen, alleviating the need for a hydrogen tank as a hydrogen source for fuel cell power.

Corporate responses to stakeholder activism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Uldam, Julie; Krause Hansen, Hans

2017-01-01

Corporations are increasingly expected to act responsibly. The purpose of this paper is to examine two types of corporate responses to these expectations: overt and covert responses. Specifically, it examines oil companies’ involvement in multi-stakeholder initiatives and sponsorships (overt...

Understanding Information Hiding in iOS

OpenAIRE

Caviglione, Luca; Mazurczyk, Wojciech

2014-01-01

The Apple operating system (iOS) has so far proved resistant to information-hiding techniques, which help attackers covertly communicate. However, Siri - a native iOS service that controls iPhones and iPads via voice commands - could change this trend.

Can Nudges Be Transparent and Yet Effective?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H. Bruns (Hendrik); E. Kantorowicz-Reznichenko (Elena); K. Klement (Katharina); M. Luistro Jonsson (Marijane); B. Rahali (Bilel)

2016-01-01

textabstract‘Nudges’ receive growing attention as an effective strategy to alter people's decisions without significantly changing economic incentives or limiting options. However, being often very subtle and covert, nudges are also criticized as unethical. By not being transparent about the

The Efficacy of Foreign Assistance in Counter Narcotics

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

ACI Were Initiated. ...........................................................................................................15 Figure 3. Coffee ...Crop Reduction Components)...................................................................................25 Table 6. Colombian Coffee Prices in U.S...drug trafficking. Due to the covert nature of narcotics transactions, scholars are limited to estimations based on coca, poppy, and cannabis

Content Analysis for Proactive Protective Intelligence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanfilippo, Antonio P.

2010-12-15

The aim of this paper is to outline a plan for developing and validating a Proactive Protective Intelligence approach that prevents targeted violence through the analysis and assessment of threats overtly or covertly expressed in abnormal communications to USSS protectees.

Nuclear proliferation using laser isotope separation - Verification options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erickson, Stanley A.

2001-01-01

either uranium or plutonium is discussed, as is the diversion of a system built for low enriched uranium production to weapons grade HEU production, either by reuse or by the addition of re-enrichment of fuel. All of these are feasible options, and the cost and requirements of each are not greatly different, so that the choice of the level of disclosure by a NNWS would be a political one, rather than technical or economic. One attractive pathway for an NNWS to proliferate would be the development of LIS technology for kilogram-scale production of purified isotopes useful commercially, such as Li6. This allows for the development of the components of the technology using open interaction within the scientific community. Use of the developed technology to separate radioactive isotopes of various elements in milligram quantities would provide for the development of technology for the handling of radioactive materials. This would provide the technology necessary, such as materials able to withstand the corrosive effects of spent fuel and for developing procedures for loading and unloading the housings and for cleaning and maintenance, and other necessary techniques dealing with highly radioactive materials. In this manner the two developmental tasks, radioactive material handling methods, and production of the requisite lasers with adequate line width, stability and power, can be decoupled, and done in separate places, or even in separate facilities. They could be combined only in the covert facility. As noted elsewhere, deconcentrating the scientific or technical tasks that are precursors to the construction of an undeclared facility allows the NNWS to take maximum advantage of scientific interchange and to minimize the requirements for covert activity, including the number of people involved, the size of the facility, and, most importantly, the length of time for the critical and vulnerable stage of development from start of the undeclared activities to the production of

A Snapshot of the Depiction of Electronic Cigarettes in YouTube Videos.

Science.gov (United States)

Romito, Laura M; Hurwich, Risa A; Eckert, George J

2015-11-01

To assess the depiction of e-cigarettes in YouTube videos. The sample (N = 63) was selected from the top 20 search results for "electronic cigarette," and "e-cig" with each term searched twice by the filters "Relevance" and "View Count." Data collected included title, length, number of views, "likes," "dislikes," comments, and inferred demographics of individuals appearing in the videos. Seventy-six percent of videos included at least one man, 62% included a Caucasian, and 50% included at least one young individual. Video content connotation was coded as positive (76%), neutral (18%), or negative (6%). Videos were categorized as advertisement (33%), instructional (17%), news clip (19%), product review (13%), entertainment (11%), public health (3%), and personal testimonial (3%). Most e-cigarette YouTube videos are non-traditional or covert advertisements featuring young Caucasian men.

Covert brand recognition engages emotion-specific brain networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Casarotto, Silvia; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Romani, Simona; Dalli, Daniele; Pietrini, Pietro

2012-12-01

Consumer goods' brands have become a major driver of consumers' choice: they have got symbolic, relational and even social properties that add substantial cultural and affective value to goods and services. Therefore, measuring the role of brands in consumers' cognitive and affective processes would be very helpful to better understand economic decision making. This work aimed at finding the neural correlates of automatic, spontaneous emotional response to brands, showing how deeply integrated are consumption symbols within the cognitive and affective processes of individuals. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was measured during a visual oddball paradigm consisting in the presentation of scrambled pictures as frequent stimuli, colored squares as targets, and brands and emotional pictures (selected from the International Affective Picture System [IAPS]) as emotionally-salient distractors. Affective rating of brands was assessed individually after scanning by a validated questionnaire. Results showed that, similarly to IAPS pictures, brands activated a well-defined emotional network, including amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, highly specific of affective valence. In conclusion, this work identified the neural correlates of brands within cognitive and affective processes of consumers.

A covert authentication and security solution for GMOs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, Siguna; Jafari, Farhad; Roth, Don

2016-09-21

Proliferation and expansion of security risks necessitates new measures to ensure authenticity and validation of GMOs. Watermarking and other cryptographic methods are available which conceal and recover the original signature, but in the process reveal the authentication information. In many scenarios watermarking and standard cryptographic methods are necessary but not sufficient and new, more advanced, cryptographic protocols are necessary. Herein, we present a new crypto protocol, that is applicable in broader settings, and embeds the authentication string indistinguishably from a random element in the signature space and the string is verified or denied without disclosing the actual signature. Results show that in a nucleotide string of 1000, the algorithm gives a correlation of 0.98 or higher between the distribution of the codon and that of E. coli, making the signature virtually invisible. This algorithm may be used to securely authenticate and validate GMOs without disclosing the actual signature. While this protocol uses watermarking, its novelty is in use of more complex cryptographic techniques based on zero knowledge proofs to encode information.

