An Efficient Authentication Protocol for Smart Grid Communication Based on On-Chip-Error-Correcting Physical Unclonable Function

Security has become a main concern for the smart grid to move from research and development to industry. The concept of security has usually referred to resistance to threats by an active or passive attacker. However, since smart meters (SMs) are often placed in unprotected areas, physical security has become one of the important security goals in the smart grid. Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) have been largely utilized for ensuring physical security in recent years, though their reliability has remained a major problem to be practically used in cryptographic applications. Although fuzzy extractors have been considered as a solution to solve the reliability problem of PUFs, they put a considerable computational cost to the resource-constrained SMs. To that end, we first propose an on-chip-error-correcting (OCEC) PUF that efficiently generates stable digits for the authentication process. Afterward, we introduce a lightweight authentication protocol between the SMs and neighborhood gateway (NG) based on the proposed PUF. The provable security analysis shows that not only the proposed protocol can stand secure in the Canetti-Krawczyk (CK) adversary model but also provides additional security features. Also, the performance evaluation demonstrates the significant improvement of the proposed scheme in comparison with the state-of-the-art

Association of interleukin-4 polymorphisms with multiple sclerosis in southeastern Iranian patients

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Immune system related factors are important in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Interleukin 4 (IL-4) as a helper T cell (2TH) cytokine is involved in the regulation of immune responses. Hence, this study was designed to explore the association between MS and polymorphisms in the -590 region of IL-4. DESIGN AND SETTING: A descriptive study at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsnajan from September 2009 to August 2010. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 100 MS patients and 150 healthy controls on EDTA precoated tubes. DNA was extracted and analyzed for IL-4 polymorphisms using restricted fragment length polymorphism in patients and controls. Demographic data were also collected by a questionnaire that was designed specifically for this study. RESULTS: We observed a significant difference in the C/C, T/C, and T/T genotypes of the -590 region of IL-4 between patients with MS and healthy controls (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that functional polymorphisms of IL-4 possibly play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of MS

The Relationship between High Sensitive C-reaction Protein (hs-CRP) and Diastolic Heart Function in Diabetes Mellitus Type II

Among several inflammatory markers, high sensitive C-reaction protein (hs-CRP) is outstandingly observed in diabetic individuals. Serum hs-CRP is the main marker of inflammation whose levels independently predict the risk of cardiovascular events, and it has a prognostic value in heart patients. On the other hand, diabetes can lead to diastolic dysfunction of the heart. Diastolic dysfunction can cause symptoms of exertional dyspnea, which restricts the patient’s activity. It is likely to predict diastolic dysfunction by screening through hs-CRP. The present investigation was a case-control study that was carried out on 52 patient diagnosed with diabetes mellitus type II. After the demographic data were recorded, and following the collection of data on the patients’ history, physical examination, and para-clinical measures, individuals who had factors interfering with level of serum hs-CRP (kidney and liver diseases, inflammatory and infectious diseases, peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, connective tissue disease, malignant tumor, trauma, consumptionof statins, aspirin, ACEI, and fibrates) and diastolic dysfunction (ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathies, pericardial disease, arrhythmias and valvular disease) were crossed out of the study. Serum hs-CRP was measured by nephelometry method. According to the results of tissue Doppler echocardiography, these patients are divided into two groups: onewith diastolic dysfunction and the other without diastolic dysfunction. The serum hs-CRP levels of these patients were compared with each other. Among the participants, 30.8% were men and 69.2% were women, 36 individuals (69.2%) had diastolic dysfunction while 16 (30.8%) did not. There was a high level of correlation between the level of serumhs-CRP and diastolic dysfunction (p=0.02, t=2.36). The results of the present study indicated that there is a correlation between level of serum hs-CRP and diastolic dysfunction, such that the more the level of hs-CRP, the higher probability of diastolic dysfunction existence will be

Epidemiological study of cholera in Qazvin city during summer of 2011

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Two main epidemiological characteristic of disease is tendency for create of sudden outbreaks and the ability to causing a pandemic. The objective of this study is to describe the epidemiology of the disease. This survey is a descriptive cross-sectional study based on reports from the health centers and hospitals covered by city health centers. Rectal swab is obtained from all suspected cases. After reporting each positive case, health team was sent to the location and it completed the epidemiological form. Data were analyzed by version 16 of SPSS software. All reported patients were 44 cases. Epidemic lasted from 4 August to 18 September 2011. Ogawa was the predominant pathogenic serosubtype. 47.7% of all patients admitted to the hospital and 52.3% were treated as outpatients. Most of the patients were in age group &gt;60 years and there were no reports of disease in age group under 15 years.  2 of the 44 patients had mild symptoms of diarrhea, 13 patients had moderate and 29 cases had severe diarrhea. Not affection of age groups less than 15 years indicates epidemic patterns of disease in the city. Severity of symptoms is important in case finding; then, in disease surveillance system we should obtain rectal swab specimen from all cases of diarrhea with severe symptoms.

