25 research outputs found
sec-certs: Examining the security certification practice for better vulnerability mitigation
Products certified under security certification frameworks such as Common
Criteria undergo significant scrutiny during the costly certification process.
Yet, critical vulnerabilities, including private key recovery (ROCA, Minerva,
TPM-Fail...), get discovered in certified products with high assurance levels.
Furthermore, assessing which certified products are impacted by such
vulnerabilities is complicated due to the large amount of unstructured
certification-related data and unclear relationships between the certificates.
To address these problems, we conducted a large-scale automated analysis of
Common Criteria and FIPS 140 certificates. We trained unsupervised models to
learn which vulnerabilities from NIST's National Vulnerability Database impact
existing certified products and how certified products reference each other.
Our tooling automates the analysis of tens of thousands of
certification-related documents, extracting machine-readable features where
manual analysis is unattainable. Further, we identify the security requirements
that are associated with products being affected by fewer and less severe
vulnerabilities (on average). This indicates which aspects of certification
correlate with higher security. We demonstrate how our tool can be used for
better vulnerability mitigation on four case studies of known, high-profile
vulnerabilities. All tools and continuously updated results are available at
https://seccerts.org
Structural and functional basis of mammalian microRNA biogenesis by Dicer
MicroRNA (miRNA) and RNA interference (RNAi) pathways rely on small RNAs produced by Dicer endonucleases. Mammalian Dicer primarily supports the essential gene-regulating miRNA pathway, but how it is specifically adapted to miRNA biogenesis is unknown. We show that the adaptation entails a unique structural role of Dicerâs DExD/H helicase domain. Although mice tolerate loss of its putative ATPase function, the complete absence of the domain is lethal because it assures high-fidelity miRNA biogenesis. Structures of murine Dicerâ
miRNA precursor complexes revealed that the DExD/H domain has a helicase-unrelated structural function. It locks Dicer in a closed state, which facilitates miRNA precursor selection. Transition to a cleavage-competent open state is stimulated by Dicer-binding protein TARBP2. Absence of the DExD/H domain or its mutations unlocks the closed state, reduces substrate selectivity, and activates RNAi. Thus, the DExD/H domain structurally contributes to mammalian miRNA biogenesis and underlies mechanistical partitioning of miRNA and RNAi pathways
Outcome in patients perceived as receiving excessive care across different ethical climates: a prospective study in 68 intensive care units in Europe and the USA
Purpose: Whether the quality of the ethical climate in the intensive care unit (ICU) improves the identification of patients receiving excessive care and affects patient outcomes is unknown. Methods: In this prospective observational study, perceptions of excessive care (PECs) by clinicians working in 68 ICUs in Europe and the USA were collected daily during a 28-day period. The quality of the ethical climate in the ICUs was assessed via a validated questionnaire. We compared the combined endpoint (death, not at home or poor quality of life at 1 year) of patients with PECs and the time from PECs until written treatment-limitation decisions (TLDs) and death across the four climates defined via cluster analysis. Results: Of the 4747 eligible clinicians, 2992 (63%) evaluated the ethical climate in their ICU. Of the 321 and 623 patients not admitted for monitoring only in ICUs with a good (n = 12, 18%) and poor (n = 24, 35%) climate, 36 (11%) and 74 (12%), respectively were identified with PECs by at least two clinicians. Of the 35 and 71 identified patients with an available combined endpoint, 100% (95% CI 90.0â1.00) and 85.9% (75.4â92.0) (P = 0.02) attained that endpoint. The risk of death (HR 1.88, 95% CI 1.20â2.92) or receiving a written TLD (HR 2.32, CI 1.11â4.85) in patients with PECs by at least two clinicians was higher in ICUs with a good climate than in those with a poor one. The differences between ICUs with an average climate, with (n = 12, 18%) or without (n = 20, 29%) nursing involvement at the end of life, and ICUs with a poor climate were less obvious but still in favour of the former. Conclusion: Enhancing the quality of the ethical climate in the ICU may improve both the identification of patients receiving excessive care and the decision-making process at the end of life
Intracellular trafficking and PIN-mediated cell polarity during tropic responses in plants
