1,858 research outputs found
Modeling Insider Attacks on Group Key-Exchange Protocols
Protocols for authenticated key exchange (AKE) allow parties within an insecure network to establish a common session key which can then be used to secure their future communication. It is fair to say that group AKE is currently less well understood than the case of two-party AKE; in particular, attacks by malicious insiders --- a concern specific to the group setting --- have so far been considered only in a relatively ``ad-hoc\u27\u27 fashion. The main contribution of this work is to address this deficiency by providing a formal, comprehensive model and definition of security for group AKE which automatically encompasses insider attacks. We do so by defining an appropriate ideal functionality for group AKE within the universal composability (UC) framework. As a side benefit, any protocol secure with respect to our definition is secure even when run concurrently with other protocols, and the key generated by any such protocol may be used securely in any subsequent application.
In addition to proposing this definition, we show that the resulting notion of security is strictly stronger than the one proposed by Bresson, et al. (termed ``AKE-security\u27\u27), and that our definition implies all previously-suggested notions of security against insider attacks. We also show a simple technique for converting any AKE-secure protocol into one secure with respect to our definition
Vitamin D Deficiency Promotes Liver Tumor Growth in Transforming Growth Factor-ÎČ/Smad3-Deficient Mice Through Wnt and Toll-like Receptor 7 Pathway Modulation.
Disruption of the TGF-ÎČ pathway is associated with liver fibrosis and suppression of liver tumorigenesis, conditions associated with low Vitamin D (VD) levels. However, potential contributions of VD to liver tumor progression in the context of TGF-ÎČ signaling remain unexplored. Our analyses of VD deprivation (VDD) in in vivo models of liver tumor formation revealed striking three-fold increases in tumor burden in Smad3(+/-) mice, with a three-fold increase in TLR7 expression compared to controls. ChIP and transcriptional assays confirm Smad3 binding at two TLR7 promoter SBE sites. Molecular interactions between TGF-ÎČ pathway and VDD were validated clinically, where an absence of VD supplementation was associated with low TGF-ÎČ pathway member expression levels and ÎČ-catenin activation in fibrotic/cirrhotic human liver tissues. Subsequent supplementing VD led to restoration of TGF-ÎČ member expression with lower ÎČ-catenin levels. Bioinformatics analysis provides positive supportive correlation between somatic mutations for VD-related genes and the TGF-ÎČ pathway. We conclude that VDD promotes tumor growth in the context of Smad3 disruption, potentially through regulation of TLR7 expression and ÎČ-catenin activation. VD could therefore be a strong candidate for liver cancer prevention in the context of aberrant Smad3 signaling
TMEM110 regulates the maintenance and remodeling of mammalian ERâplasma membrane junctions competent for STIMâORAI signaling
The stromal interaction molecule (STIM)âORAI calcium release-activated calcium modulator (ORAI) pathway controls store-dependent calcium entry, a major mechanism of physiological calcium signaling in mammalian cells. The core elements of the pathway are the regulatory protein STIM1, located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, the calcium channel ORAI1 in the plasma membrane, and sites of close contact between the ER and the plasma membrane that permit the two proteins to interact. Research on calcium signaling has centered on STIM1, ORAI1, and a few proteins that directly modulate STIMâORAI function. However, little is known about proteins that organize ERâplasma membrane junctions for STIMâORAI-dependent calcium signaling. Here, we report that an ER-resident membrane protein identified in a previous genome-wide RNAi screen, transmembrane protein 110 (TMEM110), regulates the long-term maintenance of ERâplasma membrane junctions and the short-term physiological remodeling of the junctions during store-dependent calcium signaling
Broken conformal invariance and spectrum of anomalous dimensions in QCD
Employing the operator algebra of the conformal group and the conformal Ward
identities, we derive the constraints for the anomalies of dilatation and
special conformal transformations of the local twist-2 operators in Quantum
Chromodynamics. We calculate these anomalies in the leading order of
perturbation theory in the minimal subtraction scheme. From the conformal
consistency relation we derive then the off-diagonal part of the anomalous
dimension matrix of the conformally covariant operators in the two-loop
approximation of the coupling constant in terms of these quantities. We deduce
corresponding off-diagonal parts of the Efremov-Radyushkin-Brodsky-Lepage
kernels responsible for the evolution of the exclusive distribution amplitudes
and non-forward parton distributions in the next-to-leading order in the
flavour singlet channel for the chiral-even parity-odd and -even sectors as
well as for the chiral-odd one. We also give the analytical solution of the
corresponding evolution equations exploiting the conformal partial wave
expansion.Comment: 45 pages, LaTeX, 6 figures; typos fixe
How Do Galaxies Get Their Gas?
Not the way one might have thought. In hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy
formation, some gas follows the traditionally envisioned route, shock heating
to the halo virial temperature before cooling to the much lower temperature of
the neutral ISM. But most gas enters galaxies without ever heating close to the
virial temperature, gaining thermal energy from weak shocks and adiabatic
compression, and radiating it just as quickly. This ``cold mode'' accretion is
channeled along filaments, while the conventional, ``hot mode'' accretion is
quasi-spherical. Cold mode accretion dominates high redshift growth by a
substantial factor, while at z<1 the overall accretion rate declines and hot
mode accretion has greater relative importance. The decline of the cosmic star
formation rate at low z is driven largely by geometry, as the typical cross
section of filaments begins to exceed that of the galaxies at their
intersections.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figure. To be published in the proceedings of the
IGM/Galaxy Connection- The Distribution of Baryons at z=0 conferenc
Whole-genome analysis of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation in Arabidopsis
Trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) plays critical roles in regulating animal development, and in several cases, H3K27me3 is also required for the proper expression of developmentally important genes in plants. However, the extent to which H3K27me3 regulates plant genes on a genome-wide scale remains unknown. In addition, it is not clear whether the establishment and spreading of H3K27me3 occur through the same mechanisms in plants and animals. We identified regions containing H3K27me3 in the genome of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana using a high-density whole-genome tiling microarray. The results suggest that H3K27me3 is a major silencing mechanism in plants that regulates an unexpectedly large number of genes in Arabidopsis (~4,400), and that the maintenance of H3K27me3 is largely independent of other epigenetic pathways, such as DNA methylation or RNA interference. Unlike in animals, where H3K27m3 occupies large genomic regions, in Arabidopsis, we found that H3K27m3 domains were largely restricted to the transcribed regions of single genes. Furthermore, unlike in animals systems, H3K27m3 domains were not preferentially associated with low-nucleosome density regions. The results suggest that different mechanisms may underlie the establishment and spreading of H3K27me3 in plants and animals
Multiscale approach including microfibril scale to assess elastic constants of cortical bone based on neural network computation and homogenization method
The complexity and heterogeneity of bone tissue require a multiscale
modelling to understand its mechanical behaviour and its remodelling
mechanisms. In this paper, a novel multiscale hierarchical approach including
microfibril scale based on hybrid neural network computation and homogenisation
equations was developed to link nanoscopic and macroscopic scales to estimate
the elastic properties of human cortical bone. The multiscale model is divided
into three main phases: (i) in step 0, the elastic constants of collagen-water
and mineral-water composites are calculated by averaging the upper and lower
Hill bounds; (ii) in step 1, the elastic properties of the collagen microfibril
are computed using a trained neural network simulation. Finite element (FE)
calculation is performed at nanoscopic levels to provide a database to train an
in-house neural network program; (iii) in steps 2 to 10 from fibril to
continuum cortical bone tissue, homogenisation equations are used to perform
the computation at the higher scales. The neural network outputs (elastic
properties of the microfibril) are used as inputs for the homogenisation
computation to determine the properties of mineralised collagen fibril. The
mechanical and geometrical properties of bone constituents (mineral, collagen
and cross-links) as well as the porosity were taken in consideration. This
paper aims to predict analytically the effective elastic constants of cortical
bone by modelling its elastic response at these different scales, ranging from
the nanostructural to mesostructural levels. Our findings of the lowest scale's
output were well integrated with the other higher levels and serve as inputs
for the next higher scale modelling. Good agreement was obtained between our
predicted results and literature data.Comment: 2
Ion and Electron Acoustic Bursts during Anti-Parallel Magnetic Reconnection Driven by Lasers
Magnetic reconnection converts magnetic energy into thermal and kinetic
energy in plasma. Among numerous candidate mechanisms, ion acoustic
instabilities driven by the relative drift between ions and electrons, or
equivalently electric current, have been suggested to play a critical role in
dissipating magnetic energy in collisionless plasmas. However, their existence
and effectiveness during reconnection have not been well understood due to ion
Landau damping and difficulties in resolving the Debye length scale in the
laboratory. Here we report a sudden onset of ion acoustic bursts measured by
collective Thomson scattering in the exhaust of anti-parallel magnetically
driven reconnection using high-power lasers. The ion acoustic bursts are
followed by electron acoustic bursts with electron heating and bulk
acceleration. We reproduce these observations with 1D and 2D particle-in-cell
simulations in which electron outflow jet drives ion-acoustic instabilities,
forming double layers. These layers induce electron two-stream instabilities
that generate electron acoustic bursts and energize electrons. Our results
demonstrate the importance of ion and electron acoustic dynamics during
reconnection when ion Landau damping is ineffective, a condition applicable to
