436 research outputs found
Efficient Verifiable Computation of XOR for Biometric Authentication
This work addresses the security and privacy issues in remotebiometric authentication by proposing an efficient mechanism to verifythe correctness of the outsourced computation in such protocols.In particular, we propose an efficient verifiable computation of XORingencrypted messages using an XOR linear message authenticationcode (MAC) and we employ the proposed scheme to build a biometricauthentication protocol. The proposed authentication protocol is bothsecure and privacy-preserving against malicious (as opposed to honest-but-curious) adversaries. Specifically, the use of the verifiable computation scheme together with an homomorphic encryption protects the privacy of biometric templates against malicious adversaries. Furthermore, in order to achieve unlinkability of authentication attempts, while keeping a low communication overhead, we show how to apply Oblivious RAM and biohashing to our protocol. We also provide a proof of security for the proposed solution. Our simulation results show that the proposed authentication protocol is efficient
Epidermal growth factor suppresses induction by progestin of the adhesion protein desmoplakin in T47D breast cancer cells
INTRODUCTION: Although the effects of progesterone on cell cycle progression are well known, its role in spreading and adhesion of breast cancer cells has not attracted much attention until recently. Indeed, by controlling cell adhesion proteins, progesterone may play a direct role in breast cancer invasion and metastasis. Progesterone has also been shown to modulate epidermal growth factor (EGF) effects in neoplasia, although EGF effects on progesterone pathways and targets are less well understood. In the present study we identify an effect of EGF on a progesterone target, namely desmoplakin. METHODS: Initially flow cytometry was used to establish the growing conditions and demonstrate that the T47D breast cancer cell line was responding to progesterone and EGF in a classical manner. Differential display RT-PCR was employed to identify differentially expressed genes affected by progesterone and EGF. Western and Northern blotting were used to verify interactions between EGF and progesterone in three breast cancer cell lines: T47D, MCF-7, and ZR-75. RESULTS: We found the cell adhesion protein desmoplakin to be upregulated by progesterone – a process that was suppressed by EGF. This appears to be a general but not universal effect in breast cancer cell lines. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that progesterone and EGF may play opposing roles in metastasis. They also suggest that desmoplakin may be a useful biomarker for mechanistic studies designed to analyze the crosstalk between EGF and progesterone dependent events. Our work may help to bridge the fields of metastasis and differentiation, and the mechanisms of steroid action
A Longitudinal Study of Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Dependence Treatments in Massachusetts and Associated Decreases in Hospitalizations for Cardiovascular Disease
Thomas Land and colleagues show that among Massachusetts Medicaid subscribers, use of a comprehensive tobacco cessation pharmacotherapy benefit was followed by a substantial decrease in claims for hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction and acute coronary heart disease
The Hubble Constant
I review the current state of determinations of the Hubble constant, which
gives the length scale of the Universe by relating the expansion velocity of
objects to their distance. There are two broad categories of measurements. The
first uses individual astrophysical objects which have some property that
allows their intrinsic luminosity or size to be determined, or allows the
determination of their distance by geometric means. The second category
comprises the use of all-sky cosmic microwave background, or correlations
between large samples of galaxies, to determine information about the geometry
of the Universe and hence the Hubble constant, typically in a combination with
other cosmological parameters. Many, but not all, object-based measurements
give values of around 72-74km/s/Mpc , with typical errors of 2-3km/s/Mpc.
