Musubi: Middleware for Secure Mobile Collaborative Applications

As we work more and more while on the go, mobile collaborative applications will play an increasingly important role in our lives. We note that the conventional client/server model for these applications poses several shortcomings. The model is unintuitive and unnecessarily complex. Centralized servers further introduce cost, inflexibility, and concerns about privacy. Musubi is a middleware for mobile collaborative applications based on a top-level peer-to-peer architecture and secure group communication. We demonstrate how a secure messenger application can be built on top of our system. Three diverse case studies in citizen journalism, cross-generational interaction, and computer science education are used to evaluate the middleware. We show that Musubi simplifies the development of collaborative applications. The created applications are transport agnostic and can provide a good user experience while using fully end-to-end encrypted communication.Software Engineering Research GroupComputer ScienceElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc

Intratumoral administration of Holmium-166 Acetylacetonate Microspheres: Antitumor efficacy and feasibility of multimodality imaging in renal cancer

The increasing incidence of small renal tumors in an aging population with comorbidities has stimulated the development of minimally invasive treatments. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and demonstrate feasibility of multimodality imaging of intratumoral administration of holmium-166 microspheres (166HoAcAcMS). This new technique locally ablates renal tumors through high-energy beta particles, while the gamma rays allow for nuclear imaging and the paramagnetism of holmium allows for MRI.Radiation, Radionuclides and ReactorsApplied Science

Microspheres with Ultrahigh Holmium Content for Radioablation of Malignancies

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop microspheres with an ultra high holmium content which can be neutron activated for radioablation of malignancies. These microspheres are proposed to be delivered selectively through either intratumoral injections into solid tumors or administered via an intravascularly placed catheter. Methods Microspheres were prepared by solvent evaporation, using holmium acetylacetonate (HoAcAc) crystals as the sole ingredient. Microspheres were characterized using light and scanning electron microscopy, coulter counter, titrimetry, infrared and Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray powder diffraction, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and X-ray computed tomography (CT). Results Microspheres, thus prepared displayed a smooth surface. The holmium content of the HoAcAc microspheres (44% (w/w)) was higher than the holmium content of the starting material, HoAcAc crystals (33% (w/w)). This was attributed to the loss of acetylacetonate from the HoAcAc complex, during rearrangement of acetylacetonate around the holmium ion. The increase of the holmium content allows for the detection of (sub)microgram amounts of microspheres using MRI and CT. Conclusions HoAcAc microspheres with an ultra-high holmium content were prepared. These microspheres are suitable for radioablation of tumors by intratumoral injections or treatment of liver tumors through transcatheter administration.Radiation, Radionuclides and ReactorsApplied Science

Holmium-166 poly(L-lactic acid) microsphere radioembolisation of the liver: Technical aspects studied in a large animal mode

Radiation, Radionuclides and ReactorsApplied Science