Content-Based Covert Group Detection in Social Networks

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-06

The students took courses in natural language processing, data mining in various multi-media data sets, text retrieval, text summarization and... mining in social media including: we performed work, on (a) diffusion in social networks, (b) influence maximization in signed social networks, (c...Learning, Information Retrieval, Data Mining and Database. There are 8,293 messages. Our method outperformed state of the art methods based on content

Practical Algorithms for Subgroup Detection in Covert Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Memon, Nasrullah; Wiil, Uffe Kock; Qureshi, Pir Abdul Rasool

2010-01-01

In this paper, we present algorithms for subgroup detection and demonstrated them with a real-time case study of USS Cole bombing terrorist network. The algorithms are demonstrated in an application by a prototype system. The system finds associations between terrorist and terrorist organisations...... and is capable of determining links between terrorism plots occurred in the past, their affiliation with terrorist camps, travel record, funds transfer, etc. The findings are represented by a network in the form of an Attributed Relational Graph (ARG). Paths from a node to any other node in the network indicate...

Gaussian mixture modeling of hemispheric lateralization for language in a large sample of healthy individuals balanced for handedness.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazoyer, Bernard; Zago, Laure; Jobard, Gaël; Crivello, Fabrice; Joliot, Marc; Perchey, Guy; Mellet, Emmanuel; Petit, Laurent; Tzourio-Mazoyer, Nathalie

2014-01-01

Hemispheric lateralization for language production and its relationships with manual preference and manual preference strength were studied in a sample of 297 subjects, including 153 left-handers (LH). A hemispheric functional lateralization index (HFLI) for language was derived from fMRI acquired during a covert sentence generation task as compared with a covert word list recitation. The multimodal HFLI distribution was optimally modeled using a mixture of 3 and 4 Gaussian functions in right-handers (RH) and LH, respectively. Gaussian function parameters helped to define 3 types of language hemispheric lateralization, namely "Typical" (left hemisphere dominance with clear positive HFLI values, 88% of RH, 78% of LH), "Ambilateral" (no dominant hemisphere with HFLI values close to 0, 12% of RH, 15% of LH) and "Strongly-atypical" (right-hemisphere dominance with clear negative HFLI values, 7% of LH). Concordance between dominant hemispheres for hand and for language did not exceed chance level, and most of the association between handedness and language lateralization was explained by the fact that all Strongly-atypical individuals were left-handed. Similarly, most of the relationship between language lateralization and manual preference strength was explained by the fact that Strongly-atypical individuals exhibited a strong preference for their left hand. These results indicate that concordance of hemispheric dominance for hand and for language occurs barely above the chance level, except in a group of rare individuals (less than 1% in the general population) who exhibit strong right hemisphere dominance for both language and their preferred hand. They call for a revisit of models hypothesizing common determinants for handedness and for language dominance.

Gaussian mixture modeling of hemispheric lateralization for language in a large sample of healthy individuals balanced for handedness.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernard Mazoyer

Full Text Available Hemispheric lateralization for language production and its relationships with manual preference and manual preference strength were studied in a sample of 297 subjects, including 153 left-handers (LH. A hemispheric functional lateralization index (HFLI for language was derived from fMRI acquired during a covert sentence generation task as compared with a covert word list recitation. The multimodal HFLI distribution was optimally modeled using a mixture of 3 and 4 Gaussian functions in right-handers (RH and LH, respectively. Gaussian function parameters helped to define 3 types of language hemispheric lateralization, namely "Typical" (left hemisphere dominance with clear positive HFLI values, 88% of RH, 78% of LH, "Ambilateral" (no dominant hemisphere with HFLI values close to 0, 12% of RH, 15% of LH and "Strongly-atypical" (right-hemisphere dominance with clear negative HFLI values, 7% of LH. Concordance between dominant hemispheres for hand and for language did not exceed chance level, and most of the association between handedness and language lateralization was explained by the fact that all Strongly-atypical individuals were left-handed. Similarly, most of the relationship between language lateralization and manual preference strength was explained by the fact that Strongly-atypical individuals exhibited a strong preference for their left hand. These results indicate that concordance of hemispheric dominance for hand and for language occurs barely above the chance level, except in a group of rare individuals (less than 1% in the general population who exhibit strong right hemisphere dominance for both language and their preferred hand. They call for a revisit of models hypothesizing common determinants for handedness and for language dominance.

Les dimensions émotionnelles du terrorisme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Ducol

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Par une volonté louable de rompre avec des approches psychologisantes du phénomène terroriste dominantes au cours des années 1960-70, les recherches contemporaines en matière de terrorisme(s et de violence(s politique(s ont très largement mis l’emphase sur la figure du « terroriste » comme acteur rationnel et stratégique. Face aux limites des approches rationalistes de l’engagement radical qui envisagent de manière réductionniste les individus au travers d’un calcul rationnel univoque en terme de coûts et d’incitatifs à l’action, il nous apparaît important de réintégrer dans les réflexions théoriques sur les phénomènes terroristes, les émotions afin d’en interroger le rôle dans la production d’une trajectoire violente. Le présent article entend proposer à cet égard un bilan critique des travaux universitaires actuels autour de l’engagement terroriste et une réflexion théorique mettant en lumière les contours d’un futur agenda de recherche accordant une place plus importante aux ressorts émotionnels de la violence politique clandestine. Contemporary research on terrorism(s and political violence(s have largely put the emphasis on the figure of the "terrorist" as rational and strategic player, in a break with psychoanalytical approaches to terrorism that were dominant from the 1960-1970’s. Given the limitations of rationalist approaches to radical commitment, and considering how reductionist is the understanding of individual participation to terrorism related activities through a rational calculation framework in terms of costs and incentives to action, it is important to reintegrate in the theoretical reflections on terrorist phenomena how emotions can play a role in leading potential terrorists down a violent path. This paper presents a critical assessment of current academic work surrounding the issue of violent radicalization and involvement in terrorism, and engages in a theoretical debate

Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Elemental Analysis of Ecstasy Tablets

OpenAIRE

French, Holly E.; Went, Michael J.; Gibson, Stuart J.

