Privacy-Preserving Secret Shared Computations using MapReduce

Data outsourcing allows data owners to keep their data at \emph{untrusted} clouds that do not ensure the privacy of data and/or computations. One useful framework for fault-tolerant data processing in a distributed fashion is MapReduce, which was developed for \emph{trusted} private clouds. This paper presents algorithms for data outsourcing based on Shamir's secret-sharing scheme and for executing privacy-preserving SQL queries such as count, selection including range selection, projection, and join while using MapReduce as an underlying programming model. Our proposed algorithms prevent an adversary from knowing the database or the query while also preventing output-size and access-pattern attacks. Interestingly, our algorithms do not involve the database owner, which only creates and distributes secret-shares once, in answering any query, and hence, the database owner also cannot learn the query. Logically and experimentally, we evaluate the efficiency of the algorithms on the following parameters: (\textit{i}) the number of communication rounds (between a user and a server), (\textit{ii}) the total amount of bit flow (between a user and a server), and (\textit{iii}) the computational load at the user and the server.\BComment: IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, Accepted 01 Aug. 201

INTEND, DEPICTION IN VITRO AND IN VIVO APPRAISAL OF GLIPIZIDE FLOATING MICROSPHERES USING ETHYL CELLLULOSE AND HYDROXYL PROPYL METHYL CELLULOSE AS POLYMER BY SUBSTANTIALLY MODIFIED METHOD

Objective: The purpose of this research was to formulate and evaluate floating microsphere of glipizide.Methods: Glipizide microsphere containing ethyl cellulose (EC) and hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) were prepared by solvent evaporationmethod. Polymer to drug ratio affected characteristics of microspheres. Microspheres were discrete, spherical, and perforated form. The microspheresexhibited good floating property and achieved good gastric retention.Result: In vitro performance was evaluated by the usual pharmacopoeial and other tests such as drug polymer compatibility (Fourier transforminfrared scan), yield (%), micrometric properties such as tapped density (%). Compressibility particle size analysis (by optical microscopy), drugentrapment efficiency, surface topography (scanning electron microscope), and in vitro release study. On the basis of results, increasing the polymerratio increased the particle size (195.6±20.24 to 200.89±16.61), increased tapped density (maximum 0.29.60±0.00037 HGF4, batch), and decreased% compressibility (2.13±0.188). Drug loaded floating microspheres were found to be float more than 12 hrs on simulated gastric fluid (pH-1.2).Maximum drug entrapment was found in batch HGF3 (Drug:HPMC:EC) (1:1:3). Electron microscopy showed its perforated surface with hollowness.After 10 hrs, maximum release was found to be 78.0% (batch-GF1).Conclusion: The release study was performed in simulated gastric fluid with 0.02% tween80. The best release result was obtained at the ratio ofdrug: polymer (1:1).Keywords: Floating microspheres, Glipizide, Gastrorentensive system, In vitro release

Online) An Open Access

ABSTRACT Doon valley in Dehradun district is one of the picturesque valley in Asia at the foot hills of the beautiful Himalayan range, whose lofty and young chain present many fascinating and natural scenic formation that have been attracting people of different disciplines and interests. The knowledge of climatic variations of Doon valley is essential as it is an environmentally sensitive area. Doon valley is well known for its pleasant climatic conditions and there seems to be much variability in its climate. The climatic situation has undergone a change as compared to last decade and fluctuations were observed even within 1-5 years gap. The ever changing dynamics with respect to space and time makes it essential to have systematic and updated knowledge. It helps in proper management and regulation of our natural resources. Significance of remote sensing is its ability to provide quick and accurate knowledge of the area. Keeping in view the significance of climate, a study was conducted on its varying trends and scenarios in Doon valley for last two decades (1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006) and geospatial database layers have been prepared during which varying facts came into knowledge. With span of time the valley has undergone many changes. Today the rate of climate change is much faster than any time in the past. This is continuously leading to many problems which are likely to increase in coming years. Erratic monsoons, delay of winters, lowering of temperature are some consequences of climate change. It has been observed that forest an important natural resource has also undergone change. Dense forest has converted to open forest and consequently open forest has converted to agricultural fields and scrub lands, as a result temperature variations were also seen in these areas. In these areas NDVI and temperature values were also observed and strong negative correlation was examined in between these two variables for 1990 in comparison to 2006.increasing concentration of NO 2 and SO 2 in the area show damaging effects on plants retarding their photosynthesis activity. As people are dependent on forests for their livelihood, food and medicines, hence any shift or depletion in forests will have serious ecological, environmental and socioeconomic consequences

Assessment of nutritional status among adolescents: a hospital based cross sectional study

