Flexible and Robust Privacy-Preserving Implicit Authentication

Implicit authentication consists of a server authenticating a user based on the user's usage profile, instead of/in addition to relying on something the user explicitly knows (passwords, private keys, etc.). While implicit authentication makes identity theft by third parties more difficult, it requires the server to learn and store the user's usage profile. Recently, the first privacy-preserving implicit authentication system was presented, in which the server does not learn the user's profile. It uses an ad hoc two-party computation protocol to compare the user's fresh sampled features against an encrypted stored user's profile. The protocol requires storing the usage profile and comparing against it using two different cryptosystems, one of them order-preserving; furthermore, features must be numerical. We present here a simpler protocol based on set intersection that has the advantages of: i) requiring only one cryptosystem; ii) not leaking the relative order of fresh feature samples; iii) being able to deal with any type of features (numerical or non-numerical). Keywords: Privacy-preserving implicit authentication, privacy-preserving set intersection, implicit authentication, active authentication, transparent authentication, risk mitigation, data brokers.Comment: IFIP SEC 2015-Intl. Information Security and Privacy Conference, May 26-28, 2015, IFIP AICT, Springer, to appea

A novel semi-fragile forensic watermarking scheme for remote sensing images

Peer-reviewedA semi-fragile watermarking scheme for multiple band images is presented. We propose to embed a mark into remote sensing images applying a tree structured vector quantization approach to the pixel signatures, instead of processing each band separately. The signature of themmultispectral or hyperspectral image is used to embed the mark in it order to detect any significant modification of the original image. The image is segmented into threedimensional blocks and a tree structured vector quantizer is built for each block. These trees are manipulated using an iterative algorithm until the resulting block satisfies a required criterion which establishes the embedded mark. The method is shown to be able to preserve the mark under lossy compression (above a given threshold) but, at the same time, it detects possibly forged blocks and their position in the whole image.Se presenta un esquema de marcas de agua semi-frágiles para múltiples imágenes de banda. Proponemos incorporar una marca en imágenes de detección remota, aplicando un enfoque de cuantización del vector de árbol estructurado con las definiciones de píxel, en lugar de procesar cada banda por separado. La firma de la imagen hiperespectral se utiliza para insertar la marca en el mismo orden para detectar cualquier modificación significativa de la imagen original. La imagen es segmentada en bloques tridimensionales y un cuantificador de vector de estructura de árbol se construye para cada bloque. Estos árboles son manipulados utilizando un algoritmo iteractivo hasta que el bloque resultante satisface un criterio necesario que establece la marca incrustada. El método se muestra para poder preservar la marca bajo compresión con pérdida (por encima de un umbral establecido) pero, al mismo tiempo, detecta posiblemente bloques forjados y su posición en la imagen entera.Es presenta un esquema de marques d'aigua semi-fràgils per a múltiples imatges de banda. Proposem incorporar una marca en imatges de detecció remota, aplicant un enfocament de quantització del vector d'arbre estructurat amb les definicions de píxel, en lloc de processar cada banda per separat. La signatura de la imatge hiperespectral s'utilitza per inserir la marca en el mateix ordre per detectar qualsevol modificació significativa de la imatge original. La imatge és segmentada en blocs tridimensionals i un quantificador de vector d'estructura d'arbre es construeix per a cada bloc. Aquests arbres són manipulats utilitzant un algoritme iteractiu fins que el bloc resultant satisfà un criteri necessari que estableix la marca incrustada. El mètode es mostra per poder preservar la marca sota compressió amb pèrdua (per sobre d'un llindar establert) però, al mateix temps, detecta possiblement blocs forjats i la seva posició en la imatge sencera

Gapped continuum Kaluza-Klein spectrum

We consider a warped ve-dimensional model with an ultraviolet (UV) brane and, on top of the Standard Model isolated modes, continua of KK modes with different mass gaps for all particles: gauge bosons, fermions, graviton, radion and Higgs boson. The model can be considered as a modelization in ve dimensions of gapped unparticles. The ve dimensional metric has a singularity, at a finite (infinite) value of the proper (conformal) coordinate, which is admissible as it supports finite temperature in the form of a black hole horizon. An infrared (IR) brane, with particular jumping conditions, is introduced to trigger correct electroweak breaking. The gravitational metric is AdS5 near the UV brane, to solve the hierarchy problem with a fundamental Planck scale, and linear, in conformal coordinates, near the IR, as in the linear dilaton and ve-dimensional clockwork models. The branes, and singularity, distances are fixed, à la Goldberger-Wise, by a bulk scalar field with brane potentials explicitly breaking the conformal symmetry. The bosonic continuum of KK modes with the smallest mass gap are those of gauge bosons, and so they are the most likely produced at the LHC. Mass gaps of the continuum of KK fermions do depend on their localization in the extra dimension. We have computed the spectral functions, and arbitrary Green's functions, and shown how they can modify some Standard Model processes.The work of EM is supported by the Spanish MINEICO under Grant FIS2017-85053-C2-1-P, by the Junta de Andalucía under Grant FQM-225, by the Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidad of the Junta de Andalucía and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under Grant SOMM17/6105/UGR, and by the Spanish Consolider Ingenio 2010 Programme CPAN under Grant CSD2007-00042. The research of EM is also supported by the Ramón y Cajal Program of the Spanish MINEICO under Grant RYC-2016-20678. The work of MQ is partly supported by Spanish MINEICO (Grant FPA2017-88915-P), by the Catalan Government under Grant 2017SGR1069, and by Severo Ochoa Excellence Program of MINEICO (Grant SEV-2016-0588)

Thermodynamics of AdS5 black holes: holographic QCD and Stückelberg model

Part of this work is based on Ref. [15], co-authored with Manuel Valle. I would like to thank him for collaboration and enlightening discussions. This research has been supported by Spanish MINEICO and European FEDER funds (Grant No. FIS2017-85053-C2-1-P), Plan Nacional de Altas Energas Spanish MINECO (Grant No. FPA2015-64041-C2-1-P), Junta de Andaluca (Grant No. FQM-225), Basque Government (Grant No. IT979-16), and Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidad of the Junta de Andalucía and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (Grant No. SOMM17/6105/UGR), as well as by Spanish MINECO Ramon y Cajal Program (Grant No. RYC-2016-20678), and by Universidad del Pas Vasco UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain, through a Visiting Professor appointment.We explore the thermodynamics of AdS(5) black holes in two models: i) an improved holographic QCD model with a simple dilaton potential, and ii) the Stuckelberg model in 5D. In the former case, by applying techniques of singular perturbation theory, we obtain a resummation of the naive expansion at high temperatures, providing a good fit to the lattice data for the trace anomaly. In the latter, we find a solution of the equations of motion by considering an expansion in the conformal dimension of the current associated to the gauge field.Spanish MINECO FIS2017-85053-C2-1-PEuropean Union (EU) FIS2017-85053-C2-1-PPlan Nacional de Altas Energas Spanish MINECO FPA2015-64041-C2-1-PJunta de Andalucia FQM-225Basque Government IT979-16Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigacion y Universidad of the Junta de Andalucía SOMM17/6105/UGREuropean Union (EU) SOMM17/6105/UGRSpanish MINECO Ramon y Cajal Program RYC-2016-20678Universidad del Pas Vasco UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spai

Realistic spectral function model for charged-current quasielastic-like neutrino and antineutrino scattering cross sections on 12C

A detailed study of charged current quasielastic neutrino and antineutrino scattering cross sections on a 12C target with no pions in the final state is presented. The initial nucleus is described by means of a realistic spectral function S(p, E) in which nucleon-nucleon correlations are implemented by using natural orbitals through the Jastrow method. The roles played by these correlations and by final-state interactions are analyzed and discussed. The model also includes the contribution of weak two-body currents in the two-particle two-hole sector, evaluated within a fully relativistic Fermi gas. The theoretical predictions are compared with a large set of experimental data for double-differential, single-differential, and total integrated cross sections measured by the MiniBooNE, MINERνA, and T2K experiments. Good agreement with experimental data is found over the whole range of neutrino energies. The results are also in global good agreement with the predictions of the superscaling approach, which is based on the analysis of electron-nucleus scattering data, with only a few differences seen at specific kinematics.This work was partially supported by the Bulgarian National Science Fund under Contracts No. DFNI-T02/19, No. DFNI-E02/6, and No. DNTS/Russia 01/3; by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grant No. 17-52-18057-bolga; by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) under Contracts No. FIS2014-59386-P, No. FIS2014-53448-C2- 1, No. FIS2017-88410-P, No. FIS2017-85053-C2-1-P, and No. FPA2015-65035-P; by the Junta de Andalucia (Grants No. FQM-225, FQM160); by the INFN under project MANYBODY; by the University of Turin under Contract No. BARMRILO- 17; and partly (T.W.D.) by the U.S. Department of Energy under cooperative agreement DE-FC02-94ER40818. G.D.M. acknowledges support from a Junta de Andalucia fellowship (FQM7632, Proyectos de Excelencia 2011). M.B.B. acknowledges support from the “Emilie du Châtelet” programme of the P2IO LabEx (ANR-10-LABX-0038)

