Visual Model-Driven Design, Verification and Implementation of Security Protocols

A novel visual model-driven approach to security protocol design, verification, and implementation is presented in this paper. User-friendly graphical models are combined with rigorous formal methods to enable protocol verification and sound automatic code generation. Domain-specific abstractions keep the graphical models simple, yet powerful enough to represent complex, realistic protocols such as SSH. The main contribution is to bring together aspects that were only partially available or not available at all in previous proposal

MakeSense: An IoT Testbed for Social Research of Indoor Activities

There has been increasing interest in deploying IoT devices to study human behaviour in locations such as homes and offices. Such devices can be deployed in a laboratory or `in the wild' in natural environments. The latter allows one to collect behavioural data that is not contaminated by the artificiality of a laboratory experiment. Using IoT devices in ordinary environments also brings the benefits of reduced cost, as compared with lab experiments, and less disturbance to the participants' daily routines which in turn helps with recruiting them into the research. However, in this case, it is essential to have an IoT infrastructure that can be easily and swiftly installed and from which real-time data can be securely and straightforwardly collected. In this paper, we present MakeSense, an IoT testbed that enables real-world experimentation for large scale social research on indoor activities through real-time monitoring and/or situation-aware applications. The testbed features quick setup, flexibility in deployment, the integration of a range of IoT devices, resilience, and scalability. We also present two case studies to demonstrate the use of the testbed, one in homes and one in offices.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure

A Lightweight Security Analyzer inside GCC

Abstrac

Formally based semi-automatic implementation of an open security protocol

International audienceThis paper presents an experiment in which an implementation of the client side of the SSH Transport Layer Protocol (SSH-TLP) was semi-automatically derived according to a model-driven development paradigm that leverages formal methods in order to obtain high correctness assurance. The approach used in the experiment starts with the formalization of the protocol at an abstract level. This model is then formally proved to fulfill the desired secrecy and authentication properties by using the ProVerif prover. Finally, a sound Java implementation is semi-automatically derived from the verified model using an enhanced version of the Spi2Java framework. The resulting implementation correctly interoperates with third party servers, and its execution time is comparable with that of other manually developed Java SSH-TLP client implementations. This case study demonstrates that the adopted model-driven approach is viable even for a real security protocol, despite the complexity of the models needed in order to achieve an interoperable implementation

A prospective study on contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of testicular lesions: distinctive features of Leydig cell tumours

OBJECTIVES: Up to 20 % of incidentally found testicular lesions are benign Leydig cell tumours (LCTs). This study evaluates the role of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the identification of LCTs in a large prospective cohort study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 44 consecutive patients with at least one solid non-palpable testicular lesion who underwent scrotal MRI. Margins of the lesions, signal intensity and pattern of wash-in and wash-out were analysed by two radiologists. The frequency distribution of malignant and benign MRI features in the different groups was compared by using the chi-squared or Fisher's exact test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy were calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity of scrotal MRI to diagnose LCTs was 89.47 % with 95.65 % specificity; sensitivity for malignant lesions was 95.65 % with 80.95 % specificity. A markedly hypointense signal on T2-WI, rapid and marked wash-in followed by a prolonged washout were distinctive features significantly associated with LCTs. Malignant lesions were significantly associated with blurred margins, weak hypointense signal on T2-WI ,and weak and progressive wash-in. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 93 %. CONCLUSIONS: LCTs have distinctive contrast-enhanced MRI features that allow the differential diagnosis of incidental testicular lesions. KEY POINTS: • MRI is able to characterize testicular lesions suggesting a specific diagnosis. • Rapid and marked wash-in is a common feature of Leydig cell tumours. • Markedly hypointense T2-WI signal is significantly correlated with benign lesions. • Blurred margins and weak hypointense T2-WI signal are correlated with malignant tumours. • Weak and progressive wash-in features are present in 85 % of seminomatous lesions

Lithium niobate micromachining for the fabrication of microfluidic droplet generators

In this paper, we present the first microfluidic junctions for droplet generation directly engraved on lithium niobate crystals by micromachining techniques, preparatory to a fully integrated opto-microfluidics lab-on-chip system. In particular, laser ablation technique and the mechanical micromachining technique are exploited to realise microfluidic channels in T-and cross junction configurations. The quality of both lateral and bottom surfaces of the channels are therefore compared together with a detailed study of their roughness measured by means of atomic force microscopy in order to evaluate the final performance achievable in an optofluidic device. Finally, the microfluidics performances of these water-in-oil droplets generators are investigated depending on these micromachining techniques, with particular focus on a wide range of droplet generation rates

Clinical presentation, management and follow-up of 83 patients with Leydig cell tumors of the testis: a prospective case-cohort study

LCTs are more frequent than generally believed, are associated with male infertility, cryptorchidism and gynecomastia, and should be treated conservatively (in compliant patients) with active surveillance, which appears to be a safe alternative to surgical enucleation. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Increasing referrals for testicular imaging have led to an increase in findings of LCTs. The features and natural history of these tumors remain largely unknown, as the available studies are small and heterogeneous. LCTs were previously treated aggressively and follow-up data are lacking. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A case-cohort study of consecutive patients diagnosed with LCTs over a 10-year period was prospectively enrolled from 2009 to 2018 and compared to matched cohorts of patients with seminomas or no testicular lesions screened in the same timeframe. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Of the 9949 inpatients and outpatients referred for scrotal ultrasound, a total of 83 men with LCTs were included. Enrolled subjects underwent medical history and clinical examination and were asked to undergo routine blood tests, hormone investigations (FSH, LH, total testosterone, estradiol, inhibin B, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), prolactin), and semen analysis. Patients who consented also underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound, elastography, gadolinium-enhanced scrotal magnetic resonance imaging, and hCG stimulation test (5000 IU i.m.) with serum total testosterone and estradiol measured at 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE In total, 83 patients diagnosed with LCTs were compared against 90 patients diagnosed with seminoma and 2683 patients without testicular lesions (NoL). LCTs were diagnosed by enucleation (48.2%), orchiectomy (13.3%), or clinical surveillance (38.5%). Testicular volume, sperm concentration, and morphology were lower (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively) in patients with LCTs than in the NoL group. FSH, LH, and SHBG were higher and the testosterone/LH ratio was lower in LCTs than in the NoL group (P < 0.001). The LCT group showed higher SHBG (P = 0.018), lower sperm concentration (P = 0.029), and lower motility (P = 0.049) than the seminoma group. Risk factors for LCTs were cryptorchidism (χ2 = 28.27, P < 0.001), gynecomastia (χ2 = 54.22, P < 0.001), and low testicular volume (χ2 = 11.13, P = 0.001). Five cases were recurrences or bilateral lesions; none developed metastases during follow-up (median, 66 months). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This study has some limitations. First, hCG and second-line diagnostic investigations were not available for all tumor patients. Second, ours is a referral center for infertility, thus a selection bias may have altered the baseline features of the LCT population. However, given that the comparison cohorts were also from the same center and had been managed with a similar protocol, we do not expect a significant effect. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS LCTs are strongly associated with male infertility, cryptorchidism, and gynecomastia, supporting the hypothesis that testicular dysgenesis syndrome plays a role in their development. Patients with LCTs are at a greater risk of endocrine and spermatogenesis abnormalities even when the tumor is resected, and thus require long-term follow-up and prompt efforts to preserve fertility after diagnosis. LCTs have a good oncological prognosis when recognized early, as tissue-sparing enucleation is curative and should replace orchiectomy. Conservative surgery and, in compliant patients, active surveillance through clinical and radiological follow-up are safe options, but require monitoring of testicular failure and recurrence