Polynomially Uncomputable Number-Theoretic Problems in Cryptography and Network Security

By far the most important automated tool for network and communications security is encryption, but encryption itself needs security. As we know, many cryptosystems and cryptographic protocols are based their security on some computationally intractable mathematical problems. In this paper, we shall discuss some of the number-theoretic problems that are currently polynomially uncomputable and thus provide a good base for cryptography and network security.

Cryptographic and Computational Challenges in Grid Computing

A computational grid is a large-scale distributed computing environment capable of providing dependable, consistent, pervasive, and inexpensive access to high-end computational resources so that complicated computation tasks, such as the verification of the Riemann hypothesis, the factorization of large composite numbers, and the break of difficult RSA codes, can be performed in a relatively cheap distributed environment rather than an expensive supercomputer. As different resources in a grid may have different access policies and different security measures, it is usually more difficult to achieve the secure computation in a distributed grid environment than a centralized computing environment. In this paper, we should discuss some securit

Improving text classification using local latent semantic indexing

Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) has been shown to be extremely useful in information retrieval, but it is not an optimal representation for text classification. It always drops the text classification performance when being applied to the whole training set (global LSI) because this completely unsupervised method ignores class discrimination while only concentrating on representation. Some local LSI methods have been proposed to improve the classification by utilizing class discrimination information. However, their performance improvements over original term vectors are still very limited. In this paper, we propose a new local LSI method called “Local Relevancy Weighted LSI ” to improve text classification by performing a separate Single Value Decomposition (SVD) on the transformed local region of each class. Experimental results show that our method is much better than global LSI and traditional local LSI methods on classification within a much smaller LSI dimension. 1

Is it possible for knowledge-based planning to improve intensity modulated radiation therapy plan quality for planners with different planning experiences in left-sided breast cancer patients?

Abstract Background Knowledge-based planning (KBP) is a promising technique that can improve plan quality and increase planning efficiency. However, no attempts have been made to extend the domain of KBP for planners with different planning experiences so far. The purpose of this study was to quantify the potential gains for planners with different planning experiences after implementing KBP in intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans for left-sided breast cancer patients. Methods The model libraries were populated with 80 expert clinical plans from treated patients who previously received left-sided breast-conserving surgery and IMRT with simultaneously integrated boost. The libraries were created on the RapidPlanTM. 6 planners with different planning experiences (2 beginner planners, 2 junior planners and 2 senior planners) generated manual and KBP optimized plans for additional 10 patients, similar to those included in the model libraries. The plan qualities were compared between manual and KBP plans. Results All plans were capable of achieving the prescription requirement. There were almost no statistically significant differences in terms of the planning target volume (PTV) coverage and dose conformality. It was demonstrated that the doses for most of organs-at-risk (OARs) were on average lower or equal in KBP plans compared to manual plans except for the senior planners, where the very small differences were not statistically significant. KBP data showed a systematic trend to have superior dose sparing at most parameters for the heart and ipsilateral lung. The observed decrease in the doses to these OARs could be achieved, particularly for the beginner and junior planners. Many differences were statistically significant. Conclusions It is feasible to generate acceptable IMRT plans after implementing KBP for left-sided breast cancer. KBP helps to effectively improve the quality of IMRT plans against the benchmark of manual plans for less experienced planners without any manual intervention. KBP showed promise for homogenizing the plan quality by transferring planning expertise from more experienced to less experienced planners

Helicase of Type 2 Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain HV Reveals a Unique Structure

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is prevalent throughout the world and has caused great economic losses to the swine industry. Nonstructural protein 10 (nsp10) is a superfamily 1 helicase participating in multiple processes of virus replication and one of the three most conserved proteins in nidoviruses. Here we report three high resolution crystal structures of highly pathogenic PRRSV nsp10. PRRSV nsp10 has multiple domains, including an N-terminal zinc-binding domain (ZBD), a β-barrel domain, a helicase core with two RecA-like domains, and a C-terminal domain (CTD). The CTD adopts a novel fold and is required for the overall structure and enzymatic activities. Although each domain except the CTD aligns well with its homologs, PRRSV nsp10 adopts an unexpected extended overall structure in crystals and solution. Moreover, structural and functional analyses of PRRSV nsp10 versus its closest homolog, equine arteritis virus nsp10, suggest that DNA binding might induce a profound conformational change of PRRSV nsp10 to exert functions, thus shedding light on the mechanisms of activity regulation of this helicase

Topical Application of Tat-Rac1 Promotes Cutaneous Wound Healing in Normal and Diabetic Mice.

The endogenous small GTPase, Rac1, plays a critical role during normal skin wound healing. It remains to be determined whether endogenous Rac1 can be appropriately activated in chronic wounds; if not, whether exogenous Rac1 has therapeutic effects on wound healing. Here we show that Rac1 protein levels were lower in wounds of db/db diabetic mice than wounds in wild type mice during the healing process. To assess the therapeutic potential of exogenous Rac1 in wound healing, we produced a Tat-Rac1 fusion protein that enters into cells through protein transduction. Tat-Rac1 increased proliferation and migration of keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts in vitro. Topical application of Tat-Rac1 accelerated cutaneous wound closure in vivo in db/db mice as well as wild type mice. Further analyses revealed that Tat-Rac1 had faster re-epithelialization, higher keratinocyte proliferation and migration without an earlier onset of myofibroblast activation than vehicle treated wounds. Tat-Rac1 also reduced inflammation in wounds. Our findings revealed the failure of diabetic wounds to elevate Rac1 expression and suggested a therapeutic strategy utilizing a Rac1-based biologic to compensate for this defect thereby promoting wound healing