Original Entry Point Research Articles

A Generic Standalone Design Approach to Embedded Hardware Development

Hardware design in an Electronic System refers to a holistic design incorporating the basic schematic, the board layout, routing,fabrication, and testing. Present industry trends use virtual design methodologies to construct one or more printed circuit boards(PCB’s) which implement interconnections between components and are manufactured in bulk for multiple applications in Consumer Electronics, Automobiles, Computers and Entertainment Systems. They even find application is a diverse spectrum ofmicro to mega-scale of electronic products. This paper presents a novel approach to design a proprietary standalone controller card. Hardware Design integrates custom Schematic, Board layout, and manual track routing. The Standalone design technique provides a technique to physically connect microcontrollers to a master device for the sole purpose of firmware upload. The Two fold approach refers to a standard OEP (Original Entry Point) based design juxtaposed with an optional DE (Dual Entry Design) for an additional Proprietary entry point included to serve as an irretrievable secure secondary dumping mechanism. This offers flexibility to upload firmware securely as an extension to the prevalent OEP technique. The final design integrates the PCB’s functionality of interconnected components with accurate placement and feasible dimensions for large-scale production.

Surgical outcomes of intramedullary nailing for diaphyseal atypical femur fractures: is it safe to modify a nail entry in bowed femur?

The purpose of the study was to determine the surgical outcomes of intramedullary nailing in diaphyseal atypical femoral fractures (AFFs) and to evaluate the clinical outcomes of nail entry modification technique. We retrospectively reviewed diaphyseal AFFs treated with IMN at nine institutions. In total, 82 patients were included. Surgical outcomes such as complication, union time, and femoral bowing were evaluated. We modified the nail entry of the straight nail from piriformis fossa to the tip of the greater trochanter in the bowed femur and compared the surgical outcomes between the original group and the modification group. The average union time was 20.1weeks, and the union rate was 89.0%. The average union time was 13.1weeks and 21weeks in incomplete and complete AFFs, respectively. There was no nonunion in incomplete AFFs, but 13.8% in complete AFFs. Complete AFFs had 86.2% of union rate. There were 46 cases of group 1 with original entry point and 19 cases of group 2 with modified entry. In group 2, the union rate was similar to group 1 and union time was shorter. Changing the entry point laterally allowed the nail to be accommodated in bowed femurs, decreasing the risk of deformity and improving healing time. In severely varus femur, the lateral entry of the straight nail can be a useful technique.

An Original Entry Point Detection Method with Candidate-Sorting for More Effective Generic Unpacking

An Original Entry Point Detection Method with Candidate-Sorting for More Effective Generic Unpacking

Genetic variation of the invasive Campuloclinium macrocephalum, Asteraceae in South Africa, inferred from molecular markers

SummaryCampuloclinium macrocephalum is native to Central and South America, but is a highly invasive weed in South Africa, where it is commonly known as the ‘pompom weed’. It is targeted for biological control, the success of which will depend on host specificity and biotype compatibility to its full genetic diversity in South Africa. We investigated the genetic diversity and phylogeography of 52 specimens from across South Africa, 14 from Argentina and three from Brazil using nuclear ribosomal ITS regions. We further explored the AFLP marker diversity in 54 South African, 25 Argentine and three Brazilian specimens. Maximum parsimony analysis of the ITS sequence data produced an unresolved phylogeny. However, three haplotypes were recognised via network analysis. All South African, one Brazilian and all bar one of the Argentine individuals shared a single haplotype. AFLP analyses generated two genetic clusters with a low net nucleotide distance of 0.115 and further revealed that most plants were a mixture of alleles from these two genetic clusters. Although there was a significant genetic variation among the populations, genetic differentiation and mean heterozygosity were low, suggesting that clonal reproduction may be occurring. The current South African populations may therefore be clonal products with different proportions of genetic admixture introduced more than once. The original point of entry appears to be Gauteng, South Africa. Long‐distance dispersal appears to have played a major role in its spread across South Africa. Candidate Argentine biological control agents should therefore be effective on C. macrocephalum in South Africa.

Do dynamic condylar screw-plates lead to iatrogenic fracture?