Dietary avian proteins are comparable to soybean proteins on the atherosclerosis development and fatty liver disease in apoe-deficient mice

Background and aim: The type and amount of dietary protein has become a topic of re-newed interest in light of their involvement in metabolic diseases, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. However, little attention has been devoted to the effect of avian proteins despite their wide human consumption. The aim was to investigate the influence of chicken and turkey as sources of protein compared with that of soybean on atherosclerosis and fatty liver disease. Methods and results: To this purpose, male and female Apoe-deficient were fed purified Western diets differing in their protein sources for 12 weeks. After this period, blood, liver, aortic tree and heart base samples were taken for analyses of plasma lipids and atherosclerosis. Plasma triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids, esterified cholesterol levels and radical oxygen species in lipoproteins changed depending on the diet and sex. Females consuming the turkey protein-containing diet showed decreased athero-sclerotic foci, as evidenced by the en face atherosclerosis analyses. The presence of macrophages and smooth muscle cells in plaques were not modified, and no changes were observed in hepatic lipid droplets in the studied groups either. Paraoxonase activity was higher in the group consuming turkey protein without sex differences, but only in females, it was significantly associated with aor-tic lesion areas. Conclusions: Compared to soybean protein, the consumption of avian proteins depending on sex resulted in similar or lower atherosclerosis development and comparable hepatic steatosis. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Non-Abelian anomalies and hadronic fluids

By using differential geometry methods, we study the role of non-Abelian anomalies in relativistic fluids. We obtain closed expressions for the covariant currents derived from the Chern-Simons effective action. Our results are also applied to the Wess-Zumino-Witten action that accounts for the interaction of Goldstone bosons with external electromagnetic fields. We particularize these results to QCD with two light flavors.Plan Nacional de Altas Energias Spanish MINECO FPA2015-64041-C2-1-P FPA2015-64041-C2-2-PBasque Government IT979-16Spanish MINEICOEuropean Union (EU) FIS2017-85053-C2-1-PJunta de Andalucia FQM-225Spanish MINEICO Ramon y Cajal Program RYC-2016-20678Universidad del Pais Vasco UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spai

NrcR, a new transcriptional regulator of Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 involved in the Legume root-nodule symbiosis.

The establishment of nitrogen-fixing rhizobium-legume symbioses requires a highly complex cascade of events. In this molecular dialogue the bacterial NodD transcriptional regulators in conjunction with plant inducers, mostly flavonoids, are responsible for the biosynthesis and secretion of Nod factors which are key molecules for successful nodulation. Other transcriptional regulators related to the symbiotic process have been identified in rhizobial genomes, including negative regulators such as NolR. Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 is an important symbiont of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and its genome encompasses intriguing features such as five copies of nodD genes, as well as other possible transcriptional regulators including the NolR protein. Here we describe and characterize a new regulatory gene located in the non-symbiotic plasmid pRtrCIAT899c, that shows homology (46% identity) with the nolR gene located in the chromosome of CIAT 899. The mutation of this gene, named nrcR (nolR-like plasmid c Regulator), enhanced motility and exopolysaccharide production in comparison to the wild-type strain. Interestingly, the number and decoration of Nod Factors produced by this mutant were higher than those detected in the wildtype strain, especially under salinity stress. The nrcR mutant showed delayed nodulation and reduced competitiveness with P. vulgaris, and reduction in nodule number and shoot dry weight in both P. vulgaris and Leucaena leucocephala. Moreover, the mutant exhibited reduced capacity to induce the nodC gene in comparison to the wild-type CIAT 899. The finding of a new nod-gene regulator located in a non-symbiotic plasmid may reveal the existence of even more complex mechanisms of regulation of nodulation genes in R. tropici CIAT 899 that may be applicable to other rhizobial species