958 research outputs found
Quantifying Information Leaks Using Reliability Analysis
acmid: 2632367 keywords: Model Counting, Quantitative Information Flow, Reliability Analysis, Symbolic Execution location: San Jose, CA, USA numpages: 4acmid: 2632367 keywords: Model Counting, Quantitative Information Flow, Reliability Analysis, Symbolic Execution location: San Jose, CA, USA numpages: 4acmid: 2632367 keywords: Model Counting, Quantitative Information Flow, Reliability Analysis, Symbolic Execution location: San Jose, CA, USA numpages: 4We report on our work-in-progress into the use of reliability analysis to quantify information leaks. In recent work we have proposed a software reliability analysis technique that uses symbolic execution and model counting to quantify the probability of reaching designated program states, e.g. assert violations, under uncertainty conditions in the environment. The technique has many applications beyond reliability analysis, ranging from program understanding and debugging to analysis of cyber-physical systems. In this paper we report on a novel application of the technique, namely Quantitative Information Flow analysis (QIF). The goal of QIF is to measure information leakage of a program by using information-theoretic metrics such as Shannon entropy or Renyi entropy. We exploit the model counting engine of the reliability analyzer over symbolic program paths, to compute an upper bound of the maximum leakage over all possible distributions of the confidential data. We have implemented our approach into a prototype tool, called QILURA, and explore its effectiveness on a number of case studie
Chronic white matter lesion activity predicts clinical progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis.
Chronic active and slowly expanding lesions with smouldering inflammation are neuropathological correlates of progressive multiple sclerosis pathology. T1 hypointense volume and signal intensity on T1-weighted MRI reflect brain tissue damage that may develop within newly formed acute focal inflammatory lesions or in chronic pre-existing lesions without signs of acute inflammation. Using a recently developed method to identify slowly expanding/evolving lesions in vivo from longitudinal conventional T2- and T1-weighted brain MRI scans, we measured the relative amount of chronic lesion activity as measured by change in T1 volume and intensity within slowly expanding/evolving lesions and non-slowly expanding/evolving lesion areas of baseline pre-existing T2 lesions, and assessed the effect of ocrelizumab on this outcome in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis participating in the phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind ORATORIO study (n = 732, NCT01194570). We also assessed the predictive value of T1-weighted measures of chronic lesion activity for clinical multiple sclerosis progression as reflected by a composite disability measure including the Expanded Disability Status Scale, Timed 25-Foot Walk and 9-Hole Peg Test. We observed in this clinical trial population that most of total brain non-enhancing T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation was derived from chronic lesion activity within pre-existing T2 lesions rather than new T2 lesion formation. There was a larger decrease in mean normalized T1 signal intensity and greater relative accumulation of T1 hypointense volume in slowly expanding/evolving lesions compared with non-slowly expanding/evolving lesions. Chronic white matter lesion activity measured by longitudinal T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation in slowly expanding/evolving lesions and in non-slowly expanding/evolving lesion areas of pre-existing lesions predicted subsequent composite disability progression with consistent trends on all components of the composite. In contrast, whole brain volume loss and acute lesion activity measured by longitudinal T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation in new focal T2 lesions did not predict subsequent composite disability progression in this trial at the population level. Ocrelizumab reduced longitudinal measures of chronic lesion activity such as T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation and mean normalized T1 signal intensity decrease both within regions of pre-existing T2 lesions identified as slowly expanding/evolving and in non-slowly expanding/evolving lesions. Using conventional brain MRI, T1-weighted intensity-based measures of chronic white matter lesion activity predict clinical progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis and may qualify as a longitudinal in vivo neuroimaging correlate of smouldering demyelination and axonal loss in chronic active lesions due to CNS-resident inflammation and/or secondary neurodegeneration across the multiple sclerosis disease continuum
NLO-QCD Corrections to Dilepton Production in the Randall-Sundrum Model
The dilepton production process at hadron colliders in the Randall-Sundrum
(RS) model is studied at next-to-leading order in QCD. The NLO-QCD corrections
have been computed for the virtual graviton exchange process in the RS model,
in addition to the usual gamma, Z-mediated processes of standard Drell-Yan.
