1,281 research outputs found
Attribute-Based Encryption Optimized for Cloud Computing
Abstract. In this work, we aim to make attribute-based encryption (ABE) more suitable for access control to data stored in the cloud. For this purpose, we concentrate on giving to the encryptor full control over the access rights, providing feasible key management even in case of multiple independent authorities, and enabling viable user revocation, which is essential in practice. Our main result is an extension of the decentralized CP-ABE scheme of Lewko and Waters [LW11] with identity-based user revocation. Our revocation system is made feasible by removing the computational burden of a revocation event from the cloud service provider, at the expense of some permanent, yet acceptable overhead of the encryption and decryption algorithms run by the users. Thus, the computation overhead is distributed over a potentially large number of users, instead of putting it on a single party (e.g., a proxy server), which would easily lead to a performance bottleneck. Besides describing our scheme, we also give a formal proof of its security in the generic bilinear group and random oracle models.
Spectroscopic confirmation of the planetary nebula nature of PM1-242, PM1-318 and PM1-333 and morphological analysis of the nebulae
We present intermediate resolution long-slit spectra and narrow-band Halpha,
[NII] and [OIII] images of PM1-242, PM318 and PM1-333, three IRAS sources
classified as possible planetary nebulae. The spectra show that the three
objects are true planetary nebulae and allow us to study their physical
properties; the images provide a detailed view of their morphology. PM1-242 is
a medium-to-high-excitation (e.g., HeII4686/Hbeta ~0.4; [NII]6584/Halpha ~0.3)
planetary nebula with an elliptical shape containing [NII] enhanced
point-symmetric arcs. An electron temperature [Te([SIII])] of ~10250 K and an
electron density [Ne([SII])] of ~2300 cm-3 are derived for PM1-242. Abundance
calculations suggest a large helium abundance (He/H ~0.29) in PM1-242. PM1-318
is a high-excitation (HeII4686/Hbeta ~1) planetary nebula with a ring-like
inner shell containing two enhanced opposite regions, surrounded by a fainter
round attached shell brighter in the light of [OIII]. PM1-333 is an extended
planetary nebula with a high-excitation (HeII4686/Hbeta up to ~0.9) patchy
circular main body containing two low-excitation knotty arcs. A low Ne([SII])
of ~450 cm-3 and Te([OIII]) of ~15000 K are derived for this nebula. Abundance
calculations suggest that PM1-333 is a type I planetary nebula. The lack of a
sharp shell morphology, low electron density, and high-excitation strongly
suggest that PM1-333 is an evolved planetary nebula. PM1-333 also shows two
low-ionization polar structures whose morphology and emission properties are
reminiscent of collimated outflows. We compare PM1-333 with other evolved
planetary nebulae with collimated outflows and find that outflows among evolved
planetary nebulae exhibit a large variety of properties, in accordance with
these observed in younger planetary nebula.Comment: Accepted in The Astronomical Journal, 23 pages, 6 figure
The Role of Dopamine in the Stimulant Characteristics of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS)—Neurobiological and Computational Assessment Using the Case of Desoxypipradrol (2-DPMP)
Stimulant drugs, including novel psychoactive substances (NPS, formerly “legal highs”) have addictive potential which their users may not realize. Stimulants increase extracellular dopamine levels in the brain, including the reward and addiction pathways, through interacting with dopamine transporter (DAT). This work aimed to assess the molecular and atomistic mechanisms of stimulant NPS actions at DAT, which translate into biological outcomes such as dopamine release in the brain’s reward pathway. We applied combined in vitro, in vivo, and in silico methods and selected 2-diphenylmethylpiperidine (2-DPMP) as an example of stimulant NPS for this study. We measured in vitro binding of 2-DPMP to rat striatum and accumbens DAT by means of quantitative autoradiography with a selective DAT-radioligand [125I]RTI-121. We evaluated the effects of intravenously administered 2-DPMP on extracellular dopamine in the accumbens-shell and striatum using in vivo microdialysis in freely moving rats. We used dynamic modeling to investigate the interactions of 2-DPMP within DAT, in comparison with cocaine and amphetamine. 2-DPMP potently displaced the radioligand in the accumbens and striatum showing dose-dependence from 0.3 to 30 μM. IC50 values were: 5.65 × 10-7M for accumbens shell and 6.21 × 10-7M for dorsal striatum. Dose-dependent responses were also observed in accumbens-shell and striatum in vivo, with significant increases in extracellular dopamine levels. Molecular dynamics simulations identified contrasting conformational changes of DAT for inhibitors (cocaine) and releasers (amphetamine). 2-DPMP led to molecular rearrangements toward an outward-facing DAT conformation that suggested a cocaine-type effect. The present combination of molecular modeling with experimental neurobiological procedures allows for extensive characterization of the mechanisms of drug actions at DAT as the main molecular target of stimulants, and provides an insight into the role of dopamine in the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms of brain responses to stimulant NPS that have addictive potential. Such knowledge reveals the risk of addiction related to NPS use. The research presented here can be adapted for other psychostimulants that act at their membrane protein targets
Analysis of MAGSAT data of the Indian region
Progress in the development of software for reading MAGSAT data tapes and for the reduction of anomaly data, and in the preparation of data for magnetic anomaly maps is reported
The dust envelope of the pre-planetary nebula IRAS19475+3119
