Implementing cryptographic pairings: a magma tutorial

In this paper we show an efficient implementation if the Tate, ate, and R-ate pairings in magma. This will be demostrated by using the KSS curves with embedding degree k=1

Real-time detection of uncalibrated sensors using Neural Networks

Nowadays, sensors play a major role in several contexts like science, industry and daily life which benefit of their use. However, the retrieved information must be reliable. Anomalies in the behavior of sensors can give rise to critical consequences such as ruining a scientific project or jeopardizing the quality of the production in industrial production lines. One of the more subtle kind of anomalies are uncalibrations. An uncalibration is said to take place when the sensor is not adjusted or standardized by calibration according to a ground truth value. In this work, an online machine-learning based uncalibration detector for temperature, humidity and pressure sensors was developed. This solution integrates an Artificial Neural Network as main component which learns from the behavior of the sensors under calibrated conditions. Then, after trained and deployed, it detects uncalibrations once they take place. The obtained results show that the proposed solution is able to detect uncalibrations for deviation values of 0.25 degrees, 1% RH and 1.5 Pa, respectively. This solution can be adapted to different contexts by means of transfer learning, whose application allows for the addition of new sensors, the deployment into new environments and the retraining of the model with minimum amounts of data

Fast hashing to G2 on pairing friendly curves

When using pairing-friendly ordinary elliptic curves over prime fields to implement identity-based protocols, there is often a need to hash identities to points on one or both of the two elliptic curve groups of prime order $r$ involved in the pairing. Of these $G_1$ is a group of points on the base field E(\F_p) and $G_2$ is instantiated as a group of points with coordinates on some extension field, over a twisted curve E\u27(\F_{p^d}), where $d$ divides the embedding degree $k$. While hashing to $G_1$ is relatively easy, hashing to $G_2$ has been less considered, and is regarded as likely to be more expensive as it appears to require a multiplication by a large cofactor. In this paper we introduce a fast method for this cofactor multiplication on $G_2$ which exploits an efficiently computable homomorphism

On the final exponentiation for calculating pairings on ordinary elliptic curves

When using pairing-friendly ordinary elliptic curves to compute the Tate and related pairings, the computation consists of two main components, the Miller loop and the so-called final exponentiation. As a result of good progress being made to reduce the Miller loop component of the algorithm (particularly with the discovery of ``truncated loop\u27\u27 pairings like the R-ate pairing), the final exponentiation has become a more significant component of the overall calculation. Here we exploit the structure of pairing friendly elliptic curves to reduce the computation required for the final exponentiation to a minimum

Software implementation of an Attribute-Based Encryption scheme

A ciphertext-policy attribute-based encryption protocol uses bilinear pairings to provide control access mechanisms, where the set of user\u27s attributes is specified by means of a linear secret sharing scheme. In this paper we present the design of a software cryptographic library that achieves record timings for the computation of a 126-bit security level attribute-based encryption scheme. We developed all the required auxiliary building blocks and compared the computational weight that each of them adds to the overall performance of this protocol. In particular, our single pairing and multi-pairing implementations achieve state-of-the-art time performance at the 126-bit security level

Hypofractionated radiation therapy and temozolomide in patients with glioblastoma and poor prognostic factors. A prospective, single-institution experience

Background: Hypofractionated radiation therapy is a feasible and safe treatment option in elderly and frail patients with glioblastoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of hypofractionated radiation therapy with concurrent temozolomide in terms of feasibility and disease control in primary glioblastoma patients with poor prognostic factors other than advanced age, such as post-surgical neurological complications, high tumor burden, unresectable or multifocal lesions, and potential low treatment compliance due to social factors or rapidly progressive disease. Material and methods: GTV included the surgical cavity plus disease visible in T1WI-MRI, FLAIR-MRI and in the MET-uptake. The CTV was defined as the GTV plus 1.5-2 cm margin; the PTV was the CTV+0.3 cm margin. Forty, fourty-five, and fifty grays in 15 fractions were prescribed to 95% of PTV, CTV, and GTV, respectively. Treatment was delivered using IMRT or the VMAT technique. Simultaneously, 75 mg/m2/day of temozolomide were administered. Results: Between January 2010 and November 2017, we treated a total of 17 patients. The median age at diagnosis was 68-years; median KPS was 50-70%. MGMT-methylation status was negative in 5 patients, and 8 patients were IDH-wildtype. Eight of 18 patients were younger than 65-years. Median tumor volume was 26.95cc; median PTV volume was 322cc. Four lesions were unresectable; 6 patients underwent complete surgical resection. Median residual volume was 1.14cc. Progression-free survival was 60% at 6 months, 33% at 1-year and 13% at 2-years (median OS = 7 months). No acute grade 3-5 toxicities were documented. Symptomatic grade 3 radiation necrosis was observed in one patient. Conclusions: Patients with poor clinical factors other than advanced age can be selected for hypofractionated radiotherapy. The OS and PFS rates obtained in our series are similar to those in patients treated with standard fractionation, assuring good treatment adherence, low rates of toxicity and probable improved cost-effectiveness

Fiber Optic Sensing System for Temperature and Gas Monitoring in Coal Waste Pile Combustion Environments

International audienceIt is presented an optical fiber sensing system projected to operate in the demanding conditions associated with coal waste piles in combustion. Distributed temperature measurement and spot gas sensing are requirements for such a system. A field prototype has been installed and is continuously gathering data, which will input a geological model of the coal waste piles in combustion aiming to understand their dynamics and evolution. Results are presented on distributed temperature and ammonia measurement, being noticed any significant methane emission in the short time period considered. Carbon dioxide is also a targeted gas for measurement, with validated results available soon. The assessment of this technology as an effective and reliable tool to address the problem of monitoring coal waste piles in combustion opens the possibility of its widespread application in view of the worldwide presence of coal related fires

Risks of dengue secondary infective biting associated with aedes aegypti in home environments in Monterrey, Mexico

Abstract. Secondary dengue virus infections are a major risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. Recent exposure to infectious bites of Aedes aegypti (L.) females in previously diagnosed dengue cases fulfills the epidemiological model of dengue hemorrhagic fever. A study was comprised of 357 (89.2%) dengue and 43 (10.8%) dengue hemorrhagic fever cases confirmed by laboratory tests and clinical manifestations. An entomological survey was done in homes and backyards. Concurrently, a questionnaire was used to assess the impact of healthpromotion campaigns through knowledge of the vector and its epidemiological role. Seventy-six (28.4%) of the 268 (67.0%) total wet or dry oviposition sites were positive for the presence of larvae or pupae, while adult Ae. aegypti were found in 32 (8.0%). One hundred thirty-two (33%) householders who formerly had dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever had knowledge of either larval or adult dengue vector stages. According to gender distribution, 145 (36.2%) and 14 (3.5%) of the males confirmed with cases of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever lived in houses with 17.9 and 2% of the Ae. aegypti larval and pupal habitats. Houses with females who had dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever were 212 (53%) and 29 (7.3%), with containers with immature Ae. aegypti in 19.4 and 7%, respectively. Lack of sustainability of government-targeted health education campaigns is the major problem for involving communities in prevention and control of dengu

Search for the associated production of a b quark and a neutral supersymmetric Higgs boson which decays to tau pairs

We report results from a search for production of a neutral Higgs boson in association with a $b$ quark. We search for Higgs decays to $\tau$ pairs with one $\tau$ subsequently decaying to a muon and the other to hadrons. The data correspond to 2.7fb$^{-1}$ of \ppbar collisions recorded by the D0 detector at $\sqrt{s} = 1.96$TeV. The data are found to be consistent with background predictions. The result allows us to exclude a significant region of parameter space of the minimal supersymmetric model.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter

Evidence-based Guidelines for the Management of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency After Pancreatic Surgery

To provide evidence-based recommendations for the management of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) after pancreatic surgery