Computation of a 30750-Bit Binary Field Discrete Logarithm

This paper reports on the computation of a discrete logarithm in the finite field $\mathbb F_{2^{30750}}$, breaking by a large margin the previous record, which was set in January 2014 by a computation in $\mathbb F_{2^{9234}}$. The present computation made essential use of the elimination step of the quasi-polynomial algorithm due to Granger, Kleinjung and Zumbr\"agel, and is the first large-scale experiment to truly test and successfully demonstrate its potential when applied recursively, which is when it leads to the stated complexity. It required the equivalent of about 2900 core years on a single core of an Intel Xeon Ivy Bridge processor running at 2.6 GHz, which is comparable to the approximately 3100 core years expended for the discrete logarithm record for prime fields, set in a field of bit-length 795, and demonstrates just how much easier the problem is for this level of computational effort. In order to make the computation feasible we introduced several innovative techniques for the elimination of small degree irreducible elements, which meant that we avoided performing any costly Gr\"obner basis computations, in contrast to all previous records since early 2013. While such computations are crucial to the $L(\frac 1 4 + o(1))$ complexity algorithms, they were simply too slow for our purposes. Finally, this computation should serve as a serious deterrent to cryptographers who are still proposing to rely on the discrete logarithm security of such finite fields in applications, despite the existence of two quasi-polynomial algorithms and the prospect of even faster algorithms being developed.Comment: 22 page

Heterogeneous Mobile Phone Ownership and Usage Patterns in Kenya

The rapid adoption of mobile phone technologies in Africa is offering exciting opportunities for engaging with high-risk populations through mHealth programs, and the vast volumes of behavioral data being generated as people use their phones provide valuable data about human behavioral dynamics in these regions. Taking advantage of these opportunities requires an understanding of the penetration of mobile phones and phone usage patterns across the continent, but very little is known about the social and geographical heterogeneities in mobile phone ownership among African populations. Here, we analyze a survey of mobile phone ownership and usage across Kenya in 2009 and show that distinct regional, gender-related, and socioeconomic variations exist, with particularly low ownership among rural communities and poor people. We also examine patterns of phone sharing and highlight the contrasting relationships between ownership and sharing in different parts of the country. This heterogeneous penetration of mobile phones has important implications for the use of mobile technologies as a source of population data and as a public health tool in sub-Saharan Africa

A Novel Optical Beam Concept for Producing Coherent Synchrotron Radiation with Large Energy Spread Beams

Up to now two FEL concepts are known in conventional accelerators: 1.) In THz lasers an off-crest cavity adds a chirp to the bunch followed by a bunch compressor. Particles with different energies travel on different trajectories to the radiator. 2.) For EUV and X-ray FELs the beam enters an undulator which produces microbunches which then radiate. In this paper it is proposed to copy the THz laser scheme for EUV lasers. The incoming beam is chirped and a dogleg forces afterwards the particles with different energies to move on different parallel trajectories. Considering a detector plane perpendicular to the trajectories the particles with different energies arrive in general at different times. When in this plane for instance a TGU (Transverse Gradient Undulator) is positioned the emitted radiation in the TGU is monochromatic. If in addition chirp and dogleg are selected in such a way that the particles with different energies arrive at the same time at the entrance of the TGU the radiation is monochromatic and coherent similar to the THz laser concept

Phase Ib study of the combination of pexidartinib (PLX3397), a CSF-1R inhibitor, and paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose:To evaluate the safety, recommended phase II dose (RP2D) and efficacy of pexidartinib, a colony stimulating factor receptor 1 (CSF-1R) inhibitor, in combination with weekly paclitaxel in patients with advanced solid tumors. Patients and Methods:In part 1 of this phase Ib study, 24 patients with advanced solid tumors received escalating doses of pexidartinib with weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2). Pexidartinib was administered at 600 mg/day in cohort 1. For subsequent cohorts, the dose was increased by ⩽50% using a standard 3+3 design. In part 2, 30 patients with metastatic solid tumors were enrolled to examine safety, tolerability and efficacy of the RP2D. Pharmacokinetics and biomarkers were also assessed. Results:A total of 51 patients reported ≥1 adverse event(s) (AEs) that were at least possibly related to either study drug. Grade 3-4 AEs, including anemia (26%), neutropenia (22%), lymphopenia (19%), fatigue (15%), and hypertension (11%), were recorded in 38 patients (70%). In part 1, no maximum tolerated dose was achieved and 1600 mg/day was determined to be the RP2D. Of 38 patients evaluable for efficacy, 1 (3%) had complete response, 5 (13%) partial response, 13 (34%) stable disease, and 17 (45%) progressive disease. No drug-drug interactions were found. Plasma CSF-1 levels increased 1.6- to 53-fold, and CD14dim/CD16+ monocyte levels decreased by 57-100%. Conclusions:The combination of pexidartinib and paclitaxel was generally well tolerated. RP2D for pexidartinib was 1600 mg/day. Pexidartinib blocked CSF-1R signaling, indicating potential for mitigating macrophage tumor infiltration

