Destruction Programs Research Articles

Revisiting North Korea's Nuclear Problem: Reflections and Lessons for the Future

Abstract Despite the Agreed Framework signed in October 1994, suspicions over North Korea's secret nuclear activities still exist and the nuclear problem is not yet over. The North's missile launch in August 1998 caused additional concerns over peace and stability in Northeast Asia. This article revisits North Korea's nuclear problem to draw lessons for the future in dealing with Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs. First, it analyzes the nature of the problem and the fundamental reasons why the North Korean regime resists increasing transparency in its nuclear activities. Second, the article examines the policy mistakes made by the IAEA, South Korea and the United States and looks into the missed opportunities that could have brought about a better result. Finally, it proposes to revitalize inter-Korean cooperation with outside assistance, which will become a key to completely resolving nuclear-related problems on the Korean peninsula. Constructive initiatives from the IAEA would help break through the current deadlock.

Nerve regeneration in Wld s mice is normalized by actinomycin D

Injured nerves of Wld s mice neither degenerate nor regenerate for several weeks. We have conjectured that Wld s axons have the ability to regenerate but its expression is impaired by the Schwann cells of the undegenerated distal stump. To test this conjecture, transcription was locally arrested with actinomycin D (ActD), nerves were crushed, and regrowth was evaluated. In normal CD1 nerves injected with ActD 3 days before the crush, the rate of elongation was not affected but the delay of regrowth was shortened. In sharp contrast, ActD normalized the elongation of Wld s axons. When Wld s nerves were crushed past the treated segment, axons did not regenerate. After 7, but not 4, days of treatment, intact CD1 and Wld s axons presented a local sprouting response. We conclude that Wld s axons can regenerate in a normal way but do not do so because the undegenerated Schwann cells of the distal stump repress the regrowth program. We present a model axon that includes a destruction program and a post-transcriptional trophic regulation of its phenotype.

Weapons of mass destruction brain drain from Russia: Problems and perspectives

Problems of brain drain along with problems of intangible technologies transfers have become some of the most acute problems today. Nobody has found a way yet to prevent intangible technologies transfers since any limitation in migration and travel conflicts with democratic values. For Russia the situation is the most problematic. Increasing economic collapse, a huge amount of unemployed scientists, and a lack of legislative enforcement makes the brain drain massive and uncontrolled. The brain drain from the defense industry, particularly of experts who worked previously for weapons of mass destruction programs, is an acute danger. The rogue states that try to set up their own nuclear military programs are looking for these scientists and invite them since it is not enough to steal nuclear materials to create a nuclear bomb. The rogue states mostly lack skills and knowledge. Brain drain from Russia is a growing threat to nonproliferation. However, as there are no statistics, there is a lot of speculation on this issue. This article addresses measures, which could prevent scientists from leaving Russia and measures that already have been undertaken. It discusses whether scientists need to leave the country to assist rogue states, or they could do it from their own homes; furthermore this article tries to compile statistics on the weapons of mass destruction brain drain.

Methods of detection of program bugs in computer systems

A problem of information protection in computer systems, namely, protection from program bugs, is considered. The existing methods of detection of viruses, program bugs, and other destructive program means are considered. The stages of bug life cycle are shown. A safety filter is proposed, i.e., a protection system based on an on-line multiparameter check of program execution.

Homogeneous rate of degradation of nuclear DNA during apoptosis.

DNA fragmentation during apoptosis is characterized by endonucleolytic cleavage of chromosomal DNA into an oligonucleosomal ladder. To determine if actively transcribed genes are more susceptible to cleavage during apoptosis than non-transcribed genes, the rate of fragmentation of differentially expressed genes was measured in B-lymphocyte hybridoma cells. Five genes were studied based on their transcriptional activity and/or nuclear localization, and mitochondrial DNA was assayed as a negative control for apoptotic fragmentation. Apoptosis was induced in the hybridoma cells by ultraviolet light, and DNA was prepared at multiple time points after ultraviolet irradiation. Degradation into an oligonucleosomal ladder appeared as early as 2 h after treatment, showing that fragmentation is rapidly activated in hybridoma cells. The DNA was then digested with restriction enzymes, separated by gel electrophoresis and hybridized with the gene-specific probes for Southern blot analyses. Loss of gene-specific signals was measured by quantitation of autoradiographs. The results show all of the nuclear genes were degraded at the same rate regardless of their transcriptional status or nuclear localization. The data suggest that once the cell activates its destruction program, nuclear DNA is rapidly degraded in a homogeneous manner.

