An improved authenticated key agreement protocol for telecare medicine information system.

PubMed

Liu, Wenhao; Xie, Qi; Wang, Shengbao; Hu, Bin

2016-01-01

In telecare medicine information systems (TMIS), identity authentication of patients plays an important role and has been widely studied in the research field. Generally, it is realized by an authenticated key agreement protocol, and many such protocols were proposed in the literature. Recently, Zhang et al. pointed out that Islam et al.'s protocol suffers from the following security weaknesses: (1) Any legal but malicious patient can reveal other user's identity; (2) An attacker can launch off-line password guessing attack and the impersonation attack if the patient's identity is compromised. Zhang et al. also proposed an improved authenticated key agreement scheme with privacy protection for TMIS. However, in this paper, we point out that Zhang et al.'s scheme cannot resist off-line password guessing attack, and it fails to provide the revocation of lost/stolen smartcard. In order to overcome these weaknesses, we propose an improved protocol, the security and authentication of which can be proven using applied pi calculus based formal verification tool ProVerif.

An Efficient and Secure Arbitrary N-Party Quantum Key Agreement Protocol Using Bell States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wen-Jie; Xu, Yong; Yang, Ching-Nung; Gao, Pei-Pei; Yu, Wen-Bin

2018-01-01

Two quantum key agreement protocols using Bell states and Bell measurement were recently proposed by Shukla et al. (Quantum Inf. Process. 13(11), 2391-2405, 2014). However, Zhu et al. pointed out that there are some security flaws and proposed an improved version (Quantum Inf. Process. 14(11), 4245-4254, 2015). In this study, we will show Zhu et al.'s improvement still exists some security problems, and its efficiency is not high enough. For solving these problems, we utilize four Pauli operations { I, Z, X, Y} to encode two bits instead of the original two operations { I, X} to encode one bit, and then propose an efficient and secure arbitrary N-party quantum key agreement protocol. In the protocol, the channel checking with decoy single photons is introduced to avoid the eavesdropper's flip attack, and a post-measurement mechanism is used to prevent against the collusion attack. The security analysis shows the present protocol can guarantee the correctness, security, privacy and fairness of quantum key agreement.

Multi-party semi-quantum key distribution-convertible multi-party semi-quantum secret sharing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Kun-Fei; Gu, Jun; Hwang, Tzonelih; Gope, Prosanta

2017-08-01

This paper proposes a multi-party semi-quantum secret sharing (MSQSS) protocol which allows a quantum party (manager) to share a secret among several classical parties (agents) based on GHZ-like states. By utilizing the special properties of GHZ-like states, the proposed scheme can easily detect outside eavesdropping attacks and has the highest qubit efficiency among the existing MSQSS protocols. Then, we illustrate an efficient way to convert the proposed MSQSS protocol into a multi-party semi-quantum key distribution (MSQKD) protocol. The proposed approach is even useful to convert all the existing measure-resend type of semi-quantum secret sharing protocols into semi-quantum key distribution protocols.

21 CFR 320.30 - Inquiries regarding bioavailability and bioequivalence requirements and review of protocols by...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... bioequivalence requirements and review of protocols by the Food and Drug Administration. 320.30 Section 320.30... requirements and review of protocols by the Food and Drug Administration. (a) The Commissioner of Food and... for the study to FDA for review prior to the initiation of the study. (b) FDA may review a proposed...

21 CFR 320.30 - Inquiries regarding bioavailability and bioequivalence requirements and review of protocols by...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... bioequivalence requirements and review of protocols by the Food and Drug Administration. 320.30 Section 320.30... requirements and review of protocols by the Food and Drug Administration. (a) The Commissioner of Food and... for the study to FDA for review prior to the initiation of the study. (b) FDA may review a proposed...

21 CFR 320.30 - Inquiries regarding bioavailability and bioequivalence requirements and review of protocols by...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... bioequivalence requirements and review of protocols by the Food and Drug Administration. 320.30 Section 320.30... requirements and review of protocols by the Food and Drug Administration. (a) The Commissioner of Food and... for the study to FDA for review prior to the initiation of the study. (b) FDA may review a proposed...

An efficient RFID authentication protocol to enhance patient medication safety using elliptic curve cryptography.

PubMed

Zhang, Zezhong; Qi, Qingqing

2014-05-01

Medication errors are very dangerous even fatal since it could cause serious even fatal harm to patients. In order to reduce medication errors, automated patient medication systems using the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology have been used in many hospitals. The data transmitted in those medication systems is very important and sensitive. In the past decade, many security protocols have been proposed to ensure its secure transition attracted wide attention. Due to providing mutual authentication between the medication server and the tag, the RFID authentication protocol is considered as the most important security protocols in those systems. In this paper, we propose a RFID authentication protocol to enhance patient medication safety using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). The analysis shows the proposed protocol could overcome security weaknesses in previous protocols and has better performance. Therefore, the proposed protocol is very suitable for automated patient medication systems.