K-factors for the cross-sections at the LHC and Tevatron for differential in
the invariant mass, Q, and the rapidity, Y, of the lepton pair are presented.
We find the K-factors are large over substantial regions of the phase space.Comment: 24 pages, 12 figure
Using perceptive computing in multiple sclerosis - the Short Maximum Speed Walk test
BACKGROUND: We investigated the applicability and feasibility of perceptive computing assisted gait analysis in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using Microsoft Kinect. To detect the maximum walking speed and the degree of spatial sway, we established a computerized and observer-independent measure, which we named Short Maximum Speed Walk (SMSW), and compared it to established clinical measures of gait disability in MS, namely the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW). METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 22 MS patients (age mean +/- SD 43 +/- 9 years, 13 female) and 22 age and gender matched healthy control subjects (HC) (age 37 +/- 11 years, 13 female). The disability level of each MS patient was graded using the EDSS (median 3.0, range 0.0-6.0). All subjects then performed the SMSW and the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW). The SMSW comprised five gait parameters, which together assessed average walking speed and gait stability in different dimensions (left/right, up/down and 3D deviation). RESULTS: SMSW average walking speed was slower in MS patients (1.6 +/- 0.3 m/sec) than in HC (1.8 +/- 0.4 m/sec) (p = 0.005) and correlated well with EDSS (Spearman's Rho 0.676, p < 0.001). Furthermore, SMSW revealed higher left/right deviation in MS patients compared to HC. SMSW showed high recognition quality and retest-reliability (covariance 0.13 m/sec, ICC 0.965, p < 0.001). There was a significant correlation between SMSW average walking speed and T25FW (Pearson's R = -0.447, p = 0.042). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that ambulation tests using Microsoft Kinect are feasible, well tolerated and can detect clinical gait disturbances in patients with MS. The retest-reliability was on par with the T25FW
On nonlinear susceptibility in supercooled liquids
In this paper, we discuss theoretically the behavior of the four point
nonlinear susceptibility and its associated correlation length for supercooled
liquids close to the Mode Coupling instability temperature . We work in
the theoretical framework of the glass transition as described by mean field
theory of disordered systems, and the hypernetted chain approximation. Our
results give an interpretation framework for recent numerical findings on
heterogeneities in supercooled liquid dynamics.Comment: Proceedings of the Conference "Unifying Concepts in Glass Physics"
ICTP, Trieste, 15 - 18 September 199
Kaon mixing and the charm mass
We study contributions to the Delta S=2 weak Chiral Lagrangian producing
K0-K0bar mixing which are not enhanced by the charm mass. For the real part,
these contributions turn out to be related to the box diagram with up quarks
but, unlike in perturbation theory, they do not vanish in the limit m_u->0.
They increase the leading contribution to the K_L-K_S mass difference by ~10%.
This means that short distances amount to (90+-15)% of this mass difference.
For the imaginary part, we find a correction to the lambda_c^2 m_c^2 term of
-5% from the integration of charm, which is a small contribution to epsilon_K.