Model to Design QA/QC Programs for Geomembrane Liner Seams

Geomembrane liners are a common component in waste containment systems. Their performance is directly related to the quality of seams in the liner. The objective of this paper is to develop a probabilistic model of geomembrane seams to design and analyze destructive testing programs for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC). Case study data from field installations are used to validate and apply the model. Statistics for the fraction of defective seam remaining after repair are derived as a function of the sampling interval and sampling method. Fixed interval sampling is shown to be more effective than random or stratified random sampling. The effects of nonperfect detectability on the required sampling interval are also investigated. Parameters in the seam model are estimated from QA/QC data using a Bayesian approach. Application of this model to case study data indicates that typical sampling intervals are not very effective at eliminating defective seams and improvements are needed in QA/QC for geomembrane seams.

Modulation of control mechanisms of dopamine-induced apoptosis--a future approach to the treatment of Parkinson's disease?

The cause for the progressive and selective degeneration of the dopaminergic (DA) nigrostriatal neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) is still unknown. We suggest a novel approach, that links this neuronal degenerative process to inappropriate triggering of apoptosis, an active, controlled program of cellular self destruction, by excess oxidative stress mediated by DA metabolism. In support of this concept, we found that DA, the endogenous neurotransmitter, is capable of initiating apoptosis in cultured, postmitotic chick sympathetic neurons, an observation further extended to other cellular systems (PC-12 cells, cerebellar granular cells, thymocytes, splenocytes). In comparing the relative apoptosis-triggering potency of other mononamine neurotransmitters, DA was found to be the most active, whereas norepinephrine and serotonin had a moderate and a mild effects, respectively. This grading can be correlated with the relative involvement of the relevant neuronal systems (i.e., substantia nigra, locus ceruleus and raphe nuclei) in PD. We therefore hypothesize that neuronal degeneration in PD may be caused, at least in part, by a failure, either inherited or acquired, in cellular control systems of apoptosis, that may normally restrain the lethal potential of these endogenous neuro-transmitters and their potentially-toxic oxidation products. We therefore point at apoptosis-control systems as a critical scene of events, where the fate of nigrostriatal neurons is ultimately determined, and whose modulation may yield attenuation of the neuronal degenerative process. In support of this concept, we found that vector-driven stable expression of the proto-oncogene bcl-2, an inhibitor of apoptosis, can exert powerful cellular protection against DA toxicity in rat pheochromocytoma PC-12 cells. Furthermore, cell extracts from bcl-2-expressing cells were found to markedly inhibit in vitro oxidation of DA and production of DA-melanin. We also found that expression of bcl-2 can inhibit the decrease in intracellular reduced thiol (-SH) groups which we observed following exposure to DA. Research of the bcl-2 system and associated control mechanisms of apoptosis, possibly acting in association with intra-cellular anti-oxidant pathways, may therefore lead to novel therapeutic approaches for neuroprotection in PD.

The destruction of weapons under the chemical weapons convention

As the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) enters into force, countries with stocks of chemical weapons will begin the task of destroying them. In the U.S. whose stockpile consists of approximately 30,000 tons of nerve and blister agents at eight separate sites in the continental United States and at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific, the Army has designed a highly‐automated “baseline” system to dismantle and incinerate the weapons. Although researchers have identified potential alternatives to incineration, involving chemical neutralization and biodegradation, it appears that these techniques are likely to substitute for incineration at most, at two sites: Newport, Indiana, and Aberdeen, Maryland. The Russian destruction program is less advanced than that of the U.S. and probably cannot be carried out effectively without significant and technical assistance from abroad, an urgent requirement given that the Duma Defense Committee has described Russian Chemical weapons storage sites as insecure and unsafe.

Six exemplary applications of GIS technology to subtropical Texas agriculture and natural resources

Abstract We illustrate the application of geographic information system (GIS) technology to inventory and manage agricultural and natural resources in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Data stored, analyzed, and displayed in a GIS were applied to the following situations: 1) estimating sugarcane production, 2) mapping soil type, 3) managing farms, 4) classifying vegetation communities, 5) enforcing the cotton stalk destruction program, and 6) monitoring the migration of Africanized honey bees into the southern United States. The success of these projects indicates the effectiveness of GIS in integrating field observations, satellite data, and other spatial information for a wide range of economically important applications.

Remote sensing techniques for monitoring the Rio Grande Valley cotton stalk destruction program

Abstract Post harvest cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) stalk destruction is a cultural practice used in the Rio Grande Valley to suppress over wintering populations of boll weevils (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) without using chemicals. Consistent application of this practice could substantially reduce insecticide usage, thereby minimizing environmental hazards and increasing cotton production profits. Satellite imagery registered within a geographic information system was used to monitor the cotton stalk destruction program in the Rio Grande Valley. We found that cotton stalk screening procedures based on standard multispectral classification techniques could not reliably distinquish cotton from sorghum. Greenness screening for cotton plant stalks after the stalk destruction deadline was possible only where ground observations locating cotton fields were available. These findings indicate that a successful cotton stalk destruction monitoring program will require satellite images and earth referenced data bas...

Monitoring the Rio Grande valley cotton stalk destruction program with satellite imagery

Abstract Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) stalk destruction after harvest is a cultural practice used in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) to minimize boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis Boheman) damage without the use of chemicals. Consistent application of this practice could reduce insecticide usage substantially and thus minimize environmental hazards. A cooperative program between the USDA‐ARS at Weslaco, Texas and the University of Texas at Austin has found that 20 m SPOT satellite imagery can be used for monitoring the cotton past control program in the RGV area. This satellite monitoring program could be part of an ecologically sound management strategy for boll weevil control for the RGV Cotton and Grain Producers Association. Such a cotton pest control program could increase cotton production profits and decrease detrimental impact on the environment and general public.

Why People Copy Software and Create Computer Viruses

Individual and situational variables are examined as factors in the behavior of computer users, namely copying of software programs and destruction of computer data by distributing destructive programs viruses. The results of this research indicate that situational independent variables do explain much of the variance in copying of software, but individual variables do not. However, the individual variable of sex is strongly related to the dependent variable of distributing destructive programs. Relatively few situational variables are related. The fact that software copying has no perceptible impact on fellow computer users, whereas spreading viruses has a serious, destructive impact, suggests that the perceived impact on others may provide a clue as to when individual variables are dominant and when situational variables predominate. Thus, this study provides some evidence in support of the model proposed and suggests that both a developmental and situational approach to the behavior of computer users may be appropriate.

Macintosh Workstations

Viruses and the Role of Responsibility. Computer viruses are members of a family of destructive programs that have existed in one form or another since the 1960s with such descriptive names as Trojan horses, time and logic bombs, and worms. All of these electronic creations present a real threat to librarians interconnected with potential sources of infection in the form of academic networks, commercial database services, and local bulletin boards.

Eradication of tick-borne relapsing fetter in the Somaliland protectorate by a tick destruction programme

1. (1) Tick-borne relapsing fever, formerly common, has been eradicated in the Somaliland Protectorate by planned and systematic destruction of the vector, O. moubata, by a programme of spraying of all human dwellings with a water dispersible preparation of gemmexane (P.520). The last indigenous case was seen in September, 1952. 2. (2) It is considered that the danger of re-introduction of the disease is small as O. moubata tend to pass their lives in or near their hatching place, with little tendency for dissemination, so that they are unlikely to become re-established in the settlements that have been cleared by spraying.

Innovation and French Influence in the Metrics of Rubén Darío

A Notable contribution to the already imposing mass of critical material on Rubén Darío has recently appeared in the form of Dr. Arturo Torres-Ríoseco's Rubén Darío: casticismo y americanismo de su obra. Its special interest is the author's endeavor to combat two unfortunate tendencies evident in much of the critical material on Darío: (1) that of ascribing an undue share in the poet's artistic novelties to French influence, and (2) that of considering as “innovations” by Darío details of technique which he really resurrected, with little or no change, from earlier Spanish poetry. In cases where excess of zeal has led other critics into the errors above mentioned, Mr. Torres' program of destruction has been a real contribution to truth. It seems to the present writer, however, that a similar excess of zeal for the “castizo” has led the Chilean scholar into errors at least as great as those he ascribes to others. The above remarks apply particularly to Mr. Torres' chapter on “Metrical Resurrections and Innovations,” to the consideration of which the present article is limited.