Recognition of fishes in rivers and basin of Qom

This study was carried out on rivers, basins & qanat of Qom region during the 1376-1378and Fish samples were taken from 2 permanent rivers (Qomrood ,Ghara_chag)& from some seasonal ones (Tagharood, Zavarian, Vesva, Biraghan). Also local fishes was followed in 100 qanats in the region and Random fish sampling was done in permanent river extension out of province. This study aimed to recognize different fish species in the province water reservoir and estimating the fisheries potential in the province. For fish sampling nets such as mashk, salik, hook and hand tailored were used. Electroshoker was not used at all. Results of fish recognition showed that fish samples belong to 12 species & 4 family of "cyprinidae", "Balitoridae", "cyprinodontidae" and "poecilidae".The qanat fishes of the montain (kahak, Khagestan) and pastora area (Ghanavat,jafarabad) included by two families of "cyprinid", "Balitoridea".In some qanat which were connected to rivers more species of fish and anotherAquatic animal were observed & sampled.At the and map of geographical distribution of local fishes was planned

Zinc application mitigates copper toxicity by regulating cu uptake, activity of antioxidant enzymes, and improving physiological characteristics in summer squash

Zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) are essential micronutrients for the plant’s growth, development, and metabolism, but in high concentrations, the elements disrupt normal metabolic processes. The present study investigated the effects of different concentrations (added to a Hogland-based solution) of zinc (control, 5, 10 mg L−1 ZnSO4) and copper (control, 0.1, 0.2 mg L−1 CuSO4) on the growth characteristics and biochemical indices of summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.). Compared with control, a single application of Cu or Zn at both concentrations significantly declined fruit yield, growth traits, pigments content, and high content of these minerals and values of stress-related indices. Increased Cu concentration in the nutritional solutions reduced the activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPX). Copper at high concentrations intensified ROS production, aggravated oxidative stresses, and decreased the plant yield and productivity. Nonetheless, combining Cu and Zn could alleviate stress intensity by boosting antioxidant enzymes, redox regulation, and a resultant diminishment in the content of H2O2, proline, malondialdehyde, and minerals. The obtained results corroborate that the co-application of zinc in Cu-contaminated areas can improve the plant’s economic yield and physiological parameters by hindering copper toxicity and enhancing the photosynthetic capacity.GAIN (AxenciaGalega de Innovación) | Ref. IN607A2019/0

Evaluation of mineralogical changes of sediments affected by Dar-e-Allo copper mine, south of Kerman: application for environmental studies