We present the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the pre-planetary
nebula, IRAS 19475+3119 (I19475), from the optical to the far-infrared. We
identify emission features due to crystalline silicates in the ISO SWS spectra
of the star. We have fitted the SED of I19475 using a 1-D radiative transfer
code, and find that a shell with inner and outer radii of 8.8X10^{16} and
4.4X10^{17}cm, and dust temperatures ranging from about 94K to 46K provide the
best fit. The mass of this shell is greater than/equal to
1[34cm^{2}g^{-1}/kappa(100micron)][delta/200]M_Sun, where kappa(100micron) is
the 100micron dust mass absorption coefficient (per unit dust mass), and delta
is the gas-to-dust ratio. In agreement with results from optical imaging and
millimeter-wave observations of CO emission of I19475, our model fits support
an r^{-3} density law for its dust shell, with important implications for the
interaction process between the fast collimated post-AGB winds and the dense
AGB envelopes which results in the observed shapes of PPNs and PNs. We find
that the observed JCMT flux at sub-millimeter wavelengths (850micron) is a
factor ~ 2 larger than our model flux, suggesting the presence of large dust
grains in the dust shell of I19475 which are not accounted for by our adopted
standard MRN grain size distribution.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Mira's wind explored in scattering infrared CO lines
We have observed the intermediate regions of the circumstellar envelope of
Mira (o Ceti) in photospheric light scattered by three vibration-rotation
transitions of the fundamental band of CO, from low-excited rotational levels
of the ground vibrational state, at an angular distance of beta = 2"-7" away
from the star. The data were obtained with the Phoenix spectrometer mounted on
the 4 m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak. The spatial resolution is approximately
0.5" and seeing limited. Our observations provide absolute fluxes, leading to
an independent new estimate of the mass-loss rate of approximately 3e-7
Msun/yr, as derived from a simple analytic wind model. We find that the
scattered intensity from the wind of Mira for 2" < beta < 7" decreases as
beta^-3, which suggests a time constant mass-loss rate, when averaged over 100
years, over the past 1200 years.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa
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An Accuracy Evaluation for the Madejski Splat-Quench Solidification Model
Development of methods to spray form materials by precisely controlled deposition of droplets can result in new manufacturing processes which offer improved metallurgical performance and reduced production costs. These processes require a more detailed knowledge of the fluid mechanics, heat transfer and solidification that occur during droplet spreading. Previous work using computer simulations of this process have been difficult to implement and have required long running times. This paper examines the use of an alternative, simplified, method developed by Madjeski for solving for the problem of droplet spreading and solidification. These simplifications reduce the overall splat spreading and solidification problem to a closed-form differential equation. This differential equation is then solved under various conditions as reported from recent publications of experimental and numerical results of drop analysis. The results from the model are compared in terms of maximum spl at diameter, minimum splat thickness, and time for the droplet spreading to reach 95% of the maximum diameter. The results indicate that the accuracy of the model can be improved by accounting for energy losses in the initial rate of droplet spreading. The model results show that the predictions of experimental results are improved to within 30% over a wide range of conditions
The Chandra X-ray Survey of Planetary Nebulae (ChanPlaNS): Probing Binarity, Magnetic Fields, and Wind Collisions
We present an overview of the initial results from the Chandra Planetary
Nebula Survey (ChanPlaNS), the first systematic (volume-limited) Chandra X-ray
Observatory survey of planetary nebulae (PNe) in the solar neighborhood. The
first phase of ChanPlaNS targeted 21 mostly high-excitation PNe within ~1.5 kpc
of Earth, yielding 4 detections of diffuse X-ray emission and 9 detections of
X-ray-luminous point sources at the central stars (CSPNe) of these objects.
Combining these results with those obtained from Chandra archival data for all
(14) other PNe within ~1.5 kpc that have been observed to date, we find an
overall X-ray detection rate of ~70%. Roughly 50% of the PNe observed by
Chandra harbor X-ray-luminous CSPNe, while soft, diffuse X-ray emission tracing
shocks formed by energetic wind collisions is detected in ~30%; five objects
display both diffuse and point-like emission components. The presence of X-ray
sources appears correlated with PN density structure, in that molecule-poor,
elliptical nebulae are more likely to display X-ray emission (either point-like
or diffuse) than molecule-rich, bipolar or Ring-like nebulae. All but one of
the X-ray point sources detected at CSPNe display X-ray spectra that are harder
than expected from hot (~100 kK) central star photospheres, possibly indicating
a high frequency of binary companions to CSPNe. Other potential explanations
include self-shocking winds or PN mass fallback. Most PNe detected as diffuse
X-ray sources are elliptical nebulae that display a nested shell/halo structure
and bright ansae; the diffuse X-ray emission regions are confined within inner,
sharp-rimmed shells. All sample PNe that display diffuse X-ray emission have
inner shell dynamical ages <~5x10^3 yr, placing firm constraints on the
timescale for strong shocks due to wind interactions in PNe.Comment: 41 pages, 6 figures; submitted to the Astronomical Journa
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