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Experimental Implementation of A Quantum Zero-Knowledge Proof for User Authentication

A new interactive quantum zero-knowledge protocol for identity authentication implementable in currently available quantum cryptographic devices is proposed and demonstrated. The protocol design involves a verifier and a prover knowing a pre-shared secret, and the acceptance or rejection of the proof is determined by the quantum bit error rate. It has been implemented in modified Quantum Key Distribution devices executing two fundamental cases. In the first case, all players are honest, while in the second case, one of the users is a malicious player. We demonstrate an increase of the quantum bit error rate around 25% in the latter case compared to the case of honesty. The protocol has also been validated for distances from a back-to-back setup to more than 60 km between verifier and prover. The security and robustness of the protocol has been analysed, demonstrating its completeness, soundness and zero-knowledge properties

Tropospheric Delay Calibration System Performance During the First Two BepiColombo Solar Conjunctions

Media propagation delay and delay-rate induced by the water vapor within the Earth's troposphere represent one of the main error sources for radiometric measurements in deep space. In preparation for the BepiColombo and JUICE missions, the European Space Agency has installed and operates the prototype of a tropospheric delay calibration system (TDCS) at the DSA-3 ground station located in Malargüe, Argentina. An initial characterization of the TDCS performance was realized using two-way Doppler measurements at X-band to perform the orbit determination of the Gaia spacecraft. This work will further characterize the system by analyzing two-way Doppler and range data at X- and Ka-band for 31 tracking passes of the BepiColombo spacecraft, which were recorded between March 2021 and February 2022 during the first two solar conjunction experiments. The performance exceeds the expectations based on the previous analysis, with a reduction of the Doppler noise of 51% on average and up to 73% when using the TDCS measurements in place of standard calibrations based on global navigation satellite system data. Furthermore, the campaign serves as validation of the TDCS operations during superior solar conjunctions, with most of the tracking passes at low elongation now satisfying the Mercury orbiter radioscience experiment requirements on two-way Doppler stability. These results, which are in line with those of similar instruments installed at other Deep Space Network antennas, are obtained using a commercial microwave radiometer with significantly lower installation and maintenance costs

Citrate-coated, size-tunable octahedral platinum nanocrystals: a novel route for advanced electrocatalysts

The development of green and scalable syntheses for the preparation of size- and shape-controlled metal nanocrystals is of high interest in many areas, including catalysis, electrocatalysis, nanomedicine, and electronics. In this work, a new synthetic approach based on the synergistic action of physical parameters and reagents produces size-tunable octahedral Pt nanocrystals, without the use of catalyst-poisoning reagents and/or difficult-to-remove coatings. The synthesis requires only sodium citrate, ascorbic acid, and fine control of the reduction rate in aqueous environment. Pt octahedral nanocrystals with particle size as low as 7 nm and highly developed {111} facets have been achieved, as demonstrated by Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, and electrochemical methods. The absence of sticky molecules together with the high quality of the surface renders these nanocrystals ideal candidates in electrocatalysis. Notably, 7 nm bismuth-decorated octahedral nanocrystals exhibit superior performance for the electro-oxidation of formic acid in terms of both specific and mass activities.JMF and VM acknowledge financial support from MINECO (projects CTQ2016-76221-P and CTQ2016-76231-C2-2-R (AEI/FEDER, UE)). JSG acknowledges financial support from VITC (Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento) of the University of Alicante (UATALENTO16-02)

PREDICT identifies precipitating events associated with the clinical course of acutely decompensated cirrhosis

