Beyond Modes: Building a Secure Record Protocol from a Cryptographic Sponge Permutation

Abstract. BLINKER is a light-weight cryptographic suite and record protocol built from a single permutation. Its design is based on the Sponge construction used by the SHA-3 algorithm KECCAK. We examine the SpongeWrap authen-ticated encryption mode and expand its padding mechanism to offer explicit do-main separation and enhanced security for our specific requirements: shared se-cret half-duplex keying, encryption, and a MAC-and-continue mode. We motivate these enhancements by showing that unlike legacy protocols, the resulting record protocol is secure against a two-channel synchronization attack while also having a significantly smaller implementation footprint. The design facilitates security proofs directly from a single cryptographic primitive (a single security assump-tion) rather than via idealization of multitude of algorithms, paddings and modes of operation. The protocol is also uniquely suitable for an autonomous or semi-autonomous hardware implementation of protocols where the secrets never leave the module, making it attractive for smart card and HSM designs

The stable free rank of symmetry of products of spheres

A well known conjecture in the theory of transformation groups states that if p is a prime and (Z/p)^r acts freely on a product of k spheres, then r is less than or equal to k. We prove this assertion if p is large compared to the dimension of the product of spheres. The argument builds on tame homotopy theory for non simply connected spaces.Comment: 30 pages; improved exposition, some details adde

Authoritarian Neoliberalism and Democratic Backsliding in Turkey: Beyond the Narratives of Progress

Unpacking the core themes that are discussed in this collection, this article both offers a research agenda to re-analyse Turkey’s ‘authoritarian turn’ and mounts a methodological challenge to the conceptual frameworks that reinforce a strict analytical separation between the ‘economic’ and the ‘political’ factors. The paper problematises the temporal break in scholarly analyses of the AKP period and rejects the argument that the party’s methods of governance have shifted from an earlier ‘democratic’ model – defined by ‘hegemony’ – to an emergent ‘authoritarian’ one. In contrast, by retracing the mechanisms of the state-led reproduction of neoliberalism since 2003, the paper demonstrates that the party’s earlier ‘hegemonic’ activities were also shaped by authoritarian tendencies which manifested at various levels of governance

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

High fructose diet up-regulates insulin and its down-stream signaling components in abdominal ommentum tissues: effects of resveratrol

40th Congress of the Federation-of-European-Biochemical-Societies (FEBS) - The Biochemical Basis of Life -- JUL 04-09, 2015 -- Berlin, GERMANYWOS:00036257060109340th Congress of the Federation-of-European-Biochemical-Societies (FEBS) - The Biochemical Basis of Life Location: Berlin, Germany Date: JUL 04-09, 2015Federat European Biochemical So

Assessment of the molecular weight distribution of tannin fractions through MALDI-TOF MS analysis of protein-tannin complexes

An innovative mass spectrometry method was developed for determining mass distributions of tannin fractions that cannot be approached through direct MALDI-TOF analysis. It was applied to three procyanidin fractions with average degrees of polymerizations = 3, 9, and 28, respectively, and one gallotannin fraction (Tara tannin). The proposed approach consists of MALDI-TOF analysis of the soluble complexes formed between these tannin fractions and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Complexes were detected as an unresolved "hump" following the BSA signal, and spectra were mathematically processed to determine the parameters relative to the protein-tannin complexes, which are the number-average molecular weight (Mn), the weight-average molecular weight (Mw), and the polydispersity index (PI) for each tannin fraction. Regarding condensed tannins, results are consistent with those of the standard method (thiolysis followed by HPLC separation) for all tested fractions. The method was successfully applied to a hydrolyzable tannin fraction but no standard method is available for comparison.Comite Interprofessionnel des Vins de Champagne (CIVC) and Moet & Chandon Compan

Structural, electronic, optical, vibrational and transport properties of CuBX2 (X = S, Se, Te) chalcopyrites

The structural, electronic and optical properties of CuBX2 (X = S, Se, Te) chalcopyrite semiconductors have been studied using the full-potential (linearized) augmented plane-wave (FP(L) APW) method based on the density functional theory (DFT) within the Yukawa screened-PBE0 (YS-PBE0) hybrid functional as implemented in the WIEN2k package. We have found that our calculated structural and electronic parameters such as lattice parameter, tetragonal ratio, anion displacement and energy band gap are in very good agreement with previous experimental results. We have also presented the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function, refractive index and absorption coefficients to describe optical properties of the investigated chalcopyrite semiconductors. Furthermore, the phonon dispersion curves and corresponding density of states have been studied by using a linear response approach based on the density functional perturbation theory implemented in the Quantum ESPRESSO code. Finally, transport properties such as the Seebeck coefficient, thermal and electrical conductivity and the figure of merit for these materials have been calculated using the semi-classical Boltzmann theory as implemented in the BoltzTraP code

The next step in the treatment of persistent temporomandibular joint pain following arthrocentesis: A retrospective study of 18 cases

Temporomandibular joint disorders affect a big portion of the population. There are a variety of treatment methods currently in use. Conservative treatment modalities are followed by more invasive approaches like arthrocentesis or arthroscopy. The aim of the study is to compare the effects of intra-articular tenoxicam injection and arthrocentesis plus viscosupplementation on patients in which a previous arthrocentesis plus viscosupplementation has failed to relieve pain and restore function. The study group consists of 18 TMJs in 16 patients (15 female and 1 male) and the patients were randomly divided into two groups as the arthrocentesis plus viscosupplementation group (n: 8) and tenoxicam injection (n: 10). 20 mg of tenoxicam was injected to the upper compartments of 10 joints without arthrocentesis. The other 8 joints were treated with a second arthrocentesis and sodium hyaluronate injection. VAS scores and maximum mouth opening with and without assistance were recorded in the post operative first week, first month and third month. The results show that there is little benefit in using relatively conservative methods once an arthrocentesis together with viscosupplementation has failed to relieve the patients pain. It is concluded that more invasive procedures should be considered for the patients who do not benefit from arthrocentesis. (C) 2013 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The next step in the treatment of persistent temporomandibular joint pain following arthrocentesis: A retrospective study of 18 cases

Temporomandibular joint disorders affect a big portion of the population. There are a variety of treatment methods currently in use. Conservative treatment modalities are followed by more invasive approaches like arthrocentesis or arthroscopy. The aim of the study is to compare the effects of intra-articular tenoxicam injection and arthrocentesis plus viscosupplementation on patients in which a previous arthrocentesis plus viscosupplementation has failed to relieve pain and restore function. The study group consists of 18 TMJs in 16 patients (15 female and 1 male) and the patients were randomly divided into two groups as the arthrocentesis plus viscosupplementation group (n: 8) and tenoxicam injection (n: 10). 20 mg of tenoxicam was injected to the upper compartments of 10 joints without arthrocentesis. The other 8 joints were treated with a second arthrocentesis and sodium hyaluronate injection. VAS scores and maximum mouth opening with and without assistance were recorded in the post operative first week, first month and third month. The results show that there is little benefit in using relatively conservative methods once an arthrocentesis together with viscosupplementation has failed to relieve the patients pain. It is concluded that more invasive procedures should be considered for the patients who do not benefit from arthrocentesis. (C) 2013 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved