375 research outputs found
Manifesting Unobtainable Secrets: Threshold Elliptic Curve Key Generation using Nested Shamir Secret Sharing
We present a mechanism to manifest unobtainable secrets using a nested Shamir
secret sharing scheme to create public/private key pairs for elliptic curves. A
threshold secret sharing scheme can be used as a decentralised trust mechanism
with applications in identity validation, message decryption, and agreement
empowerment. Decentralising trust means that there is no single point
vulnerability which could enable compromise of a system. Our primary interest
is in twisted Edwards curves as used in EdDSA, and the related Diffie-Hellman
key-exchange algorithms. The key generation is also decentralised, so can be
used as a decentralised secret RNG suitable for use in other algorithms. The
algorithms presented could be used to fill a ``[TBS]'' in the draft IETF
specification ``Threshold modes in elliptic curves'' published in 2020 and
updated in 2022
Type I interferon receptor controls B-cell expression of nucleic acid-sensing Toll-like receptors and autoantibody production in a murine model of lupus
INTRODUCTION: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by the production of high-titer IgG autoantibodies directed against nuclear autoantigens. Type I interferon (IFN-I) has been shown to play a pathogenic role in this disease. In the current study, we characterized the role of the IFNAR2 chain of the type I IFN (IFN-I) receptor in the targeting of nucleic acid-associated autoantigens and in B-cell expression of the nucleic acid-sensing Toll-like receptors (TLRs), TLR7 and TLR9, in the pristane model of lupus. METHODS: Wild-type (WT) and IFNAR2-/- mice were treated with pristane and monitored for proteinuria on a monthly basis. Autoantibody production was determined by autoantigen microarrays and confirmed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoprecipitation. Serum immunoglobulin isotype levels, as well as B-cell cytokine production in vitro, were quantified by ELISA. B-cell proliferation was measured by thymidine incorporation assay. RESULTS: Autoantigen microarray profiling revealed that pristane-treated IFNAR2-/- mice lacked autoantibodies directed against components of the RNA-associated autoantigen complexes Smith antigen/ribonucleoprotein (Sm/RNP) and ribosomal phosphoprotein P0 (RiboP). The level of IgG anti-single-stranded DNA and anti-histone autoantibodies in pristane-treated IFNAR2-/- mice was decreased compared to pristane-treated WT mice. TLR7 expression and activation by a TLR7 agonist were dramatically reduced in B cells from IFNAR2-/- mice. IFNAR2-/- B cells failed to upregulate TLR7 as well as TLR9 expression in response to IFN-I, and effector responses to TLR7 and TLR9 agonists were significantly decreased as compared to B cells from WT mice following treatment with IFN-alpha. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies provide a critical link between the IFN-I pathway and the regulation of TLR-specific B-cell responses in a murine model of SLE
A hot spot on interferon α/β receptor subunit 1 (IFNAR1) underpins its interaction with interferon-β and dictates signaling
The interaction of IFN-β with its receptor IFNAR1 (interferon α/β receptor subunit 1) is vital for host-protective anti-viral and anti-proliferative responses, but signaling via this interaction can be detrimental if dysregulated. Whereas it is established that IFNAR1 is an essential component of the IFNAR signaling complex, the key residues underpinning the IFN-β-IFNAR1 interaction are unknown. Guided by the crystal structure of the IFN-β-IFNAR1 complex, we used truncation variants and site-directed mutagenesis to investigate domains and residues enabling complexation of IFN-β to IFNAR1. We have identified an interface on IFNAR1-subdomain-3 that is differentially utilized by IFN-β and IFN-α for signal transduction. We used surface plasmon resonance and cell-based assays to investigate this important IFN-β binding interface that is centered on IFNAR1 residues Tyr240 and Tyr274 binding the C and N termini of the B and C helices of IFN-β, respectively. Using IFNAR1 and IFN-β variants, we show that this interface contributes significantly to the affinity of IFN-β for IFNAR1, its ability to activate STAT1, the expression of interferon stimulated genes, and ultimately to the anti-viral and anti-proliferative properties of IFN-β. These results identify a key interface created by IFNAR1 residues Tyr240 and Tyr274 interacting with IFN-β residues Phe63, Leu64, Glu77, Thr78, Val81, and Arg82 that underlie IFN-β-IFNAR1-mediated signaling and biological processes
Eyewitness metamemory predicts identification performance in biased and unbiased line‐ups