Abstract The present study has been performed to evaluate the prospective effects of activity mining on the mineralogy of sediments in the Dar-e-Allo copper mine, south of Kerman. Sediments affected by Dar-e-Allo mine are divided into six sedimentary groups including: natural background sediments, sediments of waterways leading to the mine, sediments of the Sarmashk River, sediments under the waste rock dump, sediments containing secondary phases, Fe-Mg oxy-hydroxide sediments, and evaporative sediments. Mineralogical studies of sediments as an indicator to evaluate the environmental effects of mining are classified into five main groups including primary and unaltered, carbonate, clay, sulfate and oxide minerals. Sediments in the operational area of the Dar-e-Allo copper mine are associated with extreme mineralogical diversity. The sulphide minerals are the most important source of acid mine drainage and secondary minerals such as gypsum, starkeyite, copiapite, magnesiocopiapite and natrojarosite are the most important temporary reserves of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and H+ ions. The dissolution of the mentioned minerals, especially during the initial flushing events in the wet season, cause a sharp increase in the acidity and concentration of PTEs in the surface runoff. Keywords: Sediments, Mineralogy, Environment, Daralo Copper Mine     Introduction Mining operation and extraction of sulphide ore cause the oxidation of a group of sulphide minerals (pyrite and chalcopyrite) and the production of acid mine drainage (Woo and Choi 2001; Milu et al. 2002; Sinclair 2007). Sediments play an important role in physical, chemical and biological processes resulting from acidic runoff. This research attempt to evaluate the impact of mining activities on the natural sediments of the area by studying the mineralogy of surface sediments. Determining the role of these sediments in the absorption and release of PTEs from the sediments and entry into the water as a threat has great importance. The Dar-e-Allo Cu mine is one of the largest copper mines in the southeastern part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Belt (UDMB), about 120km south of Kerman, Iran. The oldest lithologic unit of this region is Eocene in age. The petrology of the area is predominantly composed of igneous and volcanic rocks. The host of Cu ores in the Dar-e-Allo mine is a massive granodiorite (Alimohamadi et al. 2015). The goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of mining activities on the mineralogy of sediments.   Materials and Methods Thirty-one sediment samples from five sedimentary systems were collected at the end of the dry season (September 2019), when evaporative phases are formed due to intense evaporation and the supersaturation process. The sampling locations included waste rock drainages, sediments along the natural streams, evaporative deposits, sediments containing ferrous compounds and natural background sediment. After drying, these samples were sieved. XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) analysis were performed on the samples for identification of minerals by the qualitative method at the Zar-Azma laboratory in Tehran.   Discussion of Results & Conclusions Mineralogical results confirmed the presence of 19 minerals in the composition of sediments. The identified minerals are classified into five main groups including primary and unaltered, carbonate, clay, sulphide and oxide minerals. Quartz, albite, orthoclase and hornblende are the most important primary minerals of lithogenic origin in sediment samples. Calcite and siderite are the only carbonate minerals identified in the sediment samples. The six minerals include chlorite, muscovite-illite, kaolinite, illite, montmorillonite and clinoptilolite are the important minerals resulting from alteration identified in the sediment samples. Moreover, five minerals including gypsum, copiapite, magnesiocopiapite, starkeyite and natrojarosite are the minerals that have stored sulfate ions in their composition. Oxide minerals include hematite and goethite. Mineralogical results show that each of the primary and secondary mineralogical compositions will show different environmental effects in the short and long term on the surrounding vital ecosystems. Albite and orthoclase as the major minerals through homogeneous or heterogeneous weathering (consumption of H+ or the production of HCO3-) can play an important role in reducing the acidity of weathering solutions and increasing the absorption of PTEs (Lottermoser 2003). Carbonate minerals neutralize the acid by forming HCO3- or H2CO3 (Skousen et al. 2000; García-Valero et al. 2020). Clay minerals can remove PTEs from Contaminated drains through cation exchange or surface adsorption (Ren et al. 2023). The consumption of H+ ions and the acidity of mine drainage decreases as a result of weathering of clay minerals (Elghali et al. 2021). As a result of the evaporation of sulfated waters, evaporate and secondary minerals with different compositions are deposited (Hammarstrom et al. 2003; Hammarstrom et al. 2005). The presence of copiapite minerals is proof of the acidic conditions of the sedimentation environment (Carbone et al. 2013). Gypsum is another important evaporative mineral in acidic drainage environments (Carbone et al. 2013). The formation of the starkeyite indicates intense evaporative conditions and the presence of Fe sulfide compounds (Sracek et al. 2004). The abundance of Na+ in the water of the mine area has provided suitable conditions for the natrojarosite formation (Bavi 2021). The Na+ required for the formation of natrojarosite is released from the weathering of albite, which is a common mineral in intermediate and acidic rocks (Desborough et al. 2010). The active presence of gypsum as a high degree of dissolution mineral in sulphide sediments (S23-S25) and very high to a dangerous degree of pollution (Bavi et al. 2023) are proof the temporary storage of H+ and PTEs in the mineralogical structure of gypsum. While sulfate salts containing Fe2+, Mn2+, Fe3+, and Al3+ (for example, starkeyite, copiapite, magnesiocopiapite, and natrojarosite) are insoluble (Lottermoser 2003) and are not easily to release H+ and PTEs to the aquatic system. The presence of these evaporite minerals with high dissolution intensity in acidic conditions (S17, S18, S23, S25) corresponds with a very high degree of contamination (Bavi et al. 2023). Hematite and goethite are stable iron oxides that have an active absorption surface and are capable of absorbing cations and anions from the surrounding environment (Carbone et al. 2013). Therefore, these minerals have a potential application in protecting the environment and absorbing PTEs from water and reducing their concentration in the solution phase. Sulphide minerals are the most important source of acid mine drainage, which depending on the composition of the host rock or sediments can cause acid production and the release of PTEs over a continuous time. In the studied area, the evaporate sediments have the highest amount of secondary minerals. The formation of these sediments only temporarily causes the storage of PTEs and H+ ions. Therefore, as a natural cleaning process, they play an important role in preventing the movement and transfer of PTEs into the environment. With the beginning of the wet season, especially during the first flood, water pollution will increase sharply; But with repeated rainfall, the intensity of pollution will decrease. Such a cycle of pollution transfer in the water environment and sediment will be repeated every year

Modeling hydrogen solubility in hydrocarbons using extreme gradient boosting and equations of state