2013-01-01

Abstract: Six metals (Cu, Mg, Ba, Ni, Cr, Pb) were determined in two separate batches of seized ecstasy\\ud tablets by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) following digestion with nitric\\ud acid and hydrogen peroxide. Large intra-batch variations were found as expected for tablets produced\\ud in clandestine laboratories. For example, nickel in batch 1 was present in the range 0.47-13.1 ppm and\\ud in batch 2 in the range 0.35-9.06 ppm. Although batch 1 had significantly high...

IAEA safeguards: Challenges and opportunities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The history of the IAEA safeguards regime is described. New challenges and opportunities are discussed in connection with the discovery in Iraq of a clandestine nuclear weapons development programme, the difficulties experienced in the implementation of the safeguards agreement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the conclusion of a comprehensive safeguards agreement with Argentina, Brazil and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials, recent developments in South Africa, the emergence of newly independent States that made up the former USSR. 2 figs

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 14 September 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1998-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 14 September 1998. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are presented: nuclear safety, technical co-operation programme, safeguards and verification, fissile material treaty, nuclear material released from the military sector, Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Agency's inspections in Iraq in relation to its clandestine nuclear programme, and Agency's safeguards in the Middle East region

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 16 March 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1998-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 16 March 1998. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are presented: nuclear terrorism convention, Agency safety services, study of the radiological conditions at the atolls of Mururoa and Fangataufa, model additional protocols, Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), treaty of Bangkok, and Agency's inspections in Iraq in relation to its clandestine nuclear programme

Radar Mapping of Building Structures Applying Sparse Reconstruction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tan, R.G.; Wit, J.J.M. de; Rossum, W.L. van

2012-01-01

The ability to map building structures at a certain stand-off distance allows intelligence, reconnaissance, and clearance tasks to be performed in a covert way by driving around a building. This will greatly improve security, response time, and reliability of aforementioned tasks. Therefore,

SAJBL 320.indd

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The ethics of covert research is an important issue, mainly for two reasons. Firstly, it is ... for the business of many sciences, such as ethnography. Secondly, in spite of ... that informed consent is an absolute or final criterion for ethical research ...

Disgust-specific modulation of early attention processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hooff, J.C.; van Buuringen, M.; El M’rabet, L.; de Gier, M.; van Zalingen, L.

2014-01-01

Although threatening images are known to attract and keep our attention, little is known about the existence of emotion-specific attention effects. In this study (N. = 46), characteristics of an anticipated, disgust-specific effect were investigated by means of a covert orienting paradigm

Attitudes and behavioural intentions towards ethnic minorities : an empirical test of several theoretical explanations for the Dutch case

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verberk, Geneviève; Scheepers, Peer; Felling, Albert

2002-01-01

In recent decades, attitudes towards ethnic minorities have become a significant topic for research. A great deal of debate among researchers has concentrated on the distinction between `traditional’ overt attitudes and `contemporary’ covert attitudes towards ethnic minorities. In this article it is

Stimulus- en goal-driven control of eye movements: Action videogame players are faster not better

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heimler, B.; Pavani, F.; Donk, M.; van Zoest, W.

2014-01-01

Action videogame players (AVGPs) have been shown to outperform nongamers (NVGPs) in covert visual attention tasks. These advantages have been attributed to improved top-down control in this population. The time course of visual selection, which permits researchers to highlight when top-down

On the inexplicability of the implicit: differences in the information provided by implicit and explicit tests

NARCIS (Netherlands)

DeCoster, J.; Banner, M.J.; Smith, E.R.; Semin, G.R.

2006-01-01

Implicit measures are often preferred to overt questioning in many areas of psychology. Their covert nature allows them to circumvent conscious expectations and biases, theoretically providing more objective indicators of people's true attitudes and bel iefs. However, we argue that implicit and

Divisive normalization and neuronal oscillations in a single hierarchical framework of selective visual attention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montijn, J.S.; Klink, P.C.; van Wezel, R.J.A.

2012-01-01

Divisive normalization models of covert attention commonly use spike rate modulations as indicators of the effect of top-down attention. In addition, an increasing number of studies have shown that top-down attention increases the synchronization of neuronal oscillations as well, particularly in

Software for justice | IDRC - International Development Research ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2010-10-28

Oct 28, 2010 ... To collaborate in the fight against human rights violations such as covert ... It is just one resource in a set of information tools designed and made ... have been much studied and debated in western research literature, yet little ...

Competitive Intelligence and Social Advantage.

Science.gov (United States)

Davenport, Elisabeth; Cronin, Blaise

1994-01-01

Presents an overview of issues concerning civilian competitive intelligence (CI). Topics discussed include competitive advantage in academic and research environments; public domain information and libraries; covert and overt competitive intelligence; data diversity; use of the Internet; cooperative intelligence; and implications for library and…

Concept priming and pain: an experimental approach to understanding gender roles in sex-related pain differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Stephanie L; Rasinski, Heather M; Geers, Andrew L; Helfer, Suzanne G; France, Christopher R

2011-04-01

Prior research has found that sex differences in pain are partially due to individual variations in gender roles. In a laboratory study, we tested the hypothesis that the presence of covert gender role cues can also moderate the extent to which women and men experience pain. Specifically, we varied gender role cues by asking male and female participants to write about instances in which they behaved in a stereotypically feminine, masculine, or neutral manner. Pain and cardiovascular reactivity to the cold pressor task were then assessed. Results revealed that, when primed with femininity, men reported less pain and anxiety from the cold pressor task than women. However, no differences existed between the sexes in the masculine or neutral prime conditions. The results indicate that covert gender cues can alter pain reports. Further, at least in some situations, feminine role cues may be more influential on pain reports than masculine role cues.

