On Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types and Equivocation in Byzantine Setups

We explore the property of equivocation tolerance for Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs). We show that a subclass of CRDTs is equivocation-tolerant and can thereby cope with any number of Byzantine faults: Without equivocation detection, prevention or remediation, they still fulfill strong eventual consistency (SEC). We also conjecture that there is only one operation-based CRDT design supporting non-commutative operations that fulfills SEC in Byzantine environments with any number of faults

On Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types and Equivocation in Byzantine Setups

We explore the property of equivocation tolerance for Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs). We show that a subclass of CRDTs is equivocation-tolerant and can thereby cope with any number of Byzantine faults: Without equivocation detection, prevention or remediation, they still fulfill strong eventual consistency (SEC). We also conjecture that there is only one operation-based CRDT design supporting non-commutative operations that fulfills SEC in Byzantine environments with any number of faults

Einfluss von körperlicher Aktivität auf die Ausbildung einer Aortenklappensklerose im Tiermodell der LDL-Rezeptor-knockout-Maus

Regelmäßige körperliche Aktivität verlangsamt die Progression arteriosklerotischer Läsionen, reduziert oxidativen Stress und erhöht die Bioverfügbarkeit von Stickstoffmonoxid. Von diesen Vorgängen erwartet man auch eine Verbesserung des Outcomes bei degenerativen Aortenklappenerkrankungen. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es den Effekt von körperlicher Aktivität im Sinne einer Primärprävention auf die Ausbildung einer Aortenklappensklerose, die ein frühes Stadium in der Entwicklung einer Aortenklappenstenose darstellt, mit ihrem zu Grunde liegendem Pathomechanismus zu untersuchen. Hierfür wurde das Tiermodell der LDL-Rezeptor-knockout-Maus gewählt, da bereits in Studien die regelhafte Induktion von Aortenklappensklerosen und hämodynamisch relevante Stenosen durch cholesterinreiche Nahrung gezeigt werden konnte. Für die vorliegende Studie wurden 4 Wochen alte LDL-Rezeptor-knockout-Mäuse in 4 Gruppen randomisiert: Eine Kontroll-Gruppe mit normaler Diät und bewegungsarmen Lebensstil, eine Cholesterin-Gruppe mit cholesterinreicher Ernährung und bewegungsarmen Lebensstil, eine regelmäßige Trainingsgruppe mit cholesterinreicher Ernährung und regelmäßiger körperlicher Aktivität (60 min/d, 5 Tage/Woche) und eine gelegentlichen Trainingsgruppe, mit cholesterinreicher Ernähung und körperlicher Aktivität (60 min/d, 1 Tag/Woche) für jeweils 16 Wochen. In der 20. Woche wurden histologische Untersuchungen vorgenommen, die Verdickungen der Aortenklappen in der Cholesterin-Gruppe verglichen zur Kontroll-Gruppe zeigten. Regelmäßige, jedoch keine gelegentliche körperliche Aktivität reduziert signifikant diese Verdickung der Aortenklappe. Die immunhistochemischen Untersuchungen zeigten, dass eine Cholesterin-Diät die Endothelintegrität der Aortenklappe zerstört, wohingegen sie durch regelmäßige körperliche Aktivität geschützt wird. Weiterhin zeigte sich eine Erhöhung der Serum-Myeloperoxidase, der oxidierten Low Density Lipoproteine, der in situ Superoxide, als Marker für oxidativen Stress. Es konnten erhöhte Spiegel für Mac3, als Marker für Makrophagenakkumulation, α-smooth muscle actin, als Marker für Klappenfibrose und der proosteogene Marker Alkalische Phosphatase sowie eine erhöhte Mineralisation in der Cholesterin-Gruppe nachgewiesen werden. Wohingegen die genannten Marker in der Gruppe mit regelmäßiger körperlicher Aktivität erniedrigt nachgewiesen werden konnten. Die Ergebnisse der Polymerase-Kettenreaktion ergaben eine erhöhte Expression der messenger-RNA für α-smooth muscle actin, bone morphogentic protein-2, runt- related transcription factor-2 und Alkalische Phosphatase, als Marker für Klappenfibrose und Proosteogenese in der Cholesterin-Gruppe, dagegen waren sie durch regelmäßige körperliche Aktivität erniedrigt. Darüber hinaus erhöht regelmäßige körperliche Aktivität signifikant die Spiegel von zirkulierendem Fetuin-A, als Hemmstoff der Kalzifizierung verglichen zur Cholesterin-Gruppe. Schlussfolgernd lässt sich sagen, dass regelmäßige, jedoch keine gelegentliche körperliche Aktivität einer Aortenklappensklerose im Sinne einer Primärprävention durch eine Anzahl von Mechanismen, wie dem Schutz der Endothelintegrität, der Reduktion von Inflammation und oxidativem Stress sowie der Hemmung des osteogenen Signalweges, vorbeugt

Age-related macular degeneration associated polymorphism rs10490924 in ARMS2 results in deficiency of a complement activator

Background Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. The polymorphism rs10490924 in the ARMS2 gene is highly associated with AMD and linked to an indel mutation (del443ins54), the latter inducing mRNA instability. At present, the function of the ARMS2 protein, the exact cellular sources in the retina and the biological consequences of the rs10490924 polymorphism are unclear. Methods Recombinant ARMS2 was expressed in Pichia pastoris, and protein functions were studied regarding cell surface binding and complement activation in human serum using fluoresence-activated cell sorting (FACS) as well as laser scanning microscopy (LSM). Biolayer interferometry defined protein interactions. Furthermore, endogenous ARMS2 gene expression was studied in human blood derived monocytes and in human induced pluripotent stem cell- derived microglia (iPSdM) by PCR and LSM. The ARMS2 protein was localized in human genotyped retinal sections and in purified monocytes derived from AMD patients without the ARMS2 risk variant by LSM. ARMS2 expression in monocytes under oxidative stress was determined by Western blot analysis. Results Here, we demonstrate for the first time that ARMS2 functions as surface complement regulator. Recombinant ARMS2 binds to human apoptotic and necrotic cells and initiates complement activation by recruiting the complement activator properdin. ARMS2-properdin complexes augment C3b surface opsonization for phagocytosis. We also demonstrate for the first time expression of ARMS2 in human monocytes especially under oxidative stress and in microglia cells of the human retina. The ARMS2 protein is absent in monocytes and also in microglia cells, derived from patients homozygous for the ARMS2 AMD risk variant (rs10490924). Conclusions ARMS2 is likely involved in complement- mediated clearance of cellular debris. As AMD patients present with accumulated proteins and lipids on Bruch’s membrane, ARMS2 protein deficiency due to the genetic risk variant might be involved in drusen formation

Longitudinal Development of Primary and Secondary Posttraumatic Growth in Aging Veterans and Their Wives: Domain-Specific Trajectories

Posttraumatic growth (PTG), the positive psychological transformations that follow traumatic events, affects both direct survivors (primary PTG) and their significant others (secondary PTG). Though primary and secondary PTG have been widely investigated in the literature, their long-term trajectories decades after a traumatic event, especially as survivors enter older age, remain largely uninvestigated. Furthermore, it remains contested whether PTG adds up to a monolithic construct or rather consists of relatively independent components. Addressing these issues, we assessed a sample of Israeli male veterans from the 1973 Yom Kippur war (N = 349) and their wives (N = 156) at three time points over the course of nearly three decades. Both the veterans (primary survivors) and their wives (secondary survivors) reported PTG relating to the veterans' experiences during the war and/or captivity. Latent growth mixture modeling was conducted to identify trajectories of PTG on the five subscales of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory. Long-term trajectories of PTG followed heterogeneous patterns of fluctuation over time and particularly as participants entered older age. On most subscales, decreasing PTG scores were evident, a trend that was more pronounced among the primary survivors than the secondary survivors as primary and secondary PTG fluctuate considerably in the long-term and seem to decrease as individuals enter older age. Furthermore, it would seem that PTG should not be considered a holistic concept but rather a conglomeration of positive changes. Implications of the findings are discussed within the context of limitations and potential intervening factors

BlueSky: Combining Task Planning and Activity-Centric Access Control for Assistive Humanoid Robots

In the not too distant future, assistive humanoid robots will provide versatile assistance for coping with everyday life. In their interactions with humans, not only safety, but also security and privacy issues need to be considered. In this Blue Sky paper, we therefore argue that it is time to bring task planning and execution as a well-established field of robotics with access and usage control in the field of security and privacy closer together. In particular, the recently proposed activity-based view on access and usage control provides a promising approach to bridge the gap between these two perspectives. We argue that humanoid robots provide for specific challenges due to their task-universality and their use in both, private and public spaces. Furthermore, they are socially connected to various parties and require policy creation at runtime due to learning. We contribute first attempts on the architecture and enforcement layer as well as on joint modeling, and discuss challenges and a research roadmap also for the policy and objectives layer. We conclude that the underlying combination of decentralized systems\u27 and smart environments\u27 research aspects provides for a rich source of challenges that need to be addressed on the road to deployment