a range of astrophysical plasmas including near-Earth space, stellar flares,
and black hole accretion engines
Speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke
Background Aphasia is an acquired language impairment following brain damage that affects some or all language modalities: expression and understanding of speech, reading, and writing. Approximately one third of people who have a stroke experience aphasia. Objectives To assess the effects of speech and language therapy (SLT) for aphasia following stroke. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (last searched 9 September 2015), CENTRAL (2015, Issue 5) and other Cochrane Library Databases (CDSR, DARE, HTA, to 22 September 2015), MEDLINE (1946 to September 2015), EMBASE (1980 to September 2015), CINAHL (1982 to September 2015), AMED (1985 to September 2015), LLBA (1973 to September 2015), and SpeechBITE (2008 to September 2015). We also searched major trials registers for ongoing trials including ClinicalTrials.gov (to 21 September 2015), the Stroke Trials Registry (to 21 September 2015), Current Controlled Trials (to 22 September 2015), and WHO ICTRP (to 22 September 2015). In an effort to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing trials we also handsearched theInternational Journal of Language and Communication Disorders(1969 to 2005) and reference lists of relevant articles, and we contacted academic institutions and other researchers. There were no language restrictions. Selection criteria Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing SLT (a formal intervention that aims to improve language and communication abilities, activity and participation) versus no SLT; social support or stimulation (an intervention that provides social support and communication stimulation but does not include targeted therapeutic interventions); or another SLT intervention (differing in duration, intensity, frequency, intervention methodology or theoretical approach). Data collection and analysis We independently extracted the data and assessed the quality of included trials. We sought missing data from investigators. Main results We included 57 RCTs (74 randomised comparisons) involving 3002 participants in this review (some appearing in more than one comparison). Twenty-seven randomised comparisons (1620 participants) assessed SLT versus no SLT; SLT resulted in clinically and statistically significant benefits to patients' functional communication (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.06 to 0.49, P = 0.01), reading, writing, and expressive language, but (based on smaller numbers) benefits were not evident at follow-up. Nine randomised comparisons (447 participants) assessed SLT with social support and stimulation; meta-analyses found no evidence of a difference in functional communication, but more participants withdrew from social support interventions than SLT. Thirty-eight randomised comparisons (1242 participants) assessed two approaches to SLT. Functional communication was significantly better in people with aphasia that received therapy at a high intensity, high dose, or over a long duration compared to those that received therapy at a lower intensity, lower dose, or over a shorter period of time. The benefits of a high intensity or a high dose of SLT were confounded by a significantly higher dropout rate in these intervention groups. Generally, trials randomised small numbers of participants across a range of characteristics (age, time since stroke, and severity profiles), interventions, and outcomes. Authors' conclusions Our review provides evidence of the effectiveness of SLT for people with aphasia following stroke in terms of improved functional communication, reading, writing, and expressive language compared with no therapy. There is some indication that therapy at high intensity, high dose or over a longer period may be beneficial. HIgh-intensity and high dose interventions may not be acceptable to all
Collective Animal Behavior from Bayesian Estimation and Probability Matching
Animals living in groups make movement decisions that depend, among other factors, on social interactions with other group members. Our present understanding of social rules in animal collectives is based on empirical fits to observations and we lack first-principles approaches that allow their derivation. Here we show that patterns of collective decisions can be derived from the basic ability of animals to make probabilistic estimations in the presence of uncertainty. We build a decision-making model with two stages: Bayesian estimation and probabilistic matching.
In the first stage, each animal makes a Bayesian estimation of which behavior is best to perform taking into account personal information about the environment and social information collected by observing the behaviors of other animals. In the probability matching stage, each animal chooses a behavior with a probability given by the Bayesian estimation that this behavior is the most appropriate one. This model derives very simple rules of interaction in animal collectives that depend only on two types of reliability parameters, one that each animal assigns to the other animals and another given by the quality of the non-social information. We test our model by obtaining theoretically a rich set of observed collective patterns of decisions in three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, a shoaling fish species. The quantitative link shown between probabilistic estimation and collective rules of behavior allows a better contact with other fields such as foraging, mate selection, neurobiology and psychology, and gives predictions for experiments directly testing the relationship between estimation and collective behavior
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