Exclusion-Intersection Encryption

Identity-based encryption (IBE) has shown to be a useful cryptographic scheme enabling secure yet flexible role-based access control. We propose a new variant of IBE named as exclusion-intersection encryption: during encryption, the sender can specify the targeted groups that are legitimate and interested in reading the documents; there exists a trusted key generation centre generating the intersection private decryption keys on request. This special private key can only be used to decrypt the ciphertext which is of all the specified groups\u27 interests, its holders are excluded from decrypting when the documents are not targeted to all these groups (e.g., the ciphertext of only a single group\u27s interest). While recent advances in cryptographic techniques (e.g., attribute-based encryption or wicked IBE) can support a more general access control policy, the private key size may be as long as the number of attributes or identifiers that can be specified in a ciphertext, which is undesirable, especially when each user may receive a number of such keys for different decryption power. One of the applications of our notion is to support an ad-hoc joint project of two or more groups which needs extra helpers that are not from any particular group. We also present an online/offline variant such that encryption can be computed quickly after offline pre-computation

Differential Effects of Cold Atmospheric Plasma in the Treatment of Malignant Glioma

Objective Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) has recently been shown to selectively target cancer cells with minimal effects on normal cells. We systematically assessed the effects of CAP in the treatment of glioblastoma. Methods Three glioma cell lines, normal astrocytes, and endothelial cell lines were treated with CAP. The effects of CAP were then characterized for viability, cytotoxicity/apoptosis, and cell cycle effects. Statistical significance was determined with student\u27s t-test. Results CAP treatment decreases viability of glioma cells in a dose dependent manner, with the ID50 between 90-120 seconds for all glioma cell lines. Treatment with CAP for more than 120 seconds resulted in viability less than 35% at 24-hours posttreatment, with a steady decline to less than 20% at 72-hours. In contrast, the effect of CAP on the viability of NHA and HUVEC was minimal, and importantly not significant at 90 to 120 seconds, with up to 85% of the cells remained viable at 72-hours post-treatment. CAP treatment produces both cytotoxic and apoptotic effects with some variability between cell lines. CAP treatment resulted in a G2/M-phase cell cycle pause in all three cell lines. Conclusions This preliminary study determined a multi-focal effect of CAP on glioma cells in vitro, which was not observed in the non-tumor cell lines. The decreased viability depended on the treatment duration and cell line, but overall was explained by the induction of cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and G2/M pause. Future studies will aim at further characterization with more complex pre-clinical models

Lower provider volume is associated with higher failure rates for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

BACKGROUND: Among physicians who perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the relationship between procedure volume and outcome is unknown. OBJECTIVE: Quantify the ERCP volume-outcome relationship by measuring provider-specific failure rates, hospitalization rates, and other quality measures. RESEARCH DESIGN: Retrospective cohort. SUBJECTS: A total of 16,968 ERCPs performed by 130 physicians between 2001 and 2011, identified in the Indiana Network for Patient Care. MEASURES: Physicians were classified by their average annual Indiana Network for Patient Care volume and stratified into low (<25/y) and high (≥25/y). Outcomes included failed procedures, defined as repeat ERCP, percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography or surgical exploration of the bile duct≤7 days after the index procedure, hospitalization rates, and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Among 15,514 index ERCPs, there were 1163 (7.5%) failures; the failure rate was higher among low (9.5%) compared with high volume (5.7%) providers (P<0.001). A second ERCP within 7 days (a subgroup of failure rate) occurred more frequently when the original ERCP was performed by a low-volume (4.1%) versus a high-volume physician (2.3%, P=0.013). Patients were more frequently hospitalized within 24 hours when the ERCP was performed by a low-volume (28.3%) versus high-volume physician (14.8%, P=0.002). Mortality within 30 days was similar (low=1.9%, high=1.9%). Among low-volume physicians and after adjusting, the odds of having a failed procedure decreased 3.3% (95% confidence interval, 1.6%-5.0%, P<0.001) with each additional ERCP performed per year. CONCLUSIONS: Lower provider volume is associated with higher failure rate for ERCP, and greater need for postprocedure hospitalization

A patient with Graves' disease who survived despite developing thyroid storm and lactic acidosis

A 56-year-old woman with Graves' disease presented with the complaints of diarrhea and palpitations. Physical examination and laboratory data revealed hypothermia and signs of mild hyperthyroidism, heart failure, hepatic dysfunction with jaundice, hypoglycemia, and lactic acidosis. The patient was diagnosed as having developed the complication of thyroid storm in the absence of marked elevation of the thyroid hormone levels, because of the potential hepatic and cardiac dysfunctions caused by heavy alcohol drinking. A year later, after successful treatment, the patient remains well without any clinical evidence of heart failure or hepatic dysfunction. Thyroid storm associated with lactic acidosis and hypothermia is a serious condition and has rarely been reported. Prompt treatment is essential even if the serum thyroid hormone levels are not markedly elevated. We present a report about this patient, as her life could eventually be saved

Calcium vapour deposition on semiconducting polymers studied by adsorption calorimetry and visible light absorption

A novel UHV microcalorimeter has been used to study the interaction between calcium and three polymers: MEH-PPV, MEH-PPP and P3HT. All three polymers behave differently in their reaction kinetics with calcium. On MEH-PPV we measure 45 μJ/cm² of heat generated in excess of the heat of bulk metal growth, 120 μJ/cm² for MEH-PPP, and 100 μJ/cm² for P3HT. Comparison of the MEH-PPV and MEHPPP data indicate that the initial reaction of calcium with MEH-PPV occurs at the vinylene group. We propose, based on hypothetical models, that calcium reacts with the vinylene groups of MEH-PPV with a reaction heat of 360 kJ/mol and at a projected surface density of 1.7 sites/nm², while it reacts with the phenylene groups of MEH-PPP in a two-step process with reaction heats of 200 and 360 kJ/mol respectively, at a projected surface density of 3.5 sites/nm². Optical absorption experiments, using either a 1.85 eV diode laser or a xenon lamp coupled to a scanning monochromator, have also been performed using the same calorimeter sensor. In the case of MEH-PPV, using the laser we find an optical absorption cross-section of 3E-¹⁷ cm² per incident calcium atom at low coverages. The change in absorptance at higher coverages correlates perfectly with the population of reacted Ca atoms determined calorimetrically. The size of the absorbance cross-section, and its position just within the band gap of the polymer, are consistent with the reaction being one of polaron formation. Calcium does not appear to dope P3HT, while the photon energy range of 1.5 to 3.75 eV used in these experiments is likely too small for probing polaronic energy states in MEH-PPP.Science, Faculty ofChemistry, Department ofGraduat

Feasibility study of selective laser sintering of biopolymer scaffoldsfor tissue engineering

abstractpublished_or_final_versionMechanical EngineeringMasterMaster of Philosoph