Background Info

G'day guys,

Thought you may find these two abstracts of passing interest for use in
background stuff.

Cheers

Beth

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Authors 
Sitti M. Hashimoto H. 
Title 
Tele-nanorobotics using an atomic force microscope as a nanorobot and 
sensor 
Source 
Advanced Robotics. 13(4):417-436, 1999. 
Abstract 
In this paper, a tele-nanorobotic system using an atomic force
microscope 
(AFM) as the nanorobot and sensor has been proposed. Modeling and
control 
of the AFM cantilever, and modeling of nanometer scale forces have been 
realized for telemanipulation applications. In addition to 
three-dimensional virtual reality visual feedback in the user interface,
a 
1 d.o.f. haptic: device has been constructed for nano-scale haptic 
sensing. For feeling the nano forces, a bilateral teleoperation control 
system with virtual impedance approach has been introduced. Initial 
experiments and simulations on the AFM and teleoperation system show
that 
the system can be utilized for different tele-nanomanipulation 
applications such as two-dimensional nano particle assembly or
biological 
object manipulation. [References: 20]

<19> 
Authors 
Faia MA. 
Title 
"Three can keep a secret if two are dead'' (Lavigne, 1996): Weak ties as

infiltration routes 
Source 
Quality & Quantity. 34(2):193-216, 2000 May. 
Abstract 
Among several ways of trying to suppress terrorist conspiracies, 
infiltration has probably received the least attention. Impressionistic 
evidence suggests that conspiracies that carry out violent attacks
usually 
have a small number of participants, and that large conspiracies either 
fail to materialize, fail to organize actual attacks, or are
substantially 
less difficult to uncover. Due to the prevalence of weak social ties in 
larger groups there may be an intermediate group size, around 7-10 
members, that is highly subject to infiltration. Building on work by 
Freeman, Granovetter, and others, this study examines a few features of 
the social ecology of interaction ties. We introduce a procedure for 
counting, within groups of size n, all interacting pairs {P, Q}, where P

and Q are disjoint or nonoverlapping subsets (Freeman, 1992: 153) of a 
given group; these subsets usually contain more than one person, i.e.,
the 
interacting units do not invariably consist of individuals. This
procedure 
generates interaction configurations having unique patterns of strong, 
weak, and "weakest'' ties - i.e., three levels of tie strength 
corresponding to core, primary, and secondary ties in Freeman's 
terminology - such that relatively weak ties predominate within larger 
conspiracies. We speculate about ways in which these configurations may 
evolve through time. 
We then use a combinatorial analysis of group structure to develop a
rough 
calculation of the probability of infiltrating conspiracies of size n,
and 
we show that relatively large conspiracies, having 7 or more members,
tend 
to have interaction structures that make them highly vulnerable to 
infiltration. Finally, Collins' (1985: 170-172) approach to 
interaction-chain analysis suggests that, while in real situations it 
would be hard to anticipate departures from our probability model, 
attempts to "turn around'' conspirators with weak ties appear to have a 
fairly high prospect of success. 
But the child's sob in the silence 
Curses deeper than the strong man in his wrath. 
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Cry of the children''. [References: 30]

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Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART 
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax 03 6232 5053 International +61 3 6232 5053

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au