The calculation is done in the large-Nc limit and we show explicitly how to
match short and long distances.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures. Typos fixe
Family Unification, Exotic States and Light Magnetic Monopoles
Models with fermions in bifundamental representations can lead naturally to
family unification as opposed to family replication. Such models typically
predict (exotic) color singlet states with fractional electric charge, and
magnetic monopoles with multiple Dirac charge. The exotics may be at the TeV
scale, and relatively light magnetic monopoles (greater than about 10^7 GeV)
can be present in the galaxy with abundance near the Parker bound. We focus on
three family SU(4)XSU(3)XSU(3) models.Comment: 37 page
Mixed axion/neutralino cold dark matter in supersymmetric models
We consider supersymmetric (SUSY) models wherein the strong CP problem is
solved by the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) mechanism with a concommitant axion/axino
supermultiplet. We examine R-parity conserving models where the neutralino is
the lightest SUSY particle, so that a mixture of neutralinos and axions serve
as cold dark matter. The mixed axion/neutralino CDM scenario can match the
measured dark matter abundance for SUSY models which typically give too low a
value of the usual thermal neutralino abundance, such as models with wino-like
or higgsino-like dark matter. The usual thermal neutralino abundance can be
greatly enhanced by the decay of thermally-produced axinos to neutralinos,
followed by neutralino re-annihilation at temperatures much lower than
freeze-out. In this case, the relic density is usually neutralino dominated,
and goes as \sim (f_a/N)/m_{axino}^{3/2}. If axino decay occurs before
neutralino freeze-out, then instead the neutralino abundance can be augmented
by relic axions to match the measured abundance. Entropy production from
late-time axino decays can diminish the axion abundance, but ultimately not the
neutralino abundance. In mixed axion/neutralino CDM models, it may be possible
to detect both a WIMP and an axion as dark matter relics. We also discuss
possible modifications of our results due to production and decay of saxions.
In the appendices, we present expressions for the Hubble expansion rate and the
axion and neutralino relic densities in radiation, matter and decaying-particle
dominated universes.Comment: 31 pages including 21 figure
Chronic white matter lesion activity predicts clinical progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis
Chronic active and slowly expanding lesions with smouldering inflammation are neuropathological correlates of progressive multiple sclerosis pathology. T1 hypointense volume and signal intensity on T1-weighted MRI reflect brain tissue damage that may develop within newly formed acute focal inflammatory lesions or in chronic pre-existing lesions without signs of acute inflammation. Using a recently developed method to identify slowly expanding/evolving lesions in vivo from longitudinal conventional T2- and T1-weighted brain MRI scans, we measured the relative amount of chronic lesion activity as measured by change in T1 volume and intensity within slowly expanding/evolving lesions and non-slowly expanding/evolving lesion areas of baseline pre-existing T2 lesions, and assessed the effect of ocrelizumab on this outcome in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis participating in the phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind ORATORIO study (n = 732, NCT01194570). We also assessed the predictive value of T1-weighted measures of chronic lesion activity for clinical multiple sclerosis progression as reflected by a composite disability measure including the Expanded Disability Status Scale, Timed 25-Foot Walk and 9-Hole Peg Test. We observed in this clinical trial population that most of total brain non-enhancing T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation was derived from chronic lesion activity within pre-existing T2 lesions rather than new T2 lesion formation. There was a larger decrease in mean normalized T1 signal intensity and greater relative accumulation of T1 hypointense volume in slowly expanding/evolving lesions compared with non-slowly expanding/evolving lesions. Chronic white matter lesion activity measured by longitudinal T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation in slowly expanding/evolving lesions and in non-slowly expanding/evolving lesion areas of pre-existing lesions predicted subsequent composite disability progression with consistent trends on all components of the composite. In contrast, whole brain volume loss and acute lesion activity measured by longitudinal T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation in new focal T2 lesions did not predict subsequent composite disability progression in this trial at the population level. Ocrelizumab reduced longitudinal measures of chronic lesion activity such as T1 hypointense lesion volume accumulation and mean normalized T1 signal intensity decrease both within regions of pre-existing T2 lesions identified as slowly expanding/evolving and in non-slowly expanding/evolving lesions. Using conventional brain MRI, T1-weighted intensity-based measures of chronic white matter lesion activity predict clinical progression in primary progressive multiple sclerosis and may qualify as a longitudinal in vivo neuroimaging correlate of smouldering demyelination and axonal loss in chronic active lesions due to CNS-resident inflammation and/or secondary neurodegeneration across the multiple sclerosis disease continuum
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