Biometrics based authentication scheme for session initiation protocol.

PubMed

Xie, Qi; Tang, Zhixiong

2016-01-01

Many two-factor challenge-response based session initiation protocol (SIP) has been proposed, but most of them are vulnerable to smart card stolen attacks and password guessing attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel three-factor SIP authentication scheme using biometrics, password and smart card, and utilize the pi calculus-based formal verification tool ProVerif to prove that the proposed protocol achieves security and authentication. Furthermore, our protocol is highly efficient when compared to other related protocols.

Private database queries based on counterfactual quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jia-Li; Guo, Fen-Zhuo; Gao, Fei; Liu, Bin; Wen, Qiao-Yan

2013-08-01

Based on the fundamental concept of quantum counterfactuality, we propose a protocol to achieve quantum private database queries, which is a theoretical study of how counterfactuality can be employed beyond counterfactual quantum key distribution (QKD). By adding crucial detecting apparatus to the device of QKD, the privacy of both the distrustful user and the database owner can be guaranteed. Furthermore, the proposed private-database-query protocol makes full use of the low efficiency in the counterfactual QKD, and by adjusting the relevant parameters, the protocol obtains excellent flexibility and extensibility.

Evaluation of post-authorization safety studies in the first cohort of EU Risk Management Plans at time of regulatory approval.

PubMed

Giezen, Thijs J; Mantel-Teeuwisse, Aukje K; Straus, Sabine M J M; Egberts, Toine C G; Blackburn, Stella; Persson, Ingemar; Leufkens, Hubert G M

2009-01-01

Since November 2005, an EU Risk Management Plan (EU-RMP) has had to be submitted as part of a marketing application for all new chemical entities in the EU. In the EU-RMP, the safety profile of the medicine has to be described and pharmacovigilance activities should be proposed to study further safety concerns during use of the drug in the real-world setting. These activities include, for example, collection of spontaneously reported adverse events and post-authorization safety studies (PASS). Since the submission of an EU-RMP is a relatively new requirement, there is limited knowledge on the quality and completeness of the study protocols of PASS at the time of approval and there are no data on the influence of certain drug characteristics on the proposed pharmacovigilance activities. To examine the types of proposed pharmacovigilance activities in a sample of EU-RMPs, describe and evaluate the methodology of PASS, identify problems and propose remedies, and compare characteristics between biologicals and small molecules. Eighteen EU-RMPs (nine for biologicals, nine for small molecules) given a positive decision regarding the marketing application by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use between November 2005 and May 2007 were included in this descriptive cohort study. The EU-RMPs were selected over time and different therapeutic areas. Classification of the safety concerns ('important identified risks', 'important potential risks', 'important missing information' within the EU-RMP was studied. For PASS, data source (registry, population-based database, sponsor-owned clinical trial database), source of study population to be included in PASS and comprehensiveness of study protocol (full protocol, limited protocol, study synopsis, short description, commitment without further information) were studied. Compared to small molecules, safety concerns for biologicals were less frequently classified as important identified risks (relative risk [RR] 0.6; 95% CI 0.3, 1.0) and more frequently as important missing information (RR 1.6; 95% CI 1.0, 2.7). Forty-seven PASS were proposed; 31 for biologicals and 16 for small molecules. Compared with studies proposed in population-based databases (4 for biologicals, 8 for small molecules), studies in registries (18 for biologicals, 4 for small molecules) were more frequently proposed for biologicals than for small molecules (RR 2.5; 95% CI 1.1, 5.7). About 60% of the proposed PASS will include EU inhabitants. No full study protocols were submitted; 26% involved a limited study protocol, 33% a study synopsis, 37% a short description and 4% a commitment without further information. Approximately 40% of the study proposals for PASS were classified as a short description or a commitment to perform a study without further information, precluding an adequate scientific assessment. Studying non-EU populations may give rise to difficulties with generalizability of the results to the EU due to differences in patient characteristics, differences in the indication for the medicine and different healthcare systems. This study emphasizes the need for more complete study proposals to be submitted earlier on in the evaluation period and for the inclusion of EU inhabitants in PASS. In addition, differences in the characteristics between biologicals and small molecules, e.g. in the data source proposed, support the need for individualized tailored PASS depending on the type of drug.

An enhanced password authentication scheme for session initiation protocol with perfect forward secrecy

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is an extensive and esteemed communication protocol employed to regulate signaling as well as for controlling multimedia communication sessions. Recently, Kumari et al. proposed an improved smart card based authentication scheme for SIP based on Farash’s scheme. Farash claimed that his protocol is resistant against various known attacks. But, we observe some accountable flaws in Farash’s protocol. We point out that Farash’s protocol is prone to key-compromise impersonation attack and is unable to provide pre-verification in the smart card, efficient password change and perfect forward secrecy. To overcome these limitations, in this paper we present an enhanced authentication mechanism based on Kumari et al.’s scheme. We prove that the proposed protocol not only overcomes the issues in Farash’s scheme, but it can also resist against all known attacks. We also provide the security analysis of the proposed scheme with the help of widespread AVISPA (Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications) software. At last, comparing with the earlier proposals in terms of security and efficiency, we conclude that the proposed protocol is efficient and more secure. PMID:29547619

Semi-quantum communication: protocols for key agreement, controlled secure direct communication and dialogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Chitra; Thapliyal, Kishore; Pathak, Anirban

2017-12-01

Semi-quantum protocols that allow some of the users to remain classical are proposed for a large class of problems associated with secure communication and secure multiparty computation. Specifically, first-time semi-quantum protocols are proposed for key agreement, controlled deterministic secure communication and dialogue, and it is shown that the semi-quantum protocols for controlled deterministic secure communication and dialogue can be reduced to semi-quantum protocols for e-commerce and private comparison (socialist millionaire problem), respectively. Complementing with the earlier proposed semi-quantum schemes for key distribution, secret sharing and deterministic secure communication, set of schemes proposed here and subsequent discussions have established that almost every secure communication and computation tasks that can be performed using fully quantum protocols can also be performed in semi-quantum manner. Some of the proposed schemes are completely orthogonal-state-based, and thus, fundamentally different from the existing semi-quantum schemes that are conjugate coding-based. Security, efficiency and applicability of the proposed schemes have been discussed with appropriate importance.

Development of Research-Based Protocol Aligned to Predict High Levels of Teaching Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumacher, Gary; Grigsby, Bettye; Vesey, Winona

2011-01-01

This study proposes a research-based teacher selection protocol. The protocol is intended to offer school district hiring authorities a tool to identify teacher candidates with the behaviors expected to predict effective teaching. It is hypothesized that a particular series of research-based interview questions focusing on teaching behaviors in…

A model-guided symbolic execution approach for network protocol implementations and vulnerability detection.

PubMed

Wen, Shameng; Meng, Qingkun; Feng, Chao; Tang, Chaojing

2017-01-01

Formal techniques have been devoted to analyzing whether network protocol specifications violate security policies; however, these methods cannot detect vulnerabilities in the implementations of the network protocols themselves. Symbolic execution can be used to analyze the paths of the network protocol implementations, but for stateful network protocols, it is difficult to reach the deep states of the protocol. This paper proposes a novel model-guided approach to detect vulnerabilities in network protocol implementations. Our method first abstracts a finite state machine (FSM) model, then utilizes the model to guide the symbolic execution. This approach achieves high coverage of both the code and the protocol states. The proposed method is implemented and applied to test numerous real-world network protocol implementations. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method is more effective than traditional fuzzing methods such as SPIKE at detecting vulnerabilities in the deep states of network protocol implementations.

Permutation parity machines for neural cryptography.

PubMed

Reyes, Oscar Mauricio; Zimmermann, Karl-Heinz

2010-06-01

Recently, synchronization was proved for permutation parity machines, multilayer feed-forward neural networks proposed as a binary variant of the tree parity machines. This ability was already used in the case of tree parity machines to introduce a key-exchange protocol. In this paper, a protocol based on permutation parity machines is proposed and its performance against common attacks (simple, geometric, majority and genetic) is studied.

Permutation parity machines for neural cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reyes, Oscar Mauricio; Escuela de Ingenieria Electrica, Electronica y Telecomunicaciones, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga; Zimmermann, Karl-Heinz

2010-06-15

Recently, synchronization was proved for permutation parity machines, multilayer feed-forward neural networks proposed as a binary variant of the tree parity machines. This ability was already used in the case of tree parity machines to introduce a key-exchange protocol. In this paper, a protocol based on permutation parity machines is proposed and its performance against common attacks (simple, geometric, majority and genetic) is studied.

Combination Protocol of Low-Frequency rTMS and Intensive Occupational Therapy for Post-stroke Upper Limb Hemiparesis: a 6-year Experience of More Than 1700 Japanese Patients.

