Verification of Policy-based Self-Managed Cell Interactions Using Alloy

Abstract—Self-Managed Cells (SMCs) define an infrastruc-ture for building ubiquitous computing applications. An SMC consists of an autonomous administrative domain based on a policy-driven feedback control-loop. SMCs are able to interact with each other and compose with other SMCs to form larger autonomous components. In this paper we present a formal specification of an SMC’s behaviour for the analysis and verification of its operation in collaborations of SMCs. These collaborations typically involve SMCs originated from different administrative authorities, and the definition of a formal model has helped us to verify the correctness of their operation when SMCs are composed or federated. Keywords-policy-based management; self-managed cells; in-teractions; model-checking; I

Multi-level Network Resilience: Traffic Analysis, Anomaly Detection and Simulation

Traffic analysis and anomaly detection have been extensively used to characterize network utilization as well as to identify abnormal network traffic such as malicious attacks. However, so far, techniques for traffic analysis and anomaly detection have been carried out independently, relying on mechanisms and algorithms either in edge or in core networks alone. In this paper we propose the notion of multi-level network resilience, in order to provide a more robust traffic analysis and anomaly detection architecture, combining mechanisms and algorithms operating in a coordinated fashion both in the edge and in the core networks. This work is motivated by the potential complementarities between the research being developed at IIT Madras and Lancaster University. In this paper we describe the current work being developed at IIT Madras and Lancaster on traffic analysis and anomaly detection, and outline the principles of a multi-level resilience architecture

An SFC-enabled approach for processing SSL/TLS encrypted traffic in future enterprise networks

In this paper, we propose an architecture based on NFV and SDN which allows to balance traffic analysis techniques using a Classifier. It steers flows to the appropriate Service Function Chaining (to open traffic or not) according to network requirements (such as, effectiveness, flexibility, scalability, performance, and privacy). The SSL/TLS traffic processing is carried-out by the centerpiece of this work, the SFC-enabled MITM. A Proof-of-Concept was conducted (focusing on our SFC-enabled MITM) which showed that functionalities lost due to encryption (Content Optimization, Caching, Network Anti-virus, and Content Filter) were recovered when processing opened traffic within its Service Function Chains. We also evaluated its impact on performance. The results show that cipher suite overhead plays a role but can be mitigated, the Classifier can alleviate the performance overhead of different traffic analysis techniques, network functions have lower impact to performance, and Service Function Chaining length influences page load time.publishe

Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents measurements of the $W^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu$ and $W^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu$ cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

Search for chargino-neutralino production with mass splittings near the electroweak scale in three-lepton final states in √s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for supersymmetry through the pair production of electroweakinos with mass splittings near the electroweak scale and decaying via on-shell W and Z bosons is presented for a three-lepton final state. The analyzed proton-proton collision data taken at a center-of-mass energy of √s=13  TeV were collected between 2015 and 2018 by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 139  fb−1. A search, emulating the recursive jigsaw reconstruction technique with easily reproducible laboratory-frame variables, is performed. The two excesses observed in the 2015–2016 data recursive jigsaw analysis in the low-mass three-lepton phase space are reproduced. Results with the full data set are in agreement with the Standard Model expectations. They are interpreted to set exclusion limits at the 95% confidence level on simplified models of chargino-neutralino pair production for masses up to 345 GeV

Search for direct stau production in events with two hadronic tau-leptons in root s=13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of the supersymmetric partners ofτ-leptons (staus) in final stateswith two hadronically decayingτ-leptons is presented. The analysis uses a dataset of pp collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of139fb−1, recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LargeHadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. No significant deviation from the expected StandardModel background is observed. Limits are derived in scenarios of direct production of stau pairs with eachstau decaying into the stable lightest neutralino and oneτ-lepton in simplified models where the two staumass eigenstates are degenerate. Stau masses from 120 GeV to 390 GeV are excluded at 95% confidencelevel for a massless lightest neutralino

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Understanding renal posttransplantation anemia in the pediatric population

Advances in renal transplantation management have proven to be beneficial in improving graft and patient survival. One of the properties of a well-functioning renal allograft is the secretion of adequate amounts of the hormone erythropoietin to stimulate erythropoiesis. Posttransplantation anemia (PTA) may occur at any point in time following transplantation, and the cause is multifactoral. Much of our understanding of PTA is based on studies of adult transplant recipients. The limited number of studies that have been reported on pediatric renal transplant patients appear to indicate that PTA is prevalent in this patient population. Erythropoietin deficiency or resistance is commonly associated with iron deficiency. An understanding of the risk factors, pathophysiology and management of PTA in the pediatric renal transplant population may provide guidelines for clinicians and researchers in the pursuit of larger prospective randomized control studies aimed at improving our limited knowledge of PTA. Recognition of PTA through regular screening and evaluation of the multiple factors that may contribute to its development are recommended after transplantation