Due to industrial development, designing and optimal operation of processes in chemical and petroleum processing plants require accurate estimation of the hydrogen solubility in various hydrocarbons. Equations of state (EOSs) are limited in accurately predicting hydrogen solubility, especially at high-pressure or/and high-temperature conditions, which may lead to energy waste and a potential safety hazard in plants. In this paper, five robust machine learning models including extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), adaptive boosting support vector regression (AdaBoost-SVR), gradient boosting with categorical features support (CatBoost), light gradient boosting machine (LightGBM), and multi-layer perceptron (MLP) optimized by Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm were implemented for estimating the hydrogen solubility in hydrocarbons. To this end, a databank including 919 experimental data points of hydrogen solubility in 26 various hydrocarbons was gathered from 48 different systems in a broad range of operating temperatures (213–623 K) and pressures (0.1–25.5 MPa). The hydrocarbons are from six different families including alkane, alkene, cycloalkane, aromatic, polycyclic aromatic, and terpene. The carbon number of hydrocarbons is ranging from 4 to 46 corresponding to a molecular weight range of 58.12–647.2 g/mol. Molecular weight, critical pressure, and critical temperature of solvents along with pressure and temperature operating conditions were selected as input parameters to the models. The XGBoost model best fits all the experimental solubility data with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.0007 and an average absolute percent relative error (AAPRE) of 1.81%. Also, the proposed models for estimating the solubility of hydrogen in hydrocarbons were compared with five EOSs including Soave–Redlich–Kwong (SRK), Peng–Robinson (PR), Redlich–Kwong (RK), Zudkevitch–Joffe (ZJ), and perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory (PC-SAFT). The XGBoost model introduced in this study is a promising model that can be applied as an efficient estimator for hydrogen solubility in various hydrocarbons and is capable of being utilized in the chemical and petroleum industries

"Familial" versus "Sporadic" intellectual disability: contribution of common microdeletion and microduplication syndromes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Interstitial Microdeletion and Microduplication syndromes have been proposed as a significant cause of sporadic intellectual disability (ID) but the role of such aberrations in familial ID has not yet been investigated. As the balanced chromosomal abnormalities commonly lead to the recurrent ID or multiple congenital anomalies, this study was designed to evaluate whether it was justified to investigate such aberrations in familial ID patients. Three hundred and twenty eight patients from 101 unrelated Iranian families with more than two ID patients in the first-degree relatives, have been investigated. Assessment of a panel of 21 common Microdeletion and Microduplication syndromes (CMMS) was carried out using Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) technique.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the families studied, 27.7% had 4-12, 35.6% had 3 and 36.6% had 2 affected individuals in the first-degree relatives. An autosomal dominant inheritance of Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) was detected in a family with no clinical suspicion of WBS. The prevalence of CMMS was therefore,0.99%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first investigation of a panel of CMMS in a large sample set of "familial ID patients". The findings of this study showed the low prevalence of CMMSs in "familial ID" patients in spite of the significant contribution of such aberrations in "sporadic ID" which has a very useful practical impact by avoiding unnecessary diagnostic tests in "familial ID" patients.</p

Cryptanalysis of two recent ultra-lightweight authentication protocols

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is a critical part of many Internet of Things (IoT) systems, including Medical IoT (MIoT) for instance. On the other hand, the IoT devices’ numerous limitations (such as memory space, computing capability, and battery capacity) make it difficult to implement cost- and energy-efficient security solutions. As a result, several researchers attempted to address this problem, and several RFID-based security mechanisms for the MIoT and other constrained environments were proposed. In this vein, Wang et al. and Shariq et al. recently proposed CRUSAP and ESRAS ultra-lightweight authentication schemes. They demonstrated, both formally and informally, that their schemes meet the required security properties for RFID systems. In their proposed protocols, they have used a very lightweight operation called Cro(·) and Rank(·), respectively. However, in this paper, we show that those functions are not secure enough to provide the desired security. We show that Cro(·) is linear and reversible, and it is easy to obtain the secret values used in its calculation. Then, by exploiting the vulnerability of the Cro(·) function, we demonstrated that CRUSAP is vulnerable to secret disclosure attacks. The proposed attack has a success probability of "1" and is as simple as a CRUSAP protocol run. Other security attacks are obviously possible by obtaining the secret values of the tag and reader. In addition, we present a de-synchronization attack on the CRUSAP protocol. Furthermore, we provide a thorough examination of ESRAS and its Rank(·) function. We first present a de-synchronization attack that works for any desired Rank(·) function, including Shariq et al.’s proposed Rank(·) function. We also show that Rank(·) does not provide the desired confusion and diffusion that is claimed by the designers. Finally, we conduct a secret disclosure attack against ESRAS