Subcellular trafficking and cell polarity are basic cellular processes crucial for plant development including tropisms - directional growth responses to environmental stimuli such as light or gravity. Tropisms involve auxin gradient across the stimulated organ that underlies the differential cell elongation and bending. The perception of light or gravity is followed by changes in the polar, cellular distribution of the PIN auxin transporters. Such re-specification of polar trafficking pathways is a part of the mechanism, by which plants adjust their phenotype to environmental changes. Recent genetic and biochemical studies provided the important insights into mechanisms of PIN polarization during tropisms. In this review, we summarize the present state of knowledge on dynamic PIN repolarization and its specific regulations during hypocotyl tropisms
Using graphene/styrene-isoprene-styrene copolymer composite thin film as a flexible microstrip antenna for the detection of heptane vapors
Microstrip Resonant Sensor for Differentiation of Components in Vapor Mixtures
A novel microstrip resonant vapor sensor made from a conductive multiwalled carbon nanotubes/ethylene-octene copolymer composite, of which its sensing properties were distinctively altered by vapor polarity, was developed for the detection of organic vapors. The alteration resulted from the modified composite electronic impedance due to the penetration of the vapors into the copolymer matrix, which subsequently swelled, increased the distances between the carbon nanotubes, and disrupted the conducting paths. This in turn modified the reflection coefficient frequency spectra. Since both the spectra and magnitudes of the reflection coefficients at the resonant frequencies of tested vapors were distinct, a combination of these parameters was used to identify the occurrence of a particular vapor or to differentiate components of vapor mixtures. Thus, one multivariate MWCNT/copolymer microstrip resonant sensor superseded an array of selective sensors
Pressure-Driven Piezoelectric Sensors and Energy Harvesting in Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene Terephthalate Film
This study reports the possibility of using biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) plastic packaging to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Electricity is generated due to the piezoelectricity of BOPET. Electricity generation depends on the mechanical deformation of the processing aids (inorganic crystals), which were found and identified by SEM and EDAX analyses as SiO2. BOPET, as an electron source, was assembled and tested as an energy conversion and self-powered mechanical stimuli sensor using potential applications in wearable electronics. When a pressure pulse after pendulum impact with a maximum stress of 926 kPa and an impact velocity of 2.1 m/s was applied, a voltage of 60 V was generated with short-circuit current and charge densities of 15 ÎŒAcmâ2 and 138 nCmâ2, respectively. Due to the orientation and stress-induced crystallization of polymer chains, BOPET films acquire very good mechanical properties, which are not lost during their primary usage as packaging materials and are beneficial for the durability of the sensors. The signals detected using BOPET sensors derived from pendulum impact and sieve analyses were also harvested for up to 80 cycles and up to 40 s with short-circuit voltages of 107 V and 95 V, respectively. In addition to their low price, the advantage of sensors made from BOPET plastic packaging waste lies in their chemical resistance and stability under exposure to oxygen, ultraviolet light, and moisture
Sensing element for detection of polar organic vapours on the base of polyaniline-composite - Effect of substrate surface area
Wearable and Stretchable SEBS/CB Polymer Conductive Strand as a Piezoresistive Strain Sensor
A wearable and stretchable strain sensor with a gauge factor above 23 was prepared using a simple and effective technique. Conducting nanocomposite strands were prepared from styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene triblock copolymer (SEBS) and carbon black (CB) through a solvent-processing method that uses a syringe pump. This novel nanocomposite preparation technique is a straightforward and cost-effective process and is reported in the literature for the first time. The work included two stages: the flexible nanocomposite preparation stage and the piezoresistive sensor stage. Depending on its molecular structure, the thermoelastic polymer SEBS is highly resilient to stress and strain. The main aim of this work is to fabricate a highly flexible and piezoresistive nanocomposite fibre/strand. Among the prepared composites, a composite corresponding to a composition just above the percolation threshold was selected to prepare the strain sensor, which exhibited good flexibility and conductivity and a large piezoresistive effect that was linearly dependent on the applied strain. The prepared nanocomposite sensor was stitched onto a sports T-shirt. Commercially available knee and elbow sleeves were also purchased, and the nanocomposite SEBS/CB strands were sewn separately on the two sleeves. The results showed a high sensitivity of the sensing element in the case of breathing activity (normal breathing, a 35% change, and deep breathing at 135%, respectively). In the case of knee and elbow movements, simultaneous measurements were performed and found that the sensor was able to detect movement cycles during walking