SQISignHD: New Dimensions in Cryptography

We introduce SQISignHD, a new post-quantum digital signature scheme inspired by SQISign. SQISignHD exploits the recent algorithmic breakthrough underlying the attack on SIDH, which allows to efficiently represent isogenies of arbitrary degrees as components of a higher dimensional isogeny. SQISignHD overcomes the main drawbacks of SQISign. First, it scales well to high security levels, since the public parameters for SQISignHD are easy to generate: the characteristic of the underlying field needs only be of the form $2^{f}3^{f\u27}-1$. Second, the signing procedure is simpler and more efficient. Third, the scheme is easier to analyse, allowing for a much more compelling security reduction. Finally, the signature sizes are even more compact than (the already record-breaking) SQISign, with compressed signatures as small as 116 bytes for the post-quantum NIST-1 level of security. These advantages may come at the expense of the verification, which now requires the computation of an isogeny in dimension $4$, a task whose optimised cost is still uncertain, as it has been the focus of very little attention

Computation of a 30 750-Bit Binary Field Discrete Logarithm

This paper reports on the computation of a discrete logarithm in the finite field $\mathbb F_{2^30750}$, breaking by a large margin the previous record, which was set in January 2014 by a computation in $\mathbb F_{2^30750}$. The present computation made essential use of the elimination step of the quasi-polynomial algorithm due to Granger, Kleinjung and Zumbrägel, and is the first large-scale experiment to truly test and successfully demonstrate its potential when applied recursively, which is when it leads to the stated complexity. It required the equivalent of about 2900 core years on a single core of an Intel Xeon Ivy Bridge processor running at 2.6 GHz, which is comparable to the approximately 3100 core years expended for the discrete logarithm record for prime fields, set in a field of bit-length 795, and demonstrates just how much easier the problem is for this level of computational effort. In order to make the computation feasible we introduced several innovative techniques for the elimination of small degree irreducible elements, which meant that we avoided performing any costly Gröbner basis computations, in contrast to all previous records since early 2013. While such computations are crucial to the $L(1/4 + o(1))$ complexity algorithms, they were simply too slow for our purposes. Finally, this computation should serve as a serious deterrent to cryptographers who are still proposing to rely on the discrete logarithm security of such finite fields in applications, despite the existence of two quasi-polynomial algorithms and the prospect of even faster algorithms being developed

Longitudinal Beam Dynamics and Coherent Synchrotron Radiation at cSTART

The compact STorage ring for Accelerator Research and Technology (cSTART) project aims to store electron bunches of LWFA-like beams in a very large momentum acceptance storage ring. The project will be realized at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, Germany). Initially, the Ferninfrarot Linac- Und Test-Experiment (FLUTE), a source of ultra-short bunches, will serve as an injector for cSTART to benchmark and emulate laser-wakefield accelerator-like beams. In a second stage a laser-plasma accelerator will be used as an injector, which is being developed as part of the ATHENA project in collaboration with DESY and Helmholtz Institute Jena (HIJ). With an energy of 50 MeV and damping times of several seconds, the electron beam does not reach equilibrium emittance. Furthermore, the critical frequency of synchrotron radiation is 50 THz and in the same order as the bunch spectrum, which implies that the entire bunch radiates coherently. We perform longitudinal particle tracking simulations to investigate the evolution of the bunch length and spectrum as well as the emitted coherent synchrotron radiation. Finally, different options for the RF system are discussed

Systematic Beam Parameter Studies at the Injector Section of FLUTE

FLUTE (Ferninfrarot Linac- und Test-Experiment) is a compact linac-based test facility for accelerator R&D and source of intense THz radiation for photon science. In preparation for the next experiments, the electron beam of the injector section of FLUTE has been characterized. In systematic studies the electron beam parameters, e.g., beam energy and emittance, are measured with several diagnostic systems. This knowledge allows the establishment of different operation settings and the optimization of electron beam parameters for future experiments

Oxygen-induced retinopathy in the mouse.

PURPOSE: To develop oxygen-induced retinopathy in the mouse with reproducible and quantifiable proliferative retinal neovascularization suitable for examining pathogenesis and therapeutic intervention for retinal neovascularization in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and other vasculopathologies. METHODS: One-week-old C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 75% oxygen for 5 days and then to room air. A novel fluorescein-dextran perfusion method has been developed to assess the vascular pattern. The proliferative neovascular response was quantified by counting the nuclei of new vessels extending from the retina into the vitreous in 6 microns sagittal cross-sections. Cross-sections were also stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). RESULTS: Fluorescein-dextran angiography delineated the entire vascular pattern, including neovascular tufts in flat-mounted retinas. Hyperoxia-induced neovascularization occurred at the junction between the vascularized and avascular retina in the mid-periphery. Retinal neovascularization occurred in all the pups between postnatal day 17 and postnatal day 21. There was a mean of 89 neovascular nuclei per cross-section of 9 eyes in hyperoxia compared to less than 1 nucleus per cross-section of 8 eyes in the normoxia control (P < 0.0001). Proliferative vessels were not associated with GFAP-positive astrocyte processes. CONCLUSIONS: The authors have described a reproducible and quantifiable mouse model of oxygen-induced retinal neovascularization that should prove useful for the study of pathogenesis of retinal neovascularization as well as for the study of medical intervention for ROP and other retinal angiopathies