Background:Adolescence, a period of transition between childhood and adulthood, occupies a crucial position in the life of human beings. The primary causes of under nutrition in India are its large population, socio-economic differences and inadequate access to health facilities. Nutritional assessments among adolescents are important as they are the future parents and constitute a potentially susceptible group. Studies on the assessment of nutritional status of adolescents are less in number and a National database has not yet been developed.Methods:The present hospital based cross sectional study was conducted in year 2013 among 344 rural adolescents of 10-19 years age (166 boys and 178 girls) attending the outpatient department at rural health training centre (RHTC) Dhaura Tanda, district Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, belonging to the Muslim and Hindu caste communities. The nutritional status was assessed in terms of under nutrition (weight-for-age below 3rd percentile), stunting (Height-for-age below 3rd percentile) and thinness (BMI-for-age below 5th percentile). Diseases were accepted as such as diagnosed by pediatrician, skin specialist and medical officer.Results:The prevalence of underweight, stunting and thinness were found to be 32.8%, 19.5% and 26.7% respectively. The maximum prevalence of malnutrition was observed among early adolescents (28%-47%) and the most common morbidities were URTI (38.6%), diarrhea (16.8%), carbuncle / furuncle (16%) and scabies (9.30%).Conclusion:The study concluded that the most common morbidities among adolescents were related to nutrition and personal hygiene. Regular health programmes should focus to educate and promote health among adolescent.

Prism: Private Set Intersection and Union with Aggregation over Multi-Owner Outsourced Data

This paper proposes Prism, Private Verifiable Set Computation over Multi-Owner Outsourced Databases, a secret sharing based approach to compute private set operations (i.e., intersection and union), as well as aggregates over outsourced databases belonging to multiple owners. Prism enables data owners to pre-load the data onto non-colluding servers and exploits the additive and multiplicative properties of secret-shares to compute the above-listed operations in (at most) two rounds of communication between the servers (storing the secret-shares) and the querier, resulting in a very efficient implementation. Also, Prism does not require communication among the servers and supports result verification techniques for each operation to detect malicious adversaries. Experimental results show that Prism scales both in terms of the number of data owners and database sizes, to which prior approaches do not scale

A Semantic Approach To Data Management for Smart Spaces

Unprecedented growth in sensing, data capture devices, communication, and computing technologies have enabled us to capture and analyze almost every aspect of our lives. Such a prospect has resulted in the development of a myriad of applications in the cyber-physical systems, and the Internet of Things domain. While limitless possibilities exist, their realization has led to the grand challenge of designing a new class of systems that can provideseamless support for efficient and easier to program sensor-based applications. Furthermore, as sensor data processing often consists of complex compiled code, expensive machine learning, and signal processing code, systems that can scale to data generated by a myriad of interconnected sensors and devices embedded in the environment are needed.This thesis presents TippersDB, a middleware system designed to build sensor-based smart space analytical applications. The intended goal of TippersDB is to ease the task of developing complex smart space applications, to develop an extensible system that allows diverse/heterogeneous sensors (with possibly overlapping functionalities) to co-exist and to be seamlessly integrated into the system without requiring application redesign, and to exploit the semantics of the physical world, as well as, sensor capabilities to optimize the applications. TippersDB provides a powerful data model that decouples semantic data about the application domain from sensor data using which the semantic data is derived. By supporting mechanisms to translate data, concepts, and queries between the two levels, TippersDB relieves the application developers from having to know or reason about either the type or location of sensors or write sensor specific code. In addition, it allows for multiple optimizations based on smart space semantics to improve query processing.In particular, in this thesis, first we introduce the SmartBench benchmark that we developed to analyze the existing database technologies in terms of their strength/weaknesses and suitability in supporting IoT applications. Next, we introduce the TippersDB data model and describe its query-driven translation of sensor data. We then provide a summary of the system implementation and show a performance evaluation of TippersDB using IoT benchmark queries. This is followed by the description of the progressive query processing techniques used in TippersDB to reduce wait time for the users by providing them with early results. Finally, we highlight the benefits of TippersDB through a case study

Non-syndromic bilateral condylar aplasia: A rare case

The temporomandibular joint is one of the most complex joints of the human body. It consists of the mandibular condyle, glenoid fossa and the articular eminence of the temporal bone. Aplasia of the condyle is usually seen as part of a syndrome otherwise it is rare. We report a case of bilateral condylar aplasia in a 20-year-old male not associated with any syndrome. The patient reported to the department with a chief complaint of the underdeveloped lower jaw. Clinical examination, conventional radiographs, and 3D computer tomography images revealed a complete absence of condyle on the right and left sides