This is in mild discrepancy with CMB-based measurements, in particular those
from the Planck satellite, which give values of 67-68km/s/Mpc and typical
errors of 1-2km/s/Mpc. The size of the remaining systematics indicate that
accuracy rather than precision is the remaining problem in a good determination
of the Hubble constant. Whether a discrepancy exists, and whether new physics
is needed to resolve it, depends on details of the systematics of the
object-based methods, and also on the assumptions about other cosmological
parameters and which datasets are combined in the case of the all-sky methods.Comment: Extensively revised and updated since the 2007 version: accepted by
Living Reviews in Relativity as a major (2014) update of LRR 10, 4, 200
Androgen receptor expression predicts breast cancer survival: the role of genetic and epigenetic events
Background: Breast cancer outcome, including response to therapy, risk of metastasis and survival, is difficult to predict using currently available methods, highlighting the urgent need for more informative biomarkers. Androgen receptor (AR) has been implicated in breast carcinogenesis however its potential to be an informative biomarker has yet to be fully explored. In this study, AR protein levels were determined in a cohort of 73 Grade III invasive breast ductal adenocarcinomas
Excursions into the Evolution of Early-Type Galaxies in Clusters
Recent observations have revealed that early-type galaxies (ETG) in clusters
comprise an old galaxy population that is evolving passively. We review some
recent observations from the ground and from HST that show that ETG have
undergone a significant amount of luminosity evolution. This evolution is
traced by two projections of the fundamental plane (FP): the size-magnitude
relation (SMR) and the color-magnitude relation (CMR). We will briefly discuss
the relevance of all these results in the context of the universality of the
IMF.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, to appear in the proccedings of "New Quests in
Stellar Astrophysics: The Link Between Stars and Cosmology, Chavez et al. ed
Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays
The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device
in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken
during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the
number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for
all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The
efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments
reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per
layer is approximately 5 ns
Dental Occlusion in a Split Amazon Indigenous Population: Genetics Prevails over Environment
Background: Studies examining human and nonhuman primates have supported the hypothesis that the recent increase in
the occurrence of misalignment of teeth and/or incorrect relation of dental arches, named dental malocclusion, is mainly
attributed to the availability of a more processed diet and the reduced need for powerful masticatory action. For the first
time on live human populations, genetic and tooth wear influences on occlusal variation were examined in a split
indigenous population. The Arara-Iriri people are descendants of a single couple expelled from a larger village. In the
resultant village, expansion occurred through the mating of close relatives, resulting in marked genetic cohesion with
substantial genetic differences.
Methodology/Principal Findings: Dental malocclusion, tooth wear and inbreeding coefficient were evaluated. The sample
examined was composed of 176 individuals from both villages. Prevalence Ratio and descriptive differences in the
outcomes frequency for each developmental stage of the dentition were considered. Statistical differences between the
villages were examined using the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact statistic. Tooth wear and the inbreeding coefficient (F)
between the villages was tested with Mann-Whitney statistics. All the statistics were performed using two-tailed distribution
at p#0.05. The coefficient inbreeding (F) confirmed the frequent incestuous unions among the Arara-Iriri indigenous group.
Despite the tooth wear similarities, we found a striking difference in occlusal patterns between the two Arara villages. In the
original village, dental malocclusion was present in about one third of the population; whilst in the resultant village, the
occurrence was almost doubled. Furthermore, the morphological characteristics of malocclusion were strongly different
between the groups.
Conclusions/Significance: Our findings downplay the widespread influence of tooth wear, a direct evidence of what an
individual ate in the past, on occlusal variation of living human populations. They also suggest that genetics plays the most
important role on dental malocclusion etiology
Evaluation of multi-exponential curve fitting analysis of oxygen-quenched phosphorescence decay traces for recovering microvascular oxygen tension histograms
Although it is generally accepted that oxygen-quenched phosphorescence decay traces can be analyzed using the exponential series method (ESM), its application until now has been limited to a few (patho)physiological studies, probably because the reliability of the recovered oxygen tension (pO2) histograms has never been extensively evaluated and lacks documentation. The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the use of the ESM to adequately determine pO2 histograms from phosphorescence decay traces. For this purpose we simulated decay traces corresponding to uni- and bimodal pO2 distributions and recovered the pO2 histograms at different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Ultimately, we recovered microvascular pO2 histograms measured in the rat kidney in a model of endotoxemic shock and fluid resuscitation and showed that the mean microvascular oxygen tension, 〈pO2〉, decreased after induction of endotoxemia and that after 2 h of fluid resuscitation, 〈pO2〉 remained low, but the hypoxic peak that had arisen during endotoxemia was reduced. This finding illustrates the importance of recovering pO2 histograms under (patho)physiological conditions. In conclusion, this study has characterized how noise affects the recovery of pO2 histograms using the ESM and documented the reliability of the ESM for recovering both low- and high-pO2 distributions for SNRs typically found in experiments. This study might therefore serve as a frame of reference for investigations focused on oxygen (re)distribution during health and disease and encourage researchers to (re-)analyze data obtained in (earlier) studies possibly revealing new insights into complex disease states and treatment strategies
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