Background & Aims: Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis may present without acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) (AD No ACLF), or with ACLF (AD-ACLF), defined by organ failure(s). Herein, we aimed to analyze and characterize the precipitants leading to both of these AD phenotypes. Methods: The multicenter, prospective, observational PREDICT study (NCT03056612) included 1,273 non-electively hospitalized patients with AD (No ACLF = 1,071; ACLF = 202). Medical history, clinical data and laboratory data were collected at enrolment and during 90-day follow-up, with particular attention given to the following characteristics of precipitants: induction of organ dysfunction or failure, systemic inflammation, chronology, in tensity, and relationship to outcome. Results: Among various clinical events, 4 distinct events were precipitants consistently related to AD: proven bacterial in fections, severe alcoholic hepatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding with shock and toxic encephalopathy. Among patients with precipitants in the AD-No ACLF cohort and the AD-ACLF cohort (38% and 71%, respectively), almost all (96% and 97%, respec tively) showed proven bacterial infection and severe alcoholic hepatitis, either alone or in combination with other events. Survival was similar in patients with proven bacterial infections or severe alcoholic hepatitis in both AD phenotypes. The number of precipitants was associated with significantly increased 90- day mortality and was paralleled by increasing levels of surro gates for systemic inflammation. Importantly, adequate first-line antibiotic treatment of proven bacterial infections was associated with a lower ACLF development rate and lower 90-day mortality. Conclusions: This study identified precipitants that are signifi cantly associated with a distinct clinical course and prognosis in patients with AD. Specific preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting these events may improve outcomes in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Lay summary: Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis is char acterized by a rapid deterioration in patient health. Herein, we aimed to analyze the precipitating events that cause AD in pa tients with cirrhosis. Proven bacterial infections and severe alcoholic hepatitis, either alone or in combination, accounted for almost all (96-97%) cases of AD and acute-on-chronic liver fail ure. Whilst the type of precipitant was not associated with mortality, the number of precipitant(s) was. This study identified precipitants that are significantly associated with a distinct clinical course and prognosis of patients with AD. Specific pre ventive and therapeutic strategies targeting these events may improve patient outcomes

The PREDICT study uncovers three clinical courses of acutely decompensated cirrhosis that have distinct pathophysiology

Herein, we describe, for the first time, 3 different clinical courses of acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis after hospital admission. The first clinical course includes patients who develop acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) and have a high short-term risk of death – termed pre-ACLF. The second clinical course (unstable decompensated cirrhosis) includes patients requiring frequent hospitalizations unrelated to ACLF and is associated with a lower mortality risk than pre-ACLF. Finally, the third clinical course (stable decompensated cirrhosis), includes two-thirds of all patients admitted to hospital with AD – patients in this group rarely require hospital admission and have a much lower 1-year mortality risk. Background & Aims: Acute decompensation (AD) of cirrhosis is defined as the acute development of ascites, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, hepatic encephalopathy, infection or any combination thereof, requiring hospitalization. The presence of organ failure(s) in patients with AD defines acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). The PREDICT study is a European, prospective, observational study, designed to characterize the clinical course of AD and to identify predictors of ACLF. Methods: A total of 1,071 patients with AD were enrolled. We collected detailed pre-specified information on the 3-month period prior to enrollment, and clinical and laboratory data at enrollment. Patients were then closely followed up for 3 months. Outcomes (liver transplantation and death) at 1 year were also recorded. Results: Three groups of patients were identified. Pre-ACLF patients (n = 218) developed ACLF and had 3-month and 1-year mortality rates of 53.7% and 67.4%, respectively. Unstable decompensated cirrhosis (UDC) patients (n = 233) required >−1 readmission but did not develop ACLF and had mortality rates of 21.0% and 35.6%, respectively. Stable decompensated cirrhosis (SDC) patients (n = 620) were not readmitted, did not develop ACLF and had a 1-year mortality rate of only 9.5%. The 3 groups differed significantly regarding the grade and course of systemic inflammation (high-grade at enrollment with aggravation during follow-up in pre-ACLF; low-grade at enrollment with subsequent steady-course in UDC; and low-grade at enrollment with subsequent improvement in SDC) and the prevalence of surrogates of severe portal hypertension throughout the study (high in UDC vs. low in pre-ACLF and SDC). Conclusions: Acute decompensation without ACLF is a heterogeneous condition with 3 different clinical courses and 2 major pathophysiological mechanisms: systemic inflammation and portal hypertension. Predicting the development of ACLF remains a major future challenge.Cellex FoundationEuropean Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EF-Clif

Albumin in decompensated cirrhosis: new concepts and perspectives

The pathophysiological background of decompensated cirrhosis is characterised by a systemic proinflammatory and pro-oxidant milieu that plays a major role in the development of multiorgan dysfunction. Such abnormality is mainly due to the systemic spread of bacteria and/or bacterial products from the gut and danger-associated molecular patterns from the diseased liver triggering the release of proinflammatory mediators by activating immune cells. The exacerbation of these processes underlies the development of acute-on-chronic liver failure. A further mechanism promoting multiorgan dysfunction and failure likely consists with a mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation dysfunction responsible for systemic cellular energy crisis. The systemic proinflammatory and pro-oxidant state of patients with decompensated cirrhosis is also responsible for structural and functional changes in the albumin molecule, which spoil its pleiotropic non-oncotic properties such as antioxidant, scavenging, immune-modulating and endothelium protective functions. The knowledge of these abnormalities provides novel targets for mechanistic treatments. In this respect, the oncotic and non-oncotic properties of albumin make it a potential multitarget agent. This would expand the well-established indications to the use of albumin in decompensated cirrhosis, which mainly aim at improving effective volaemia or preventing its deterioration. Evidence has been recently provided that long-term albumin administration to patients with cirrhosis and ascites improves survival, prevents complications, eases the management of ascites and reduces hospitalisations. However, variant results indicate that further investigations are needed, aiming at confirming the beneficial effects of albumin, clarifying its optimal dosage and administration schedule and identify patients who would benefit most from long-term albumin administration

