Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment, a method includes: providing an abstract tree structure having a root node, tree nodes, and leaf nodes, each leaf node corresponds to a portion of data; mapping first network nodes of a distributed network to the tree nodes; mapping second network nodes to the leaf nodes; assigning unique identifiers to the root node, tree nodes, and leaf nodes; storing, at each first network node, the unique identifier of the corresponding tree node, the unique identifier of a parent, and the unique identifiers of children; storing, at each second network node, the portion of data and path information; providing a distributed hash tree wherein the DHT includes a hash value for each node of the ATS signing the top hash value for the root node; and storing, at each second network node, the corresponding hash value of the tree node and the hash values of children.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method and apparatus for detecting subject matter of interest in view data obtained by scanning an object including generating a filter adapted to respond to the subject matter of interest, splatting the filter onto a portion of the view data to provide a filter splat, and performing at least one operation on the portion of the view data using the filter splat to facilitate determining whether the subject matter of interest is present in the portion of the view data.

Abstract: Bioadhesive polymers in the form of, or as a coating on, microcapsules containing drugs or bioactive substances which may serve for therapeutic, diagnostic, or diagnostic purposes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, are described. The polymeric microspheres all have a bioadhesive force of at least 11 mN/cm2 (110 N/CM2). Techniques for the fabrication of bioadhesive microspheres, as well as a method for measuring bioadhesive forces between microspheres and selected segments of the gastrointestinal tract in vitro are also described. This quantitative method provides a means to establish a correlation between the chemical nature, the surface morphology and the dimensions of drug-loaded microspheres on one hand and bioadhesive forces on the other, allowing the screening of the most promising materials from a relatively large group of natural and synthetic polymers which, from theoretical consideration, should be used for making bioadhesive microspheres.