Aim: Although many anatomic, morphologic, and radiologic studies have been carried out for the femur, as for all other bones of the skeletal system, we could not find any morphometric studies useful for orthopedic surgeons who want to understand the effects of dynamic condylar screw-plates (DCS-Plates) on the distal femur. The aim of this study was to determine the amount of cortex loss in the distal femur when inserting a DCS-Plate. Materials and methods: The lateral cortex width of 125 adult, dry, and grossly intact right and left cadaver femora was measured for the region of the femur in which the DCS-Plate was applied, and the results were analyzed statistically. Results: The mean value of the lateral cortex width (DLCW = α) of the femora was 33.5 mm (range: 44.67-24.49 mm). While inserting the DCS-Plate, 38.04% (range: 30.43%-46.09%) of the mean width of the lateral cortex was lost. Conclusion: We demonstrated the amount of lateral cortex loss in the femur while inserting a DCS-Plate. If the DCS-Plate is inserted more proximally to its original entry point, the risk of fracture at the supracondylar region increases due to the defect at the lateral cortex.

Unpacking Techniques and Tools in Malware Analysis

Nowadays most of malware samples are packed with runtime packers to complicate the task of reverse engineering and security analysis in order to evade detection of signature-based anti-virus engines. In the overall process of malware analysis, unpacking a packed malicious binary effectively is a necessary preliminary to extract the structure features from the binary for generation of its signature, and therefore several unpacking techniques have been proposed so far that attempt to deal with the packer problem. This brief survey article provides an overview of the currently published prevalent unpacking techniques and tools. It covers the operation process of packing and unpacking, packer detection methods, heuristic policies for spotting original entry point (OEP), environments for runtime unpacking, anti-unpacking techniques, and introduces several typical tools for unpacking.

Environmental Pollutants Tied to Atherosclerosis

OLDER ADULTS WITH HIGHER levels of certain environmental pollutants are more likely than those with lower levels to have atherosclerotic plaques, researchers from Sweden have found. Asetofchemicalsknownaspersistent organicpollutantsare leachedfromlandfills, releasedduringmanufacturingand recyclingprocesses,andusedinpesticide applications. Once in the environment, thesechemicalsbioaccumulate—that is, they become more concentrated as they move up the food chain. Such pollutants can disperse widely from their original point of entry into the environment. Because of this, most humans are exposed to them to some degree, most often through the consumption of animal products. “In Sweden and in many countries in the world, many of these substances are forbidden today, but since they are so long-lived, they’re still out there in our environment,” said Monica Lind, PhD, associate professor of occupational and environmental medicine in the department of medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden. “We ingest these environmental toxicants with the food we eat, and since they are stored in our bodies, the levels grow higher the older we get.” Recently, data have emerged suggesting that individuals who have higher levels of these chemicals circulating in their blood are more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, obesity, the metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. An association has also been found between myocardial infarction and higher levels of these chemicals in an individual’s blood. To further probe the relationship of these chemicals with cardiovascular disease, scientists from 2 Swedish universities assessed the presence of persistent organic pollutants and artery plaques in 1016 individuals, who participated in the Investigation of Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors Study (Lind PM et al. Environ Health Perspect. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1103563 [published online ahead of print October 11, 2011]). All participants were 70 years old and residents of Uppsala. Ultrasound was used to assess the presence of atherosclerosis, and blood samples from participants were tested for the presence of 16 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 5 pesticides, 1 dioxin, and a pollutant called BDE47. The investigators found that 7 of the PCBs were associated with how many of an individual’s arteries had plaques, even after the researchers adjusted for multiple cardiovascular risk factors. They also found that 3 highly chlorinated PCBs were associated with increased echogenicity of the intimamedia complex in the carotid artery, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease–related death. The authors concluded that their findings suggest that persistent organic pollutants may have vascular effects that are separate from traditional cardiovascular disease risk factors. The team argues that their results, as well as those of other studies, suggest that these pollutants may have direct effects on the body’s vasculature. The investigators also proposed various mechanisms by which pollutants might contribute to cardiovascular disease. For example, they noted evidence that pollutants may impair DNA repair and cell cycling in vascular smooth muscle cells and may contribute to oxidative stress. Additionally, they pointed to potential effects on sex-hormone receptors. Such effects may be important because of the role such hormones play in cardiovascular disease. news@JAMA From JAMA’s Daily News Site

Reversing Compiled Executables for Malware Analysis via Visualization

Reverse engineering-compiled executables is a task with a steep learning curve. It is complicated by the task of translating assembly into a series of abstractions that represent the overall flow of a program. Most of the steps involve finding interesting areas of an executable and determining their general functionality. This article presents a method using dynamic analysis of program execution to visually represent the general flow of a program. We use the Ether hypervisor framework to covertly monitor a program. The data are processed and presented for the reverse engineer. The VERA (Visualization of Executables for Reversing and Analysis) system specifically accelerates the location of the original entry point and understanding of overall executable functionality. Using this method, the amount of time needed to extract key features of an executable is greatly reduced, improving productivity. Two malware samples are used to demonstrate the advantages of using the VERA system to reverse engineer malware. Further, these examples exemplify a reversing process enhanced through effective use of dynamic analysis tools. Preliminary user study indicates that the tool is useful for both new and experienced users.