Narratives of Transgender People Detained in Prison: The Role Played by the Utterances “Not” (as a Feeling of Hetero- and Auto-rejection) and “Exist” (as a Feeling of Hetero- and Auto-acceptance) for the Construction of a Discursive Self. A Suggestion of Goals and Strategies for Psychological Counseling

Purpose: Understanding how transgender people, who committed criminal offenses and are detained in prison, produce a narrative representation of self within different prison contexts. More specifically, this study has been based on two sub-aims: On a paradigmatic level, it has been aimed at critically investigating how the discursive positioning among the Self and the Other might promote the internalization of positive and/or negative attitudes toward the self. On a pragmatic level, it intends to offer some suggestions for goals and strategies of psychological counseling with these inmates inside such highly institutionalized contexts. Method and Materials: In total, 23 in-depth interviews were conducted with transgender women detained in either female or male prison contexts in Italy and Brazil. The lexical, semantic, and semiotic structure of the transcribed interviews has been investigated by adopting the quali-quantitative software Iramuteq for performing statistical text-mining analysis. Frequency, correspondences, and distribution of themost representative utterances across the corpus of data have been accessed and critically analyzed. Results: The findings showed that transgender inmates in Brazil made repeated use of the adverb “not,” while the verb “exist” became the most representative word for the Italian sample. In Brazil, indeed, transgender women assumedmasculine-driven behavior due to a common imprisonment with cis-gender men. On the contrary, transgender women in Italy are detained in protected sections, where they are allowed to wear female clothing and continue hormonal treatments. Surprisingly, transgender inmates in Italy suffered more violence in a female sector when compared to exclusively male jails. Conclusions: Transgender people represent a challenge for prison administration because it is not clear in which penitentiary context they should be detained. They should receive special attentions in order to face their special needs, which are radically different when compared to other typologies of inmates. Within penitentiary contexts, psychological counseling with transgender women should pay a special attention to the several psycho-social dimensions of this existential condition. In particular, psychological counselors should consider its inner complex articulation within different social, cultural and normative contexts

Circadian cycle-dependent MeCP2 and brain chromatin changes

Abstract Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is a chromosomal protein of the brain, very abundant especially in neurons, where it plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Hence it has the potential to be affected by the mammalian circadian cycle. We performed expression analyses of mice brain frontal cortices obtained at different time points and we found that the levels of MeCP2 are altered circadianly, affecting overall organization of brain chromatin and resulting in a circadian-dependent regulation of well-stablished MeCP2 target genes. Furthermore, this data suggests that alterations of MeCP2 can be responsible for the sleeping disorders arising from pathological stages, such as in autism and Rett syndrome

Deciphering the chemical dialogue between Bacillus and pathogenic fungi.

In nature, bacteria frequently form bacterial communities known as biofilms, where cells are embedded within an extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides protection against external aggressions or facilitates the efficient uptake and utilization of available resources. Interactions with other microbes can notably alter the community structure and, consequently, the nature of the relationship with the environment1. Previous studies of our laboratory have demonstrated the significance of biofilm formation in the antagonistic interaction between Bacillus and the phytopathogenic fungi Botrytis in the melon phyllosphere2. Our hypothesis is that the ECM plays a complementary role to the structural aspects of this antagonistic interaction. In this study, we dissect how the different components of Bacillus ECM mediate the adhesion of bacterial cells to Botrytis hyphae, which could enhance the efficient release of antifungal metabolites. We also describe how several purified components of the ECM and specific secondary metabolites of Bacillus participate in the chemical communication between Bacillus and Botrytis, thereby altering the physiology and metabolism of Botrytis. Our findings unveil that during this antagonistic interaction, Botrytis secrets different oxylipins, defence molecules capable of killing Bacillus. In response, Bacillus increases the production of several secondary metabolites, which appears to have antifungal effects. Our results underscore the urgency of further investigation of these interactions with the aim of identifying and describing adaptation processes that either lead to the exclusion or coexistence of two initially antagonistic microorganisms.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec