Pisces: Private and Compliable Cryptocurrency Exchange

Cryptocurrency exchange platforms such as Coinbase, Binance, enable users to purchase and sell cryptocurrencies conveniently just like trading stocks/commodities. However, because of the nature of blockchain, when a user withdraws coins (i.e., transfers coins to an external on-chain account), all future transactions can be learned by the platform. This is in sharp contrast to conventional stock exchange where all external activities of users are always hidden from the platform. Since the platform knows highly sensitive user private information such as passport number, bank information etc, linking all (on-chain) transactions raises a serious privacy concern about the potential disastrous data breach in those cryptocurrency exchange platforms. In this paper, we propose a cryptocurrency exchange that restores user anonymity for the first time. To our surprise, the seemingly well-studied privacy/anonymity problem has several new challenges in this setting. Since the public blockchain and internal transaction activities naturally provide many non-trivial leakages to the platform, internal privacy is not only useful in the usual sense but also becomes necessary for regaining the basic anonymity of user transactions. We also ensure that the user cannot double spend, and the user has to properly report accumulated profit for tax purposes, even in the private setting. We give a careful modeling and efficient construction of the system that achieves constant computation and communication overhead (with only simple cryptographic tools and rigorous security analysis); we also implement our system and evaluate its practical performance.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables. To be published in NDSS'24. This is the full version of the conference pape

Pisces: Private and Compliable Cryptocurrency Exchange

Cryptocurrency exchange platforms such as Coinbase, Binance, enable users to purchase and sell cryptocurrencies conveniently just like trading stocks/commodities. However, because of the nature of blockchain, when a user withdraws coins (i.e., transfers coins to an external on-chain account), all future transactions can be learned by the platform. This is in sharp contrast to conventional stock exchange where all external activities of users are always hidden from the platform. Since the platform knows highly sensitive user private information such as passport number, and bank information, linking all (on-chain) transactions raises a serious privacy concern about the potential disastrous data breach in those cryptocurrency exchange platforms. In this paper, we propose a cryptocurrency exchange that restores user anonymity for the first time. To our surprise, the seemingly well-studied privacy/anonymity problem has several new challenges in this setting. Since the public blockchain and internal transaction activities naturally provide many non-trivial leakages to the platform, internal privacy is not only useful in the usual sense but also becomes necessary for regaining the basic anonymity of user transactions. We also ensure that the user cannot double spend, and the user has to properly report accumulated profit for tax purposes, even in the private setting. We give a careful modeling and efficient construction of the system that achieves constant computation and communication overhead (with only simple cryptographic tools and rigorous security analysis); we also implement our system and evaluate its practical performance

Efficient Secure Storage with Version Control and Key Rotation

Periodic key rotation is a widely used technique to enhance key compromise resilience. Updatable encryption (UE) schemes provide an efficient approach to key rotation, ensuring post-compromise security for both confidentiality and integrity. However, these UE techniques cannot be directly applied to frequently updated databases due to the risk of a malicious server inducing the client to accept an outdated version of a file instead of the latest one. To address this issue, we propose a scheme called Updatable Secure Storage (USS), which provides a secure and key updatable solution for dynamic databases. USS ensures both data confidentiality and integrity, even in the presence of key compromises. By using efficient key rotation and file update procedures, the communication costs of these operations are independent of the size of the database. This makes USS particularly well-suited for managing large and frequently updated databases with secure version control. Unlike existing UE schemes, the integrity provided by USS holds even when the server learns the current secret key and intentionally violates the key update protocol

Interferences effects in polarized nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process

The creation of polarized electron-positron pairs by the nonlinear Breit-Wheeler process in short laser pulses is investigated using the Baier-Katkov semiclassical method beyond local-constant-field approximation (LCFA), which allows for identifying the interferences effects in the positron polarization. When the laser intensity is in the intermediate %multiphoton regime, the interferences of pair production in different formation lengths induce an enhancement of pair production probability for spin-down positrons, which significantly affects the polarization of created positrons. The polarization features are distinct from that obtained with LCFA, revealing the invalidity of LCFA in this regime. Meanwhile, the angular distribution for different spin states varies, resulting in an angular-dependent polarization of positrons. The average polarization of positrons at beam center is highly sensitive to the laser's carrier-envelope phase (CEP), which provides a potential alternative way of determining the CEP of strong lasers. The verification of the observed interference phenomenon is possible for the upcoming experiments

The Gastrointestinal-Brain-Microbiota Axis: A Promising Therapeutic Target for Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic stroke is a highly complex systemic disease characterized by intricate interactions between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. While our current understanding of these interactions primarily stems from experimental models, their relevance to human stroke outcomes is of considerable interest. After stroke, bidirectional communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract initiates changes in the gastrointestinal microenvironment. These changes involve the activation of gastrointestinal immunity, disruption of the gastrointestinal barrier, and alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota. Importantly, experimental evidence suggests that these alterations facilitate the migration of gastrointestinal immune cells and cytokines across the damaged blood-brain barrier, ultimately infiltrating the ischemic brain. Although the characterization of these phenomena in humans is still limited, recognizing the significance of the brain-gastrointestinal crosstalk after stroke offers potential avenues for therapeutic intervention. By targeting the mutually reinforcing processes between the brain and gastrointestinal tract, it may be possible to improve the prognosis of ischemic stroke. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the clinical relevance and translational potential of these findings

Biodegradation of tribenuron methyl that is mediated by microbial acidohydrolysis at cell-soil interface

a b s t r a c t Tribenuron methyl (TBM) is a member of the sulfonylurea herbicide family and is widely used in weed control. Due to its phytotoxicity to rotating-crops, concerns on TBM-pollution to soil have been raised. In this study, experimental results indicated that microbial activity played a key role in TBM removal from polluted soil. Twenty-six bacterial strains were isolated and their degradation of TBM was evaluated. Serratia sp. strain BW30 was selected and subjected to further investigation on its degradative mechanism. TBM degradation by strain BW30 was dependent on glucose that was converted into lactic or oxalic acids. HPLC-MS analysis revealed two end-products from TBM degradation, and they were identical to the products from TBM acidohydrolysis. Based on this observation, it is proposed that microbemediated acidohydrolysis of TBM was involved in TBM degradation in soil, and possible application of this observation in bioremediation of TBM-polluted soil is discussed

Characteristic Analysis from Excessive to Deficient Syndromes in Hepatocarcinoma Underlying miRNA Array Data

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment is regarded as a safe and effective method for many diseases. In this study, the characteristics among excessive, excessive-deficient, and deficient syndromes of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were studied using miRNA array data. We first calculated the differentially expressed miRNAs based on random module t-test and classified three TCM syndromes of HCC using SVM method. Then, the weighted miRNA-target networks were constructed for different TCM syndromes using predicted miRNA targets. Subsequently, the prioritized target genes of upexpression network of TCM syndromes were analyzed using DAVID online analysis. The results showed that there are distinctly different hierarchical cluster and network structure of TCM syndromes in HCC, but the excessive-deficient combination syndrome is extrinsically close to deficient syndrome. GO and pathway analysis revealed that the molecular mechanisms of excessive-deficient and deficient syndromes of HCC are more complex than excessive syndrome. Furthermore, although excessive-deficient and deficient syndromes have similar complex mechanisms, excessive-deficient syndrome is more involved than deficient syndrome in development of cancer process. This study suggested that miRNAs might be important mediators involved in the changing process from excessive to deficient syndromes and could be potential molecular markers for the diagnosis of TCM syndromes in HCC

The gastrointestinal-brain-microbiota axis: a promising therapeutic target for ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke is a highly complex systemic disease characterized by intricate interactions between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. While our current understanding of these interactions primarily stems from experimental models, their relevance to human stroke outcomes is of considerable interest. After stroke, bidirectional communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract initiates changes in the gastrointestinal microenvironment. These changes involve the activation of gastrointestinal immunity, disruption of the gastrointestinal barrier, and alterations in gastrointestinal microbiota. Importantly, experimental evidence suggests that these alterations facilitate the migration of gastrointestinal immune cells and cytokines across the damaged blood-brain barrier, ultimately infiltrating the ischemic brain. Although the characterization of these phenomena in humans is still limited, recognizing the significance of the brain-gastrointestinal crosstalk after stroke offers potential avenues for therapeutic intervention. By targeting the mutually reinforcing processes between the brain and gastrointestinal tract, it may be possible to improve the prognosis of ischemic stroke. Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the clinical relevance and translational potential of these findings

Elevated Levels of Urinary 8-Hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine, Lymphocytic Micronuclei, and Serum Glutathione S-Transferase in Workers Exposed to Coke Oven Emissions

To investigate associations among occupational exposure to coke oven emissions (COEs), oxidative stress, cytogenotoxic effects, change in the metabolizing enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), and internal levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coke oven workers, we recruited 47 male coke oven workers and 31 male control subjects from a coke oven plant in northern China. We measured the levels of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in urine, micronucleated binucleated cells (BNMNs) in peripheral blood lymphocyte, and GST in serum. Our results showed that the group exposed to COEs had significantly increased levels of 1-OHP [median 5.7; interquartile range (IQR), 1.4–12.0 μmol/mol creatinine] compared with the control group (3; 0.5–6.4 μmol/mol creatinine). In addition, the median levels (IQR) of 8-OHdG, BNMNs, and GST were markedly increased in the exposed [1.9 (1.4–15.4) μmol/mol creatinine; 6 (2–8) per thousand; 22.1 (14.9–31.2) U/L, respectively] compared with controls [1.3 (1.0–4.0) μmol/mol creatinine, 2 (0–4) per thousand; and 13.1 (9.5–16.7) U/L, respectively]. These results appeared to be modified by smoking. However, multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that exposure to COEs had the highest odds ratio among variables analyzed and that smoking was not a significant confounder of the levels of studied biomarkers. Overall, the present findings suggest that COE exposure led to increased internal PAH burden, genetic damage, oxidative stress, and GST activity. The consequences of the changes in these biomarkers, such as risk of cancer, warrant further investigations

Genome-wide exploration of genetic interactions for bladder cancer risk

Although GWASs have been conducted to investigate genetic variation of bladder tumorigenesis, little is known about genetic interactions that may influence bladder cancer (BC) risk. By leveraging large-scale participants from UK Biobank, we established a discovery database with 4000 Caucasian participants (2000 cases vs 2000 non-cases), a database with 1648 Caucasian participants (824 cases vs 824 non-cases) and 856 non-Caucasian participants (428 cases vs 428 non-cases) as validation. We then performed a genome-wide SNP-SNP interaction investigation related to BC risk based a machine learning approach (ie, GenEpi). Moreover, we used the selected interactions to build a BC screening model with an integrated interaction-empowered polygenic risk score (iPRS) based on Cox proportional hazard model. With Bonferroni correction, we identified 10 statistically significant pairs of SNPs, which located in 17 chromosomes. Of these, four SNP-SNP interactions were found to be positively associated with BC risk among Caucasian participants (ORs 1.57-2.03), while six SNP-SNP interactions showed negatively associated with BC risk (ORs 0.54-0.65). Only four of the SNP-SNP interactions were consistently identified in non-Caucasian participants located in ST7L-ADSS2, FHIT-CHDH, LARP4B-LHPP and RBFOX3-MPRIP. In addition, the iPRS showed a HR of 1.81 (95% CI: 1.46-2.09) compared the highest tertile to the lowest tertile, with an enhanced AUC (0.91; 95% CI:0.85-0.97) than PRS (AUC: 0.86; 95% CI:0.76-0.95; P-DeLong test = 2.2 × 10−4). In summary, this study identified several important SNP-SNP interactions for BC risk, and developed an iPRS model for BC screening, which may help to identify the people at high-risk state of BC before early manifestation