Between History and Anthropology: Stigma, the Subaltern and Leprosy in China

the highly anthropological mission of ‘‘provincializing Europe’’ (p. 16) 1 from historiographies of South and Southeast Asia. Here, she explicitly challenges ‘‘the master narrative of modernity as defined by ‘European’ experience’’ (p. 16) by filling ‘‘a remarkable lacuna in the modern history of leprosy as a global question’’ (p. 6). As medical anthropologists, we heartily applaud any effort to address this ‘‘lacuna,’’ the space that China and the Chinese diaspora should occupy in leprosy’s global history. However, as ‘‘remarkable’’ as this ‘‘lacuna’’ may be, so too is it a remarkable task for any single author to fill it. We recognize in this text a clarion call for ethnography to occupy those gaps that are left bare in the study of leprosy in China due to the necessarily limited reach of Leung’s historical method. Leung’s first chapter assembles a comprehensive inventory of the disease’s Chinese etiology. She explains that the early categorizations used to describe leprosy often encompassed (a) what we now know to be other diseases and (b) Hansen’s disease, the nonstigmatizing global health term today for the biomedical understanding of leprosy. Rather than attempt to isolate leprosy’s original point of entry into China’s written records, the author traces the nosological development of the dafeng, li/lai and mafeng categories ‘‘on their own terms’’ (p. 18). This is a culturally appropriate ethnohistorical strategy that provides readers with the necessary tools to approach an indigenized understanding of leprosy in China. It is asking a lot, however, for any one chapter to serve such an ambitious task.

Zooplankton in the paraná river floodplain (South America) before and after the invasion of Limnoperna fortunei (Bivalvia)

The Asian freshwater invasive bivalve, Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker 1857), was introduced into South America through the Rio de la Plata estuary (Argentina) at the beginning of the 1990s. Between 1995 and 1996, the bivalve was first observed in the middle reaches of Parana River, 600 km upstream from its original point of entry to the system. Here, we describe the present zooplankton communities of two secondary channels of the Middle Parana River floodplain (Colastine and Santa Fe rivers) and contrast them with pre-invasion communities using zooplankton data obtained during 1974–1975 (Sante Fe River) and 1971–1973/1981–1982 (Colastine River). In both floodplain rivers, total zooplankton and rotifer abundance during low water were significantly lower in the post-invasion period than they were pre-invasion. Prior to invasion, mean zooplankton abundance in low water was greater than in high water, while post-invasion mean zooplankton abundances during low and high water were similar. The rotifer Keratella was significantly more abundant prior to mollusc invasion. Zooplankton abundance and chlorophyll-a concentration declined compared to the pre-invasion period and were not correlated with post-invasion physical factors. Nutrient concentrations increased post-invasion from increased human development, but did not stimulated zooplankton or phytoplankton.

Scarless platysmaplasty for platysmal bands

ABSTRACTTransection of plastysmal bands has required a surgical approach that leaves scars and limits patient activities for a period of time. The author has developed a sirnple method to transect the platysmal bands under local anesthesia without resorting to skin incisions. The transection is performed with the use of a Vicryl® suture that is inserted through the skin, around the platysmal band, and then out thiOugh the original entry pOint. A back and forih motion of the suture cuts through the band.

Scarless platysmaplasty for platysmal bands

ABSTRACTTransection of plastysmal bands has required a surgical approach that leaves scars and limits patient activities for a period of time. The author has developed a simple method to transect the platysmal bands under local anesthesia without resorting to skin incisions. The transection is performed with the use of a Vicryl ® suture that is inserted through the skin, around the platysmal band, and then out through the original entry point. A back and forth motion of the suture cuts through the band.

