Quantitative Analysis of DoS Attacks and Client Puzzles in IoT Systems

Denial of Service (DoS) attacks constitute a major security threat to today's Internet. This challenge is especially pertinent to the Internet of Things (IoT) as devices have less computing power, memory and security mechanisms to mitigate DoS attacks. This paper presents a model that mimics the unique characteristics of a network of IoT devices, including components of the system implementing `Crypto Puzzles' - a DoS mitigation technique. We created an imitation of a DoS attack on the system, and conducted a quantitative analysis to simulate the impact such an attack may potentially exert upon the system, assessing the trade off between security and throughput in the IoT system. We model this through stochastic model checking in PRISM and provide evidence that supports this as a valuable method to compare the efficiency of different implementations of IoT systems, exemplified by a case study

Key exchange with the help of a public ledger

Blockchains and other public ledger structures promise a new way to create globally consistent event logs and other records. We make use of this consistency property to detect and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks in a key exchange such as Diffie-Hellman or ECDH. Essentially, the MitM attack creates an inconsistency in the world views of the two honest parties, and they can detect it with the help of the ledger. Thus, there is no need for prior knowledge or trusted third parties apart from the distributed ledger. To prevent impersonation attacks, we require user interaction. It appears that, in some applications, the required user interaction is reduced in comparison to other user-assisted key-exchange protocols

Understory plant communities show resistance to drought, hurricanes, and experimental warming in a wet tropical forest

Global climate change has led to rising temperatures and to more frequent and intense climatic events, such as storms and droughts. Changes in climate and disturbance regimes can have non-additive effects on plant communities and result in complicated legacies we have yet to understand. This is especially true for tropical forests, which play a significant role in regulating global climate. We used understory vegetation data from the Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) in Puerto Rico to evaluate how plant communities responded to climate warming and disturbance. The TRACE understory vegetation was exposed to a severe drought (2015), 2 years of experimental warming (4°C above ambient in half of the plots, 2016–2017 and 2018–2019), and two major hurricanes (Irma and María, September 2017). Woody seedlings and saplings were censused yearly from 2015 to 2019, with an additional census in 2015 after the drought ended. We evaluated disturbance-driven changes in species richness, diversity, and composition across ontogeny. We then used Bayesian predictive trait modeling to assess how species responded to disturbance and how this might influence the functional structure of the plant community. Our results show decreased seedling richness after hurricane disturbance, as well as increased sapling richness and diversity after warming. We found a shift in species composition through time for both seedlings and saplings, yet the individual effects of each disturbance were not significant. At both ontogenetic stages, we observed about twice as many species responding to experimental warming as those responding to drought and hurricanes. Predicted changes in functional structure point to disturbance-driven functional shifts toward a mixture of fast-growing and drought-tolerant species. Our findings demonstrate that the tropical forest understory community is more resistant to climatic stressors than expected, especially at the sapling stage. However, early signs of changes in species composition suggest that, in a warming climate with frequent droughts and hurricanes, plant communities might shift over time toward fast-growing or drought-tolerant species

Las ocupaciones prehistóricas del Barranc de L'Encantada (Beniarrés, Alacant). Un primer balance de la intervención arqueológica en el área a través del análisis del registro lítico