Zero-Knowledge Protocols and Multiparty Computation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pastro, Valerio

majority, in which all players but one are controlled by the adversary. In Chapter 5 we present both the preprocessing and the online phase of [DKL+ 13], while in Chapter 2 we describe only the preprocessing phase of [DPSZ12] since the combination of this preprocessing phase with the online phase of [DKL...... on information-theoretic message authentication codes, requires only a linear amount of data from the preprocessing, and improves on the number of field multiplications needed to perform one secure multiplication (linear, instead of quadratic as in earlier work). The preprocessing phase in Chapter 5 comes...... in an actively secure flavour and in a covertly secure one, both of which compare favourably to previous work in terms of efficiency and provable security. Moreover, the covertly secure solution includes a key generation protocol that allows players to obtain a public key and shares of a corresponding secret key...

Reba and Her Insurgent Prose: Sex Work, HIV/AIDS, and Subaltern Narratives.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Ambar

2017-08-01

Narratives of cultural stakeholders in marginalized sex worker spaces often do not find the traction to influence mainstream health discourse. Furthermore, such narratives are framed against the grain of the dominant cultural narrative; they are resistive texts, and they depict enactments of resistance to the normal order. This article, based on 12 weeks of field study in a sex worker community in India, foregrounds how sex workers communicatively frame and enact resistance, and hence formulate insurgent texts, along a continuum-from overt violence to covert negotiation on issues such as condom and alcohol use. Making note of these insurgent texts is crucial to understanding how meanings of health are locally made in a sex worker community as it is often that members of such marginalized communities take recourse to covert and ritualistic forms of resistance to work, to survive, and to stay free of HIV infection.

An examination of the factor structure of DSM-IV Narcissistic Personality Disorder Criteria

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Joshua D.; Hoffman, Brian J.; Campbell, W. Keith; Pilkonis, Paul A.

2008-01-01

A growing body of research has suggested that narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) contains two factors or types: overt/grandiose and covert/vulnerable. A recent factor analysis of DSM-IV NPD symptoms supported a similar two-factor model. The present research tested this proposed two-factor solution against a one-factor solution (N = 298; 72% patients) using both confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and an examination of associations between the resultant factors and theoretically relevant criteria (other PDs; depression, anxiety). The results of the CFA supported a one-factor solution. Likewise, the two factors each yielded a similar pattern of correlations with relevant criteria. Together, these results argue against a two-factor structure for the current DSM-IV NPD symptoms. Given the broader research literature suggesting a two-factor structure of narcissism, strategies for assessing both overt/grandiose and covert/vulnerable forms of narcissism in DSM-V are discussed. PMID:18243885

Young People Smokers' Reactions on Peer Influence Not to Smoke.

Science.gov (United States)

Harakeh, Zeena; van Nijnatten, Carolus H C J

2016-11-09

Peers exert influence not to smoke but little is yet known on how this affects young people's behavior and cognitions. This experimental study investigates the impact of two types of peer influence not to smoke on the verbalized attitudes and responses of daily-smoking young people. Two conditions were conducted: 1) a peer confederate stating three times that s/he had quit smoking and was glad to have done so (covert peer influence); 2) a peer confederate making similar statements, but urging to quit smoking (overt peer influence). The participant performed a music task with the peer in order to disguise the true nature of the experiment. Thirty-one daily-smoking young people (16-24 years) participated; 44 responses in the overt and 34 responses in the covert condition were analyzed in a discourse analysis. The participants in the covert condition were more elaborative about smoking, i.e., taking an active role in a dialogue about the experiences of the peer or the participant in quitting smoking while in the overt condition participants showed more passive resistance, i.e., not showing an intention to follow the advice but avoid causing the peer embarrassment or discomfort. Open resistance, i.e., demonstration of being well-informed and indicating the redundancy of the advice, does not significantly differ in these two conditions but occurs, for both, primarily at the third discouragement. Overt and frequent discouragement seems to be less effective in stimulating young people to take an active role in the dialogue with their peers about smoking.

Narcissism and defense mechanisms in women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabina Bele

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to examine how the level of covert and overt narcissism is connected to the frequency of the use of defense mechanisms such as denial, repression, regression, projection, compensation, projection, intellectualization, reaction formation, displacement, dissociation, and somatoform dissociation. We can distinguish healthy narcissism, an appropriate self-evaluation, from pathological narcissism, unrealistic self-evalutaion hiding sense of one's own unworthiness with self-idealization and grandiose thinking. When combined with low/no empathy and exploiting of others, one is diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder. In this research we focused on narcissism as a personality trait, keeping in mind that we can differentiate between more covert or overt form of narcissism. We also focused on defense mechanisms protecting an individual from stimuli that are either endangering self-esteem or produce anxiety. Although their use is often unconscious, recent findings support the thesis that an individual can observe and report them. Our sample comprised 203 women. We used Narcissistic Personality Inventory, The Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, The Life Style Index, The Dissociative Experience Scale, and Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire. Results indicated that women with higher levels of covert narcissism as a personality trait use defense mechanisms, especially regression on earlier developmental stage, compensation deficits on other areas, projection unwanted or unacceptable aspects, reaction formation, and dissociation (absorption, depersonalization and derealization more often than women with higher levels of overt narcissism. The later use more compensation as a way of dealing with loss, intellectualization as a rational response instead of emotional one, and regression.

