A blockchain based Buyer-seller Watermark Protocol with Trustless Third party

Background: With the development and innovation of digital information technologies and new-generation Internet information platforms, new types of information exchange methods have been spawned. It has broken the restriction of the traditional internet boundary, and integrated all round connections between people and objects. Methods: Based on the above progresses, digital multimedia contents distributed or published much more convenient on the internet than before and most of them without any copyright protection. The dishonest owner can easily copy and distribute the digital multimedia content without reducing any perceptual quality. According to the relative concerns, watermark protocol networks play a very important role on usage tracking and copyrights infringement authentication etc. However, most of the watermark protocols always require a “fully trusted third party”, which has a potential risk to suffer conspiracy attack. Results: Therefore, in this paper, we focus on designing a watermark protocol with trustless third party via blockchain for protecting copyrights of owners that they want to publish or distribute on the internet. The proposed watermark protocol includes three sub-protocols which covers the negotiation process, transaction process and identification processes. Conclusion: In addition, this paper also provides a fully detail analysis that describes the benefits and weaknesses of current solution

Association of variants in the SPTLC1 gene with juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

IMPORTANCE Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare form of ALS characterized by age of symptom onset less than 25 years and a variable presentation.OBJECTIVE To identify the genetic variants associated with juvenile ALS.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this multicenter family-based genetic study, trio whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify the disease-associated gene in a case series of unrelated patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and severe growth retardation. The patients and their family members were enrolled at academic hospitals and a government research facility between March 1, 2016, and March 13, 2020, and were observed until October 1, 2020. Whole-exome sequencing was also performed in a series of patients with juvenile ALS. A total of 66 patients with juvenile ALS and 6258 adult patients with ALS participated in the study. Patients were selected for the study based on their diagnosis, and all eligible participants were enrolled in the study. None of the participants had a family history of neurological disorders, suggesting de novo variants as the underlying genetic mechanism.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES De novo variants present only in the index case and not in unaffected family members.RESULTS Trio whole-exome sequencing was performed in 3 patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and their parents. An additional 63 patients with juvenile ALS and 6258 adult patients with ALS were subsequently screened for variants in the SPTLC1 gene. De novo variants in SPTLC1 (p. Ala20Ser in 2 patients and p.Ser331Tyr in 1 patient) were identified in 3 unrelated patients diagnosed with juvenile ALS and failure to thrive. A fourth variant (p.Leu39del) was identified in a patient with juvenile ALS where parental DNA was unavailable. Variants in this gene have been previously shown to be associated with autosomal-dominant hereditary sensory autonomic neuropathy, type 1A, by disrupting an essential enzyme complex in the sphingolipid synthesis pathway.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These data broaden the phenotype associated with SPTLC1 and suggest that patients presenting with juvenile ALS should be screened for variants in this gene.Genetics of disease, diagnosis and treatmen

Quantification on the source/receptor relationship of primary pollutants and secondary aerosols by a Gaussian plume trajectory model: Part II. Case study

This study applies a newly developed model, the Gaussian trajectory transfer-coefficient model (GTx) (Part I, Atmos. Environ., this issue), to Taichung City. Two fossil-fueled power plants are situated in the vicinity of Taichung City. The model was calibrated in the winter of 1997 and verified throughout the entire following year of 1998. The results indicate that the correlation coefficients (r(2)) for the daily concentrations of various pollutants were in the range of 0.49-0.83 during the calibrated period and in the range of 0.37-0.71 during the verification period. The advantage of GTx is that the source/receptor relationship of sources can be determined in a single model run. It shows that line sources contributed to 62% of CO, 65% of NOx and 21% of nitrate aerosol; point sources contributed to 46% of SO2, 57% of sulfate aerosol and 27% of PM2.5; and area sources contributed to 18% of PM2.5 and 60% of PM2.5-10 during the PM10 episodes in 1998. During the episodes TC power plant contributed to more fractions of pollutants than during non-episode days since the sea breeze blew its plume to the city. According to our analysis, if a fossil-fueled power plant is built at 1-3 days upwind of a city with NOx emitted from an effective stack height within 100-800m, it has a higher potential to deteriorate the air quality of the city by increasing the concentration level of nitrate aerosols under unfavorable meteorological conditions. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved