P-SCOR: Integration of Constraint Programming Orchestration and Programmable Data Plane

In this manuscript we present an original implementation of network management functions in the context of Software Defined Networking. We demonstrate a full integration of an artificial intelligence driven management, an SDN control plane, and a programmable data plane. Constraint Programming is used to implement a management operating system that accepts high level specifications, via a northbound interface, in terms of operational objective and directives. These are translated in technology-specific constraints and directives for the SDN control plane, leveraging the programmable data plane, which is enriched with functionalities suited to feed data that enable the most effective operation of the “intelligent” control plane, by exploiting the language

One-dimensional Ising ferromagnet frustrated by long-range interactions at finite temperatures

We consider a one-dimensional lattice of Ising-type variables where the ferromagnetic exchange interaction J between neighboring sites is frustrated by a long-ranged anti-ferromagnetic interaction of strength g between the sites i and j, decaying as |i-j|^-alpha, with alpha>1. For alpha smaller than a certain threshold alpha_0, which is larger than 2 and depends on the ratio J/g, the ground state consists of an ordered sequence of segments with equal length and alternating magnetization. The width of the segments depends on both alpha and the ratio J/g. Our Monte Carlo study shows that the on-site magnetization vanishes at finite temperatures and finds no indication of any phase transition. Yet, the modulation present in the ground state is recovered at finite temperatures in the two-point correlation function, which oscillates in space with a characteristic spatial period: The latter depends on alpha and J/g and decreases smoothly from the ground-state value as the temperature is increased. Such an oscillation of the correlation function is exponentially damped over a characteristic spatial scale, the correlation length, which asymptotically diverges roughly as the inverse of the temperature as T=0 is approached. This suggests that the long-range interaction causes the Ising chain to fall into a universality class consistent with an underlying continuous symmetry. The e^(Delta/T)-temperature dependence of the correlation length and the uniform ferromagnetic ground state, characteristic of the g=0 discrete Ising symmetry, are recovered for alpha > alpha_0.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Unforgeable Quantum Encryption

We study the problem of encrypting and authenticating quantum data in the presence of adversaries making adaptive chosen plaintext and chosen ciphertext queries. Classically, security games use string copying and comparison to detect adversarial cheating in such scenarios. Quantumly, this approach would violate no-cloning. We develop new techniques to overcome this problem: we use entanglement to detect cheating, and rely on recent results for characterizing quantum encryption schemes. We give definitions for (i.) ciphertext unforgeability , (ii.) indistinguishability under adaptive chosen-ciphertext attack, and (iii.) authenticated encryption. The restriction of each definition to the classical setting is at least as strong as the corresponding classical notion: (i) implies INT-CTXT, (ii) implies IND-CCA2, and (iii) implies AE. All of our new notions also imply QIND-CPA privacy. Combining one-time authentication and classical pseudorandomness, we construct schemes for each of these new quantum security notions, and provide several separation examples. Along the way, we also give a new definition of one-time quantum authentication which, unlike all previous approaches, authenticates ciphertexts rather than plaintexts.Comment: 22+2 pages, 1 figure. v3: error in the definition of QIND-CCA2 fixed, some proofs related to QIND-CCA2 clarifie

Mid-gut ACTH-secreting neuroendocrine tumor unmasked with (18)F-dihydroxyphenylalanine-positron emission tomography.