Introducing the tactile speller: an ERP-based brain-computer interface for communication

Science.gov (United States)

van der Waal, Marjolein; Severens, Marianne; Geuze, Jeroen; Desain, Peter

2012-08-01

In this study, a tactile speller was developed and compared with existing visual speller paradigms in terms of classification performance and elicited event-related potentials (ERPs). The fingertips of healthy participants were stimulated with short mechanical taps while electroencephalographic activity was measured. The letters of the alphabet were allocated to different fingers and subjects could select one of the fingers by silently counting the number of taps on that finger. The offline and online performance of the tactile speller was compared to the overt and covert attention visual matrix speller and the covert attention Hex-o-Spell speller. For the tactile speller, binary target versus non-target classification accuracy was 67% on average. Classification and decoding accuracies of the tactile speller were lower than the overt matrix speller, but higher than the covert matrix speller, and similar to Hex-o-Spell. The average maximum information transfer rate of the tactile speller was 7.8 bits min-1 (1.51 char min-1), with the best subject reaching a bit-rate of 27 bits min-1 (5.22 char min-1). An increased amplitude of the P300 ERP component was found in response to attended stimuli versus unattended stimuli in all speller types. In addition, the tactile and overt matrix spellers also used the N2 component for discriminating between targets and non-targets. Overall, this study shows that it is possible to use a tactile speller for communication. The tactile speller provides a useful alternative to the visual speller, especially for people whose eye gaze is impaired.

Achievement against the Odds: The Female Secondary Headteachers in England and Wales.

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, Marianne

2001-01-01

Examines reasons for the paucity of female secondary headteachers, employing a large-scale survey of all English and Welsh secondary principals that achieved a 70 percent response rate. Considers demographic characteristics, work constraints associated with domestic commitments, and overt and covert discrimination factors. High discrimination…

Inhibition of saccadic eye movements to locations in spatial working memory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belopolsky, A.V.; Theeuwes, J.

2009-01-01

Inhibition of return (IOR) refers to a bias against overt and covert attentional orienting toward previously attended locations. According to the reorienting hypothesis, IOR is generated when attention is withdrawn from the attended location and is prevented from "returning" to it. The present study

Interparental Conflict Styles and Parenting Behaviors: Associations with Overt and Relational Aggression among Chinese Children

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan; Putallaz, Martha; Su, Yanjie

2011-01-01

This study examined how interparental conflict styles related to Chinese children's overt and relational aggression directly and indirectly through parenting behaviors. Mothers (n = 670) and fathers (n = 570) reported their overt and covert interparental conflict styles and different parenting behaviors. Children's (n = 671) aggression was…

Mothers' unresolved trauma blunts amygdala response to infant distress

Science.gov (United States)

While the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder has been extensively researched, much less attention has been paid to the neural mechanisms underlying more covert but pervasive types of trauma (e.g., those involving disrupted relationships and insecure attachment). Here, we report on a neur...

40 CFR 51.354 - Adequate tools and resources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... assurance, data analysis and reporting, and the holding of hearings and adjudication of cases. A portion of... supply of vehicles for covert auditing, test equipment and facilities for program evaluation, and computers capable of data processing, analysis, and reporting. Equipment or equivalent services may be...

Effect of chronic exercise on appetite control in overweight and obese individuals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martins, Catia Vanessa Garcia; Kulseng, Bard; Rehfeld, Jens F

2013-01-01

in obese individuals. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on 1) fasting and postprandial plasma concentrations of obestatin, CCK, leptin, and glucose insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and 2) the accuracy of energy compensation in response to covert preload manipulation....

The Articulatory In-Out Effect Resists Oral Motor Interference

Science.gov (United States)

Lindau, Berit; Topolinski, Sascha

2018-01-01

People prefer words with inward directed consonantal patterns (e.g., MENIKA) compared to outward patterns (KENIMA), because inward (outward) articulation movements resemble positive (negative) mouth actions such as swallowing (spitting). This effect might rely on covert articulation simulations, or subvocalizations, since it occurs also under…

Racism and Surplus Repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Howard

1983-01-01

Explores the relationship between Herbert Marcuse's theory of "surplus repression" and Freud's theory of the "unconscious" with respect to latent, hidden, covert, or subliminal aspects of racism in the United States. Argues that unconscious racism, manifested in evasion/avoidance, acting out/projection, and attempted…

Democratic Values and Support for Militant Politics: Evidence from a National Survey of Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-27

Swami, Praveen . 2007. India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad: The Covert War in Kashmir 1947–2004. London: Routledge. Terror Free Tomorrow and the...Collapse in the International System, Second Edition. New Haven: Yale University Press. 12   Swami, Praveen . 2007. India, Pakistan and the

Disarming Microaggressions: How Black College Students Self-Regulate Racial Stressors within Predominately White Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Watkins, Nicole L.

2012-01-01

The nature of racism in the United States has transformed from overt prejudice and blatant discrimination to more covert, embedded, ambiguous manifestations called racial microaggressions (Constantine, 2007; Pierce, Carew, Pierce-Gonzalez, & Willis, 1978; Sue, Capidolupo et al., 2007). Researchers have demonstrated the unique, harmful, and…

The 'dirty downside' of global sporting events: focus on human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Finkel, R; Finkel, M L

2015-01-01

Human trafficking is as complex human rights and public health issue. The issue of human trafficking for sexual exploitation at large global sporting events has proven to be elusive given the clandestine nature of the industry. This piece examines the issue from a public health perspective. This is a literature review of the 'most comprehensive' studies published on the topic. A PubMed search was done using MeSH terms 'human traffickings' and 'sex trafficking' and 'human rights abuses'. Subheadings included 'statistics and numerical data', 'legislation and jurispudence', 'prevention and control', and 'therapy'. Only papers published in English were reviewed. The search showed that very few well-designed empirical studies have been conducted on the topic and only one pertinent systematic review was identified. Findings show a high prevalence of physical violence among those trafficked compared to non-trafficked women. Sexually transmitted infections and HIV AIDS are prevalent and preventive care is virtually non-existent. Quantifying human trafficking for sexual exploitation at large global sporting events has proven to be elusive given the clandestine nature of the industry. This is not to say that human trafficking for sex as well as forced sexual exploitation does not occur. It almost certainly exists, but to what extent is the big question. It is a hidden problem on a global scale in plain view with tremendous public health implications. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the introductory statement by IAEA Director General. IAEA Board of Governors, Vienna, 25 November 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1998-01-01

