MOx_x@VOx_x-Pd‐type Nanorods and Nanotubes as Catalysts for Selective Reduction of NO

Vanadium oxide (VO$_x$-Pd) nanotubes as well as VO$_x$-coated ZnO nanorods (ZnO@VO$_x$-Pd) and VO$_x$-coated, layered-titania nanotubes (l-TiO$_2$@VO$_x$-Pd) are decorated with Pd nanoparticles and evaluated for selective catalytic reduction with hydrogen (H$_2$-SCR) for the first time. The nanostructures exhibit lengths of 300 to 700 nm, diameters of 20–100 nm and, in the case of the nanotubes, an inner tube diameter of about 10 nm. Pd nanoparticles (14±5 nm) are well-dispersed over the respective nanorod/nanotube nanostructure. Structure and composition are characterized by SEM, TEM, EDXS with element mapping, XPS, FT-IR, XRD, and sorption analysis. Thermal analysis indicates the nanostructures to be thermally stabile up to 350 °C (VO$_x$), and 500 °C (ZnO@VO$_x$, l-TiO$_2$@VO$_x$). All catalysts are tested for their activity in regard of the selective catalytic reduction of NO with H$_2$, revealing a significant impact of the catalyst support on both activity and selectivity. Specifically, l-TiO$_2$@VO$_x$ nanotubes show promising properties with an activity up to 70 % and a selectivity up to 80 % N$_2$

A Scalable Formal Verification Methodology for Data-Oblivious Hardware

The importance of preventing microarchitectural timing side channels in security-critical applications has surged in recent years. Constant-time programming has emerged as a best-practice technique for preventing the leakage of secret information through timing. It is based on the assumption that the timing of certain basic machine instructions is independent of their respective input data. However, whether or not an instruction satisfies this data-independent timing criterion varies between individual processor microarchitectures. In this paper, we propose a novel methodology to formally verify data-oblivious behavior in hardware using standard property checking techniques. The proposed methodology is based on an inductive property that enables scalability even to complex out-of-order cores. We show that proving this inductive property is sufficient to exhaustively verify data-obliviousness at the microarchitectural level. In addition, the paper discusses several techniques that can be used to make the verification process easier and faster. We demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology through case studies on several open-source designs. One case study uncovered a data-dependent timing violation in the extensively verified and highly secure IBEX RISC-V core. In addition to several hardware accelerators and in-order processors, our experiments also include RISC-V BOOM, a complex out-of-order processor, highlighting the scalability of the approach

A New Security Threat in MCUs -- SoC-wide timing side channels and how to find them

Microarchitectural timing side channels have been thoroughly investigated as a security threat in hardware designs featuring shared buffers (e.g., caches) and/or parallelism between attacker and victim task execution. Contradicting common intuitions, recent activities demonstrate, however, that this threat is real also in microcontroller SoCs without such features. In this paper, we describe SoC-wide timing side channels previously neglected by security analysis and present a new formal method to close this gap. In a case study with the RISC-V Pulpissimo SoC platform, our method found a vulnerability to a so far unknown attack variant that allows an attacker to obtain information about a victim's memory access behavior. After implementing a conservative fix, we were able to verify that the SoC is now secure w.r.t. timing side channels

Introducing Promoting SINgle cell GEnomics to explore the ecology and evolution of hidden microeuKaryotes (SINGEK)

SINGEK is an EU H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network devised to provide a unique and structured PhD training programme to a new generation of scientists with the highest expertise in Single Cell Genomics, from the initial stages of cell sorting to genome sequencing and gene annotation, to the full exploitation of the data obtained. The network is composed of a multidisciplinary team of researchers from nine institutions, well connected and with high expertise in eukaryotic SCG. SINGEK will drive training through research by both local and network-wide activities, secondments, and workshops, and by establishing an environment that extends far beyond each partner teamThis project has received funding from the European Union’s horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 675752Peer reviewe

A Multicenter Global Registry of Paclitaxel Drug-Coated Balloon in Dysfunctional Arteriovenous Fistulae and Grafts: 6-Month Results

Purpose: To assess the safety and clinical benefit of the Lutonix drug-coated balloon (DCB) catheter for the treatment of dysfunctional arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) and grafts (AVG) in a heterogenous real-world population. Materials and Methods: This multicenter, prospective study enrolled 320 subjects from 12 countries in 25 sites across Europe and Asia. A total of 392 lesions were treated with the Lutonix 035 DCB catheter. Lesions were de novo and restenotic, located in every part of the circuit from the cannulation zone to central venous outflow. In-stent restenotic lesions also were treated. The primary safety endpoint was freedom from serious adverse events involving the access circuit through 30 days. The primary effectiveness endpoint was target lesion primary patency (TLPP) through 6 months. Secondary endpoints included access circuit primary patency (ACPP) at 6 months and the investigation of factors that would independently influence the primary endpoints. Results: The primary safety endpoint was 95.5%, while TLPP was 73.9% at 6 months, per Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. ACPP was 71% at 6 months. TLPP for stenosis of AVFs was 78.1%. Subgroup analysis showed significantly improved TLPP when DCB was dilated for 65120 seconds (P = .007). TLPP was significantly better when predilation occurred compared with cases where only DCB angioplasty was performed (77% vs 48.6%, P = .0005). Conclusions: The Lutonix AV Global Registry confirms that the Lutonix DCB is a safe and effective treatment option in real-world patients with dysfunctional AVF or AVG. Procedural details had a significant role in TLPP. No significant difference in TLPP was observed among different treatment areas