S'hi presenta un avanç dels resultats de les intervencions arqueològiques a l'area del barranc de l'Encantada (Beniarrés, Alacant) en el marc del projecte innd Use Dynamics in the Western Mediterranean: A regional Approach to the Transition to Domestication Economies. Els sondejos realitzats en una extensa àrea del peu del fiter rocds situat en la confluència entre el riu d'Alcoi o Serpis i el barranc de l'Encantada, han propiciat la recuperació d'un inreressant conjunt de vestigis materials, principalment lítics, que il.lustren l'ampli ventall cronocultural de les ocupacions prehistòriques en l'área, des del paleolític superior fins a l'edat del bronze. Paraules clau: paleolític superior. Epipaleolític. Mesolític. Neolític. Edat del bronze. Prospecció. "Augers". Excavació.We present an advance of rhe archaeological research in El Barranc de I'Encantada (Beniarrés, Alacant, Spain) in the framework of the project land Use Dynamics in the Western Mediterranean: A regional Approach to the Transition to Domestication Economies. The diggings in an extensive area close to the rocky confluence between the river Alcoi or Serpis and the Barranc of l'Encantada. have recovered an interesting material record, mainly lithic material. This documentarion illustrates the extensive chrono-cultural scope of the prehistoric occupations in the area, since the Palaeolithic until the Bronce Age. Key Words: Upper Palaeolithic. Epipalaeolithic. Mesolithic. Neolithic. Bronze Age. Surveys. Augers. Excavation.Se lleva a cabo en este trabajo un primer balance de los resultados de las intervenciones arqueológicas en el área del Barranc de I'Encantada (Beniarrés. Alacant) en el marco del proyecto land Use Dynamics in the Western Mediterranean: A regional Approach to the Transition to Domestication Economies. Los sondeos practicados en diferentes puntos de concentración de materiales prehistóricos, en una extensa área al pie del farallón rocoso situado en la confluencia entre el río Alcoi o Serpis y el Barranc de l'Encantada, han propiciado la recuperación de un interesante conjunto de vestigios materiales, principalmente líticos, que ilustran el amplio abanico crono-cultural de las ocupaciones prehistóricas en el área, desde el Paleolítico Superior a la Edad del Bronce. Palabras Clave: Paleolítico Superior. Epipaleolítico. Mesolítico. Neolítico. Edad del Bronce. Prospección. Augers. Excavación

Liquefaction source layer for sand blows induced by the 2016 megathrust earthquake (Mw 7.8) in Ecuador (Boca de Briceño)

Numerous sand boils were generated in the alluvial plain at the mouth of the Rio Brice˜no valley (Ecuador) during the Mw 7.8 earthquake of April 2016. The area is characterized by a series of raised marine terraces formed as a consequence of the rapid tectonic coastal uplift during the Quaternary. Boreholes and geotechnical investigations were carried during post-earthquake surveys and for the purpose of mitigating the liquefaction effects. Five lithological units were identified at a site of embankment, which represented continental-marine and transitional sedimentation since the Last Glacial Maximum. A comprehensive study of texture and petrographic composition of sand boils has been performed and compared with sandy silts and silty sands of the buried sedimentary sequence in order to identify the source levels for liquefaction. The petrographic components, in particular the low content of bioclasts and carbonate fragments of the sand boils, allow to pinpoint a source layer made up of fine-grained silty sands located between 2 and 4.5 m depth (Unit 2) whereas the deeper marine sands, richer in bioclasts, were not involved. The results support the idea that earthquake-induced liquefaction phenomena are not restricted to clean sands and well-sorted deposits, but may affect sand layers with significant amount of nonplastic silt

Tratamiento de agua residual de microbiología usando películas delgadas de TiO2

(Eng) Microbiology cell-staining wastewater was treated by UV/TiO 2 thin films photocatalysis. A simple method of applying gravity sedimentation over grass-type substrate was used for the preparation of the films. The use of Na4 P2 O7, microwaves, and ultrasounds were studied for decreasing the TiO2 grain sizes on the films. It was established that the best method for reducing grain size resulted from a combination of Na4P2O7 (0.01M) and microwave radiation (700 W, 20 min). The Films were characterized by several microscopic and spectroscopic methods. Anatase phase (gap energy of 3.2 eV) and grain sizes averaging 83 nm were achieved. Photocatalysis tests using TiO2-film showed 99.5 % of decolorization, 79 % TOC abatement, and total microbial inactivation after 14 h of treatment. No bacteria re–growth was found 48 h after the treatment was completed.(Spa) La fotocatálisis con UV/TiO2usando películas delgadas fue empleada para el tratamiento de agua residual de microbiología. Se empleó un método simple de sedimentación por gravedad sobre sustrato de vidrio para la preparación de las películas. El uso de Na4P2O7, microondas y ultrasonido fue estudiado para la disminución de los granos de TiO2 en las películas. Se estableció que el mejor método para disminuir los agregados resultó de una combinación de Na4P2O7(0.01M) y radiación de microondas (700 W, 20 min). Las películas fueron caracterizadas por métodos microscópicos y espectroscópicos. Se obtuvo la fase anatasa (brecha de energía de 3.2 e.V) y tamaños de grano de 83nm. Los ensayos fotocatalíticos utilizando las películas de TiO2generaron un 99.5% de decoloración, 79% de remoción de COT y una inactivación microbiana total luego de 14 h de tratamiento. No se encontró reactivación microbiana luego de 48 h de finalizado el tratamiento

Understory plant communities show resistance to drought, hurricanes, and experimental warming in a wet tropical forest

Global climate change has led to rising temperatures and to more frequent and intense climatic events, such as storms and droughts. Changes in climate and disturbance regimes can have non-additive effects on plant communities and result in complicated legacies we have yet to understand. This is especially true for tropical forests, which play a significant role in regulating global climate. We used understory vegetation data from the Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) in Puerto Rico to evaluate how plant communities responded to climate warming and disturbance. The TRACE understory vegetation was exposed to a severe drought (2015), 2 years of experimental warming (4°C above ambient in half of the plots, 2016–2017 and 2018–2019), and two major hurricanes (Irma and María, September 2017). Woody seedlings and saplings were censused yearly from 2015 to 2019, with an additional census in 2015 after the drought ended. We evaluated disturbance-driven changes in species richness, diversity, and composition across ontogeny. We then used Bayesian predictive trait modeling to assess how species responded to disturbance and how this might influence the functional structure of the plant community. Our results show decreased seedling richness after hurricane disturbance, as well as increased sapling richness and diversity after warming. We found a shift in species composition through time for both seedlings and saplings, yet the individual effects of each disturbance were not significant. At both ontogenetic stages, we observed about twice as many species responding to experimental warming as those responding to drought and hurricanes. Predicted changes in functional structure point to disturbance-driven functional shifts toward a mixture of fast-growing and drought-tolerant species. Our findings demonstrate that the tropical forest understory community is more resistant to climatic stressors than expected, especially at the sapling stage. However, early signs of changes in species composition suggest that, in a warming climate with frequent droughts and hurricanes, plant communities might shift over time toward fast-growing or drought-tolerant species

Role of metformin and other metabolic drugs in the prevention and therapy of endocrine-related cancers

Metabolic syndrome is associated with chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This review summarizes the current evidence on the antitumor effects of some relevant drugs currently used to manage metabolic-related pathologies (i.e. insulin and its analogs, metformin, statins, etc.) in endocrine-related cancers including breast cancer, prostate cancer, pituitary cancer, ovarian cancer, and neuroendocrine neoplasms. Although current evidence does not provide a clear antitumor role of several of these drugs, metformin seems to be a promising chemopreventive and adjuvant agent in cancer management, modulating tumor cell metabolism and microenvironment, through both AMP-activated protein kinase-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Moreover, its combination with statins might represent a promising therapeutic strategy to tackle the progression of endocrine-related tumors. However, further studies are needed to endorse the clinical relevance of these drugs as adjuvants for cancer chemotherapy.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España. PID2019- 105564RB-I00/FPU16-05059Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) y Fondo Social Europeo (FSE). PI20/01301Instituto de Salud Carlos III de España. SCIII-AES-2019/002525Junta de Andalucía. PI-0152-2019, PI-0094-2020, PI-0038/2019, RH-0084-2020 y BIO-013

Tropical understory herbaceous community responds more strongly to hurricane disturbance than to experimental warming

Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The effects of climate change on tropical forests may have global consequences due to the forests’ high biodiversity and major role in the global carbon cycle. In this study, we document the effects of experimental warming on the abundance and composition of a tropical forest floor herbaceous plant community in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. This study was conducted within Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE) plots, which use infrared heaters under free-air, open-field conditions, to warm understory vegetation and soils + 4°C above nearby control plots. Hurricanes Irma and María damaged the heating infrastructure in the second year of warming, therefore, the study included one pretreatment year, one year of warming, and one year of hurricane response with no warming. We measured percent leaf cover of individual herbaceous species, fern population dynamics, and species richness and diversity within three warmed and three control plots. Results showed that one year of experimental warming did not significantly affect the cover of individual herbaceous species, fern population dynamics, species richness, or species diversity. In contrast, herbaceous cover increased from 20% to 70%, bare ground decreased from 70% to 6%, and species composition shifted pre to posthurricane. The negligible effects of warming may have been due to the short duration of the warming treatment or an understory that is somewhat resistant to higher temperatures. Our results suggest that climate extremes that are predicted to increase with climate change, such as hurricanes and droughts, may cause more abrupt changes in tropical forest understories than longer-term sustained warming