The document contains excerpts from the Introductory Statement made by the Director General of the IAEA at the IAEA Board of Governors on 25 November 1998. The following aspects from the Agency's activity are presented: inspections in Iraq in relation to its clandestine nuclear programme, conclusion of Additional Protocols to safeguards agreements, the strengthened safeguards system, Agency's involvement in safeguards verification in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), safety review at the Mochovce nuclear power plant in Slovakia, and the year 2000 (Y2K) computer system problems in the Agency's Member States

Taikongs and Calos: the role of middlemen and brokers in Javanese international migration.

Science.gov (United States)

Spaan, E

1994-01-01

"This article discusses international migration from Java in the past and present and the role brokers have played in stimulating this movement. It describes legal and clandestine labor migration to Singapore, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia, the influence of employment brokers on the process, and the organization of the recruitment networks. The involvement of brokers is crucial but not always beneficial for the migrants. Migrants are dependent on the brokers and risk exploitation. In the case of movement to Saudi Arabia, there is a linkage with religious institutions and the Islamic pilgrimage." excerpt

On three apparently new species of Birds from the islands Batu, Sumbawa and Alor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Finsch, O.

1899-01-01

Adult male. General colour above dark brown; bead above darker; lores and ear-region lighter and more greyish brown; chin whitish grey, throat and breast ashy grey, remainder underparts, axillaries and greater under wing-coverts white, the smaller ones along the carpal margin grey; sides washed with

Oxygen Toxicity and Special Operations Forces Diving: Hidden and Dangerous

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wingelaar, Thijs T.; van Ooij, Pieter-Jan A. M.; van Hulst, Rob A.

2017-01-01

In Special Operations Forces (SOF) closed-circuit rebreathers with 100% oxygen are commonly utilized for covert diving operations. Exposure to high partial pressures of oxygen (PO2) could cause damage to the central nervous system (CNS) and pulmonary system. Longer exposure time and higher PO2 leads

Gender Differences in Predicting Antisocial Behaviors: Developmental Consequences of Physical and Relational Aggression

Science.gov (United States)

McEachern, Amber D.; Snyder, James

2012-01-01

This study investigated gender differences in the relationship of early physical and relational aggression to later peer rejection and overt and covert antisocial behaviors. Significant gender differences were found indicating physically aggressive boys were more likely than girls to experience later peer rejection. Early physical aggression was…

The primary relevance of subconsciously offered attitudes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Tore

2015-01-01

) and subconsciously (covertly) offered attitudes – because subconsciously offered attitudes appear to be a driving force in linguistic variation and change in a way that consciously offered attitudes are not. The argument is based on evidence from empirical investigations of attitudes and use in the ‘...

Spatially selective alpha oscillations reveal moment-by-moment trade-offs between working memory and attention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Moorselaar, Dirk; Foster, Joshua J.; Sutterer, David W.; Theeuwes, Jan; Olivers, Christian N.L.; Awh, Edward

Current theories assume a functional role for covert attention in the maintenance of spatial information in working memory. Consistent with this view, both the locus of attention and positions stored in working memory can be decoded based on the topography of oscillatory alpha-band (8-12 Hz)

The wandering mind of men: ERP evidence for gender differences in attention bias towards attractive opposite sex faces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hooff, J.C.; Crawford, H.; van Vugt, M.

2011-01-01

To examine the time course and automaticity of our attention bias towards attractive opposite sex faces, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded from 20 males and 20 females while they carried out a covert orienting task. Faces that were high, low or average in attractiveness, were presented

The Politics of Functional Family Therapy: A Feminist Critique.

Science.gov (United States)

Avis, Judith Myers

1985-01-01

Discusses whether the Functional Family Therapy (FFT) model takes a covert political stance which reinforces traditional gender roles in both family and therapist. Examines FFT's affirmation of existing political functions in the family as well as suggested therapist use of self. Discusses implications and recommends changes. (BH)

A preliminary theory of dark network resilience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, R.M.; Raab, J.; Milward, H.B.

2012-01-01

A crucial contemporary policy question for governments across the globe is how to cope with international crime and terrorist networks. Many such “dark” networks—that is, networks that operate covertly and illegally—display a remarkable level of resilience when faced with shocks and attacks. Based

Perceptions of acceptability and utility of microbicides in Ghana ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In addition, gendered negotiation power and the implications of covert use need to be addressed in microbicide education and social marketing. Les microbicides vaginaux, une substance qui pourrait largement réduire les infections sexuellement transmises (IST) et le VIH inclus, font actuellement parti des essais cliniques.

Protecting sources: from shield laws to Wikileaks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mélanie Dupéré

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on recent developments in the right and ability of journalists to protect their sources’ anonymity in the United Kingdom, particularly in light of the Snowden revelations of June 2013, and the significance of collaboration between the global online media organization Wikileaks and mainstream news organisations. It explores two key difficulties faced by journalists: the notion of a qualified professional privilege and the unknown extent of covert requests by public authorities for disclosure involving communications data and metadata. In doing so, it comments upon the opening filled by Wikileaks, which protects its sources’ anonymity through high data security and encryption. This paper’s findings tend to show that the covert practice of blanket mass digital surveillance of individual communications including journalists’ is undermining source protection and the rise of Wikileaks as an alternative model is challenging the traditional role of journalists as mediators and gatekeepers in the digital era.

Security solutions: strategy and architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Seto, Myron W. L.