Purpose Distinguishing accurate from inaccurate identifications is a challenging issue in the criminal justice system, especially for biased police line-ups. That is because biased line-ups undermine the diagnostic value of accuracy post-dictors such as confidence and decision time. Here, we aimed to test general and eyewitness-specific self-ratings of memory capacity as potential estimators of identification performance that are unaffected by line-up bias. Methods Participants (N = 744) completed a metamemory assessment consisting of the Multifactorial Metamemory Questionnaire and the Eyewitness Metamemory Scale and took part in a standard eyewitness paradigm. Following the presentation of a mock-crime video, they viewed either biased or unbiased line-ups. Results Self-ratings of discontentment with eyewitness memory ability were indicative of identification accuracy for both biased and unbiased line-ups. Participants who scored low on eyewitness metamemory factors also displayed a stronger confidence-accuracy calibration than those who scored high. Conclusions These results suggest a promising role for self-ratings of memory capacity in the evaluation of eyewitness identifications, while also advancing theory on self-assessments for different memory systems
Sensitive Search for a Permanent Muon Electric Dipole Moment
We are proposing a new method to carry out a dedicated search for a permanent
electric dipole moment (EDM) of the muon with a sensitivity at a level of
10^{-24} e cm. The experimental design exploits the strong motional electric
field sensed by relativistic particles in a magnetic storage ring. As a key
feature, a novel technique has been invented in which the g-2 precession is
compensated with radial electric field. This technique will benefit greatly
when the intense muon sources advocated by the developers of the muon storage
rings and the muon colliders become available.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures. Submitted for publication in Proceedings of the
International Workshop on High Intensity Muon Sources (HIMUS99), KEK, Japan,
December 1-4 199
Body size and tree species composition determine variation in prey consumption in a forest-inhabiting generalist predator
Trophic interactions may strongly depend on body size and environmental variation, but this prediction has been seldom tested in nature. Many spiders are generalist predators that use webs to intercept flying prey. The size and mesh of orb webs increases with spider size, allowing a more efficient predation on larger prey. We studied to this extent the orb-weaving spider Araneus diadematus inhabiting forest fragments differing in edge distance, tree diversity, and tree species. These environmental variables are known to correlate with insect composition, richness, and abundance. We anticipated these forest characteristics to be a principle driver of prey consumption. We additionally hypothesized them to impact spider size at maturity and expect shifts toward larger prey size distributions in larger individuals independently from the environmental context. We quantified spider diet by means of metabarcoding of nearly 1,000 A. diadematus from a total of 53 forest plots. This approach allowed a massive screening of consumption dynamics in nature, though at the cost of identifying the exact prey identity, as well as their abundance and putative intraspecific variation. Our study confirmed A. diadematus as a generalist predator, with more than 300 prey ZOTUs detected in total. At the individual level, we found large spiders to consume fewer different species, but adding larger species to their diet. Tree species composition affected both prey species richness and size in the spider's diet, although tree diversity per se had no influence on the consumed prey. Edges had an indirect effect on the spider diet as spiders closer to the forest edge were larger and therefore consumed larger prey. We conclude that both intraspecific size variation and tree species composition shape the consumed prey of this generalist predator
Discovering the New Standard Model: Fundamental Symmetries and Neutrinos
This White Paper describes recent progress and future opportunities in the
area of fundamental symmetries and neutrinos.Comment: Report of the Fundamental Symmetries and Neutrinos Workshop, August
10-11, 2012, Chicago, I
Search for Lorentz and CPT Violation Effects in Muon Spin Precession
The spin precession frequency of muons stored in the storage ring has
been analyzed for evidence of Lorentz and CPT violation. Two Lorentz and CPT
violation signatures were searched for: a nonzero
(=); and a sidereal variation of
. No significant effect is found, and the following
limits on the standard-model extension parameters are obtained: GeV; GeV; and the 95% confidence level limits
GeV and
GeV.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters, Modified to
answer the referees suggestion
Physics at a Fermilab Proton Driver
This report documents the physics case for building a 2 MW, 8 GeV
superconducting linac proton driver at Fermilab.Comment: 52 pages, 15 figure
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