Computer assisted screw insertion into real 3D rapid prototyping pelvis models

Objective. Show the use of computer navigation in exact screw positioning in the different pelvic bones. Background. Computer assisted pedicle screw insertion in the spine is an established procedure. Screw fixation is also used in highly difficult pelvic and hip surgery (arthroplasty revision surgery and tumor surgery). Design. Insert as long screws as possible with computer navigation into the different bones of the pelvis and compare these results with a non-computer controlled method. Methods. The computer navigation was done with the system of Medivision (Oberdorf, Switzerland), the software was SurgiGATE 2.1. Optically controlled spine instruments and a special calibrated drill were used. The screw insertion with and without computer navigation took place in seven real rapid prototyping pelvis models matched by pairs. Three screws were inserted into the Os ileum, one into the Os pubis and one into the Os ischium. The length of the inserted screws were measured and compared using routine statistic methods. Results. The mean screw length with vs. without computer navigation was 8.9 vs. 5.7 cm in the Os ileum ( P=0.0001), 6.0 vs. 4.2 cm in the Os pubis ( P=0.01) and 4.3 vs. 3.9 cm in the Os ischium (not significant). Conclusions. The use of computer navigation allows for the insertion of longer screws into the bones of the pelvis (more exact positioning), which requires a more precise original point of entry and direction of the drill (vector). Relevance The insertion of fixation screws in highly difficult pelvic and hip surgery (revision arthroplasty, tumor surgery) are another field for the use of computer navigation.

Membrane mobility agents. IV. The mechanism of particle-cell and cell-cell fusion

Fusion processes are classified according to type and size of the fusing elements:I, particle-particle, vesicle-vesicle; II, vesicle-cell, particle-cell; III, cell-cell. Fusion may be direct (original elements merge) or indirect (transfer of components from one element to another). Membrane mobility agents like A 2C (structural formula below) ▪ form small particles on dispersion in aqueous solutions, particles which can be made fluorescent by the addition of fluorescent probes, the Flomols (fluorescent probes of mobility in membranes). Fusions of these particles with cells (particle-cell fusion) and of cells with cells induced by membrane mobility agents (cell-cell fusion) fulfill the criteria for direct fusion. The following stages in the overall process have been identified, using A 2C and Flomol F20C in the fusion of hen red cells: 1, Approach (of particle to cell); 2, sticking (of particle to cell); 3, local entry (of particle contents into cell membrane); 4, membrane spread (of particle contents from original entry point throughout the rest of the cell membrane); 5, rounding (from ovals to cups to spheres). (These steps of particle-cell interaction are succeeded by those for cell-cell interaction.) 6, approach (of one rounded cell to another rounded cell); 7, sticking (cell to cell); 8, fusion (of two cells); 9, sticking (of binucleated cell to additional cells); 10, fusion (to multinucleated cells). After contact, sticking is achieved through “hydrophobic bonding”. It is proposed that the critical step which follows sticking and commits the elements irreversibly is the microfusion between the outer surface layers of the elements. Microfusion (for particle-cell and cell-cell) results from the permeation of water into the isolated surface contact region after sticking, followed by a rearrangement of the molecules in that contact region into inverted micelles. The latter arrangement constitutes a region of instability which is resolved by fusion of the outer surface elements (see diagrams). The entry of membrane mobility agent into the membrane and the spread of the reagent along with the motion of membrane components follows. The consequent alterations in membrane properties lead to a spherical cell, a morphological state with the minimum area. Two phase temperature effects on the fusion process, as shown by experiments at different temperatures and by temperature jump, imply the presence of a barrier within the membrane more complex than phospholipids, possibly involving intramembranous particles and/or cytoskeletal elements which must be moved to form a “clear region” for lipid bilayer contact. The applicability of the overall scheme to physiological processes like neurotransmitter release and mucocyst release, as well as parallels to “Sendai virus” (HVJ, or hemagglutinating virus of Japan)-induced fusion are discussed. The contribution of other factors (Dextran, ph, Ca 2+) to the progress of fusion is also examined.

Full table quadratic searching for scatter storage

The quadratic residue search method for hash tables avoids much of the clustering experienced with a linear search method. The simple quadratic search only accesses half the table. It has been shown that when the length of the table is a prime of the form 4 n + 3, where n is an integer, the whole table may be accessed by two quadratic searches plus a separate access for the original entry point. A search method is presented which is computationally simple, has all the advantages of the quadratic search, and yet accesses all the table in one sweep.