2002-04-01

Producers of banknotes, other documents of value and brand name goods are being presented constantly with new challenges due to the ever increasing sophistication of easily-accessible desktop publishing and color copying machines, which can be used for counterfeiting. Large crime syndicates have also shown that they have the means and the willingness to invest large sums of money to mimic security features. To ensure sufficient and appropriate protection, a coherent security strategy has to be put into place. The feature has to be appropriately geared to fight against the different types of attacks and attackers, and to have the right degree of sophistication or ease of authentication depending upon by whom or where a check is made. Furthermore, the degree of protection can be considerably increased by taking a multi-layered approach and using an open platform architecture. Features can be stratified to encompass overt, semi-covert, covert and forensic features.

Compliance with therapy in children with respiratory diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Schöni, M H; Horak, E; Nikolaizik, W H

1995-01-01

Compliance with medical treatment was evaluated in 89 children and adolescents with respiratory diseases using two methods of assessment: a double blinded covert recording of the use of an air compressor for nebulization of drugs and the determination of theophylline levels in serum. In the covert monitoring of inhalation the overall compliance with the prescribed medication was 47.6%. In the open randomized theophylline trial, 56%-71% of the patients (according to uncontrolled or controlled intake of the drug) received a dosage of theophylline which was too low to achieve a sufficient serum level in the range of 10-20 mg/l. This, however, was also due to the fact that in 72% of the cases physicians prescribed doses which were substantially below the recommended amount of drug according to age and weight. It is, therefore, concluded that compliance of medication is based on the patients adherence to the medication, to the efficacy of the drug itself and the attitude of the physician.

“Habits of employees”: smoking, spies, and shopfloor culture at Hammermill Paper Company.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Gregory

2011-01-01

As cigarette smoking expanded dramatically during the early twentieth century, it brought more and more workers into conflict with the policies and demands of the manufacturers who employed them. As this paper shows, addiction to nicotine ignited daily struggles over workers’ shopfloor rights and the ability of employers to set rules, establish discipline, and monitor behavior. A specific set of records from the archives of the Hammermill Paper Company, a paper manufacturer once based in Erie, Pennsylvania, provide a unique opportunity to explore the impact of cigarette consumption on labor relations during the era of mass production, as two nosy factory spies probed and documented worker actions and attitudes in the summer of 1915. As a result of their intelligence gathering, the spies discovered a factory-wide work culture rooted in the addictive pleasure of cigarette smoke. This discovery worried them. Worker-smokers needed to dampen their hunger for nicotine with frequent, and often clandestine, breaks from work, typically in defiance of “no-smoking” rules, employer designations for the uses of factory space, and bosses’ demands for continuous production. Highlighting the intersections of the histories of labor, smoking, and addiction, this paper argues that cigarettes were a key battleground in workers’ and managers’ intensifying struggles over who really controlled the industrial shopfloor during the early 1900s.

Preliminary Concept of Operations for a Global Cylinder Identification and Monitoring System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whitaker, J. M. [ORNL; White-Horton, J. L. [ORNL; Morgan, J. B. [InSolves Associates

2013-08-01

This report describes a preliminary concept of operations for a Global Cylinder Identification and Monitoring System that could improve the efficiency of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in conducting its current inspection activities and could provide a capability to substantially increase its ability to detect credible diversion scenarios and undeclared production pathways involving UF6 cylinders. There exist concerns that a proliferant State with access to enrichment technology could obtain a cylinder containing natural or low-enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) and produce a significant quantity (SQ)1 of highly enriched uranium in as little as 30 days. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) through the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative sponsored a multi-laboratory team to develop an integrated system that provides for detecting scenarios involving 1) diverting an entire declared cylinder for enrichment at a clandestine facility, 2) misusing a declared cylinder at a safeguarded facility, and 3) using an undeclared cylinder at a safeguarded facility. An important objective in developing this integrated system was to improve the timeliness for detecting the cylinder diversion and undeclared production scenarios. Developing this preliminary concept required in-depth analyses of current operational and safeguards practices at conversion, enrichment, and fuel fabrication facilities. The analyses evaluated the processing, movement, and storage of cylinders at the facilities; the movement of cylinders between facilities (including cylinder fabrication); and the misuse of safeguarded facilities.

Modelling Product Families for Product Configuration Systems with Product Variant Master

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Hvam, Lars; Haug, Anders

2010-01-01

This article presents an evaluation of applying a suggested method for modelling product families for product configuration based on theory for modelling mechanical products,systems theory and object-oriented modelling. The modelling technique includes a so-called product variant master and CRC-cards...... the three views. Modelling of characteristics of the product variants in a product family Modelling of constraints between parts in the product family Visualisation of the entire product family on a poster e.g. 1x2 meters The product variant master and CRC-cards are means to bridge the gap between domain...... experts and IT-developers, thus making it possible for the domain experts (e.g. engineers from product development) to express their knowledge in a form that is understandable both for the domain experts and the IT-developers. The product variant master and CRC-cards have currently been tested and further...

Landscape and Social Values in Popular Children's Literature: Nancy Drew Mysteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooker-Gross, Susan R.

1981-01-01

Examines the covert lessons in moral social geography found in a set of popular juvenile fiction published between 1924 and 1978--the Nancy Drew mystery stories. Topics discussed include landscape symbolism, urban environments, uses of geographical elements in the stories, rural settings, wilderness settings, social stereotypes, and landscape…

On seven new species of Birds in the Leyden Museum from the islands of Wetter, Kisser, Letti and New-Guinea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Finsch, O.

1898-01-01

Adult male (Cat. 1) n°. 1). Head, nape and earcoverts black; remaining upper parts olive-green, brighter and more yellowish green on the rump and upper tailcoverts; wings black; the primaries and their coverts on the outer web narrowly margined with pale greenish olive, the secondaries broadly with

The Battle Era and Labor in Uruguay and U.S. Low-Intensity in Conflict Policy in Latin America

Science.gov (United States)

1990-05-01

administration’s problems in developing a policy toward Nicaragua were deficient due to "an emphasis on covert, rather than overt action; tardiness in...not the extermination of a popular movement with legitimate grievances. This is one clear lesson emerging from Vietnam, El Salvador, and the Philippines

Other-Initiated Repair and Membership Categorization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Egbert, Maria

2004-01-01

In continuation of recent discussions in JoP and elsewhere concerning the aptness of conversation analysis (‘‘CA’’) as a research methodology for ‘‘intercultural’’ interaction, this CA-study shows some procedures by which interactants overtly or covertly orient to regional or linguistic category...