Ectopic ACTH Cushing's syndrome (EAS) is often caused by neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of lungs, pancreas, thymus, and other less frequent locations. Localizing the source of ACTH can be challenging. A 64-year-old man presented with rapidly progressing fatigue, muscular weakness, and dyspnea. He was in poor condition and showed facial redness, proximal amyotrophy, and bruises. Laboratory disclosed hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis, and markedly elevated ACTH and cortisol levels. Pituitary was normal on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and bilateral inferior petrosal sinus blood sampling with corticotropin-releasing hormone stimulation showed no significant central-to-periphery gradient of ACTH. Head and neck, thoracic and abdominal computerized tomography (CT), MRI, somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SSRS), and (18)F-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) failed to identify the primary tumor. (18)F-dihydroxyphenylalanine (F-DOPA)-PET/CT unveiled a 20-mm nodule in the jejunum and a metastatic lymph node. Segmental jejunum resection showed two adjacent NETs, measuring 2.0 and 0.5 cm with a peritoneal metastasis. The largest tumor expressed ACTH in 30% of cells. Following surgery, after a transient adrenal insufficiency, ACTH and cortisol levels returned to normal values and remain normal over a follow-up of 26 months. Small mid-gut NETs are difficult to localize on CT or MRI, and require metabolic imaging. Owing to low mitotic activity, NETs are generally poor candidates for FDG-PET, whereas SSRS shows poor sensitivity in EAS due to intrinsically low tumor concentration of type-2 somatostatin receptors (SST2) or to receptor down regulation by excess cortisol. However, F-DOPA-PET, which is related to amine precursor uptake by NETs, has been reported to have high positive predictive value for occult EAS despite low sensitivity, and constitutes a useful alternative to more conventional methods of tumor localization. LEARNING POINTS: Uncontrolled high cortisol levels in EAS can be lethal if untreated.Surgical excision is the keystone of NETs treatment, thus tumor localization is crucial.Most cases of EAS are caused by NETs, which are located mainly in the lungs. However, small gut NETs are elusive to conventional imaging and require metabolic imaging for detection.FDG-PET, based on tumor high metabolic rate, may not detect NETs that have low mitotic activity. SSRS may also fail, due to absent or low concentration of SST2, which may be down regulated by excess cortisol.F-DOPA-PET, based on amine-precursor uptake, can be a useful method to localize the occult source of ACTH in EAS when other methods have failed

Quantum authentication with key recycling

We show that a family of quantum authentication protocols introduced in [Barnum et al., FOCS 2002] can be used to construct a secure quantum channel and additionally recycle all of the secret key if the message is successfully authenticated, and recycle part of the key if tampering is detected. We give a full security proof that constructs the secure channel given only insecure noisy channels and a shared secret key. We also prove that the number of recycled key bits is optimal for this family of protocols, i.e., there exists an adversarial strategy to obtain all non-recycled bits. Previous works recycled less key and only gave partial security proofs, since they did not consider all possible distinguishers (environments) that may be used to distinguish the real setting from the ideal secure quantum channel and secret key resource.Comment: 38+17 pages, 13 figures. v2: constructed ideal secure channel and secret key resource have been slightly redefined; also added a proof in the appendix for quantum authentication without key recycling that has better parameters and only requires weak purity testing code

Status of the low emittance upgrade of the advanced light source

The Advanced Light Source is one of the earliest 3rd generation light sources. With an active upgrade program it has remained competitive over the years. The latest in a series of upgrades is a lattice upgrade project that was started in 2009. When it will be completed, the ALS will operate with a horizontal emittance of 2.2 nm and an effective emittance of 2.6 nm. Combined with the high current of 500 mA and the small vertical emittance the ALS already operates at, this upgrade will keep it competitive for years to come. This paper summarizes the status of the upgrade, including beam dynamics studies and lattice optimizations as well as the magnet design

Determinants of antibody persistence across doses and continents after single-dose rVSV-ZEBOV vaccination for Ebola virus disease: an observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vaccine expressing the Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) glycoprotein is efficacious in the weeks following single-dose injection, but duration of immunity is unknown. We aimed to assess antibody persistence at 1 and 2 years in volunteers who received single-dose rVSV-ZEBOV in three previous trials. METHODS: In this observational cohort study, we prospectively followed-up participants from the African and European phase 1 rVSV-ZEBOV trials, who were vaccinated once in 2014-15 with 300 000 (low dose) or 10-50 million (high dose) plaque-forming units (pfu) of rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine to assess ZEBOV glycoprotein (IgG) antibody persistence. The primary outcome was ZEBOV glycoprotein-specific IgG geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) measured yearly by ELISA compared with 1 month (ie, 28 days) after immunisation. We report GMCs up to 2 years (Geneva, Switzerland, including neutralising antibodies up to 6 months) and 1 year (Lambaréné, Gabon; Kilifi, Kenya) after vaccination and factors associated with higher antibody persistence beyond 6 months, according to multivariable analyses. Trials and the observational study were registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Geneva: NCT02287480 and NCT02933931; Kilifi: NCT02296983) and the Pan-African Clinical Trials Registry (Lambaréné PACTR201411000919191). FINDINGS: Of 217 vaccinees from the original studies (102 from the Geneva study, 75 from the Lambaréné study, and 40 from the Kilifi study), 197 returned and provided samples at 1 year (95 from the Geneva study, 63 from the Lambaréné, and 39 from the Kilifi study) and 90 at 2 years (all from the Geneva study). In the Geneva group, 44 (100%) of 44 participants who had been given a high dose (ie, 10-50 million pfu) of vaccine and who were seropositive at day 28 remained seropositive at 2 years, whereas 33 (89%) of 37 who had been given the low dose (ie, 300 000 pfu) remained seropositive for 2 years (p=0·042). In participants who had received a high dose, ZEBOV glycoprotein IgG GMCs decreased significantly between their peak (at 1-3 months) and month 6 after vaccination in Geneva (p0·05). Neutralising antibodies seem to be less durable, with seropositivity dropping from 64-71% at 28 days to 27-31% at 6 months in participants from the Geneva study. INTERPRETATION: Antibody responses to single-dose rVSV-ZEBOV vaccination are sustained across dose ranges and settings, a key criterion in countries where booster vaccinations would be impractical. FUNDING: The Wellcome Trust and Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking

Dynamics of systems with isotropic competing interactions in an external field: a Langevin approach

We study the Langevin dynamics of a ferromagnetic Ginzburg-Landau Hamiltonian with a competing long-range repulsive term in the presence of an external magnetic field. The model is analytically solved within the self consistent Hartree approximation for two different initial conditions: disordered or zero field cooled (ZFC), and fully magnetized or field cooled (FC). To test the predictions of the approximation we develop a suitable numerical scheme to ensure the isotropic nature of the interactions. Both the analytical approach and the numerical simulations of two-dimensional finite systems confirm a simple aging scenario at zero temperature and zero field. At zero temperature a critical field $h_c$ is found below which the initial conditions are relevant for the long time dynamics of the system. For $h < h_c$ a logarithmic growth of modulated domains is found in the numerical simulations but this behavior is not captured by the analytical approach which predicts a $t^1/2$ growth law at $T = 0$

Hospital Outcomes of Community-Acquired SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection Compared With Influenza Infection in Switzerland

IMPORTANCE: With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to assess the current burden of disease of community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in hospitalized patients to tailor appropriate public health policies. Comparisons with better-known seasonal influenza infections may facilitate such decisions. OBJECTIVE: To compare the in-hospital outcomes of patients hospitalized with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant with patients with influenza. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This cohort study was based on a national COVID-19 and influenza registry. Hospitalized patients aged 18 years and older with community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection who were admitted between January 15 and March 15, 2022 (when B.1.1.529 Omicron predominance was >95%), and hospitalized patients with influenza A or B infection from January 1, 2018, to March 15, 2022, where included. Patients without a study outcome by August 30, 2022, were censored. The study was conducted at 15 hospitals in Switzerland. EXPOSURES: Community-acquired SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant vs community-acquired seasonal influenza A or B. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary and secondary outcomes were defined as in-hospital mortality and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) for patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant or influenza. Cox regression (cause-specific and Fine-Gray subdistribution hazard models) was used to account for time-dependency and competing events, with inverse probability weighting to adjust for confounders with right-censoring at day 30. RESULTS: Of 5212 patients included from 15 hospitals, 3066 (58.8%) had SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in 14 centers and 2146 patients (41.2%) had influenza A or B in 14 centers. Of patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, 1485 (48.4%) were female, while 1113 patients with influenza (51.9%) were female (P = .02). Patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant were younger (median [IQR] age, 71 [53-82] years) than those with influenza (median [IQR] age, 74 [59-83] years; P < .001). Overall, 214 patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (7.0%) died during hospitalization vs 95 patients with influenza (4.4%; P < .001). The final adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (sdHR) for in-hospital death for SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant vs influenza was 1.54 (95% CI, 1.18-2.01; P = .002). Overall, 250 patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (8.6%) vs 169 patients with influenza (8.3%) were admitted to the ICU (P = .79). After adjustment, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was not significantly associated with increased ICU admission vs influenza (sdHR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.88-1.32; P = .50). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The data from this prospective, multicenter cohort study suggest a significantly increased risk of in-hospital mortality for patients with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant vs those with influenza, while ICU admission rates were similar