Effects of Serial Rehearsal Training on Memory Search

Science.gov (United States)

McCauley, Charley; And Others

1976-01-01

Half the subjects were trained to use a serial rehearsal strategy during target set storage and half were given no strategy training. The results indicate that the rate of memory search is IQ-related, and that serial rehearsal training facilitates memory search when rehearsal is covert. (Author/BW)

78 FR 79201 - Medicare and State Health Care Programs: Fraud and Abuse; Electronic Health Records Safe Harbor...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-27

... limitation, kickbacks, bribes, and rebates, whether made directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash... the purchasing, leasing, or ordering of, or arranging for or recommending the purchasing, leasing, or... harbor at 42 CFR 1001.952(y). Arrangements that disguise the ``purchase'' or lock-in of referrals and...

Not so Simple: The Threats to Leadership Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Bottery, Mike

2016-01-01

This article begins by examining the possible meanings of "sustainability," and argues that most meanings are prescriptive rather than descriptive in nature: they tend, either overtly or covertly, to recommend the particular end-states that writers desire. The article then looks at the threats to leadership sustainability, suggesting…

Surface Coatings as Xenon Diffusion Barriers for Improved Detection of Clandestine Nuclear Explosions

OpenAIRE

Bläckberg, Lisa

2014-01-01

This thesis investigates surface coatings as xenon diffusion barriers on plastic scintillators. The motivation for the work is improved radioxenon detection systems, used within the verification regime of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). One type of radioxenon detection systems used in this context is the Swedish SAUNA system. This system uses a cylindrical plastic scintillator cell to measure the beta decay from radioxenon isotopes. The detector cell also acts as a container...

A gaze independent hybrid-BCI based on visual spatial attention

Science.gov (United States)

Egan, John M.; Loughnane, Gerard M.; Fletcher, Helen; Meade, Emma; Lalor, Edmund C.

2017-08-01

Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) use measures of brain activity to convey a user’s intent without the need for muscle movement. Hybrid designs, which use multiple measures of brain activity, have been shown to increase the accuracy of BCIs, including those based on EEG signals reflecting covert attention. Our study examined whether incorporating a measure of the P3 response improved the performance of a previously reported attention-based BCI design that incorporates measures of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) and alpha band modulations. Approach. Subjects viewed stimuli consisting of two bi-laterally located flashing white boxes on a black background. Streams of letters were presented sequentially within the boxes, in random order. Subjects were cued to attend to one of the boxes without moving their eyes, and they were tasked with counting the number of target-letters that appeared within. P3 components evoked by target appearance, SSVEPs evoked by the flashing boxes, and power in the alpha band are modulated by covert attention, and the modulations can be used to classify trials as left-attended or right-attended. Main Results. We showed that classification accuracy was improved by including a P3 feature along with the SSVEP and alpha features (the inclusion of a P3 feature lead to a 9% increase in accuracy compared to the use of SSVEP and Alpha features alone). We also showed that the design improves the robustness of BCI performance to individual subject differences. Significance. These results demonstrate that incorporating multiple neurophysiological indices of covert attention can improve performance in a gaze-independent BCI.

Passive motion paradigm: an alternative to optimal control.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohan, Vishwanathan; Morasso, Pietro

2011-01-01

IN THE LAST YEARS, OPTIMAL CONTROL THEORY (OCT) HAS EMERGED AS THE LEADING APPROACH FOR INVESTIGATING NEURAL CONTROL OF MOVEMENT AND MOTOR COGNITION FOR TWO COMPLEMENTARY RESEARCH LINES: behavioral neuroscience and humanoid robotics. In both cases, there are general problems that need to be addressed, such as the "degrees of freedom (DoFs) problem," the common core of production, observation, reasoning, and learning of "actions." OCT, directly derived from engineering design techniques of control systems quantifies task goals as "cost functions" and uses the sophisticated formal tools of optimal control to obtain desired behavior (and predictions). We propose an alternative "softer" approach passive motion paradigm (PMP) that we believe is closer to the biomechanics and cybernetics of action. The basic idea is that actions (overt as well as covert) are the consequences of an internal simulation process that "animates" the body schema with the attractor dynamics of force fields induced by the goal and task-specific constraints. This internal simulation offers the brain a way to dynamically link motor redundancy with task-oriented constraints "at runtime," hence solving the "DoFs problem" without explicit kinematic inversion and cost function computation. We argue that the function of such computational machinery is not only restricted to shaping motor output during action execution but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility, consequence, understanding and meaning of "potential actions." In this sense, taking into account recent developments in neuroscience (motor imagery, simulation theory of covert actions, mirror neuron system) and in embodied robotics, PMP offers a novel framework for understanding motor cognition that goes beyond the engineering control paradigm provided by OCT. Therefore, the paper is at the same time a review of the PMP rationale, as a computational theory, and a perspective presentation of how to develop it for designing

Production of Modularised Product Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Peter

2004-01-01

but a solution. Modularisation is one tool used in designing the products. Designing and controlling a production system making customized products in an economical way is not an easy task. In order to fulfil the Lean and Agile manufacturing philosophies the production is often carried out in networks. Here...

Prevalence of Toxocara spp. eggs in soil of public areas in Iran: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Toxocariasis is a zoonotic and widespread infection which manifest as a spectrum of syndromes in humans such as visceral, neural, ocular, covert and asymptomatic. Herein we aimed to design a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the prevalence of Toxocara spp. eggs in soil depositories in Iran. English ...