PubMed

Kakuda, Wataru; Abo, Masahiro; Sasanuma, Jinichi; Shimizu, Masato; Okamoto, Takatsugu; Kimura, Chikou; Kakita, Kiyohito; Hara, Hiroyoshi

2016-06-01

Several years ago, we proposed a combination protocol of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intensive occupational therapy (OT) for upper limb hemiparesis after stroke. Subsequently, the number of patients treated with the protocol has increased in Japan. We aimed to present the latest data on our proposed combination protocol for post-stroke upper limb hemiparesis as a result of a multi-institutional study. After confirming that a patient met the inclusion criteria for the protocol, they were scheduled to receive the 15-day inpatient protocol. In the protocol, two sessions of 20-min rTMS and 120-min occupational therapy were provided daily, except for Sundays and the days of admission/discharge. Motor function of the affected upper limb was evaluated by the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) and Wolf motor function test (WMFT) at admission/discharge and at 4 weeks after discharge if possible. A total of 1725 post-stroke patients were studied (mean age at admission 61.4 ± 13.0 years). The scheduled 15-day protocol was completed by all patients. At discharge, the increase in FMA score, shortening in performance time of WMFT, and increase in functional ability scale (FAS) score of WMFT were significant (FMA score 46.8 ± 12.2 to 50.9 ± 11.4 points, p < 0.001; performance time of WMFT 2.57 ± 1.32 to 2.21 ± 1.33, p < 0.001; FAS score of WMFT 47.4 ± 14. to 51.4 ± 14.3 points, p < 0.001). Our proposed combination protocol can be a potentially safe and useful therapeutic intervention for upper limb hemiparesis after stroke, although its efficacy should be confirmed in a randomized controlled study.

Protocol for Usability Testing and Validation of the ISO Draft International Standard 19223 for Lung Ventilators

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Background Clinicians, such as respiratory therapists and physicians, are often required to set up pieces of medical equipment that use inconsistent terminology. Current lung ventilator terminology that is used by different manufacturers contributes to the risk of usage errors, and in turn the risk of ventilator-associated lung injuries and other conditions. Human factors and communication issues are often associated with ventilator-related sentinel events, and inconsistent ventilator terminology compounds these issues. This paper describes our proposed protocol, which will be implemented at the University of Waterloo, Canada when this project is externally funded. Objective We propose to determine whether a standardized vocabulary improves the ease of use, safety, and utility as it relates to the usability of medical devices, compared to legacy medical devices from multiple manufacturers, which use different terms. Methods We hypothesize that usage errors by clinicians will be lower when standardization is consistently applied by all manufacturers. The proposed study will experimentally examine the impact of standardized nomenclature on performance declines in the use of an unfamiliar ventilator product in clinically relevant scenarios. Participants will be respiratory therapy practitioners and trainees, and we propose studying approximately 60 participants. Results The work reported here is in the proposal phase. Once the protocol is implemented, we will report the results in a follow-up paper. Conclusions The proposed study will help us better understand the effects of standardization on medical device usability. The study will also help identify any terms in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Draft International Standard (DIS) 19223 that may be associated with recurrent errors. Amendments to the standard will be proposed if recurrent errors are identified. This report contributes a protocol that can be used to assess the effect of standardization in any given domain that involves equipment, multiple manufacturers, inconsistent vocabulary, symbology, audio tones, or patterns in interface navigation. Second, the protocol can be used to experimentally evaluate the ISO DIS 19223 for its effectiveness, as researchers around the world may wish to conduct such tests and compare results. PMID:28887292

Design and Analysis of Optimization Algorithms to Minimize Cryptographic Processing in BGP Security Protocols.

PubMed

Sriram, Vinay K; Montgomery, Doug

2017-07-01

The Internet is subject to attacks due to vulnerabilities in its routing protocols. One proposed approach to attain greater security is to cryptographically protect network reachability announcements exchanged between Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routers. This study proposes and evaluates the performance and efficiency of various optimization algorithms for validation of digitally signed BGP updates. In particular, this investigation focuses on the BGPSEC (BGP with SECurity extensions) protocol, currently under consideration for standardization in the Internet Engineering Task Force. We analyze three basic BGPSEC update processing algorithms: Unoptimized, Cache Common Segments (CCS) optimization, and Best Path Only (BPO) optimization. We further propose and study cache management schemes to be used in conjunction with the CCS and BPO algorithms. The performance metrics used in the analyses are: (1) routing table convergence time after BGPSEC peering reset or router reboot events and (2) peak-second signature verification workload. Both analytical modeling and detailed trace-driven simulation were performed. Results show that the BPO algorithm is 330% to 628% faster than the unoptimized algorithm for routing table convergence in a typical Internet core-facing provider edge router.

Protocol and standard operating procedures for common use in a worldwide multicenter study on reference values.

PubMed

Ozarda, Yesim; Ichihara, Kiyoshi; Barth, Julian H; Klee, George

2013-05-01

The reference intervals (RIs) given in laboratory reports have an important role in aiding clinicians in interpreting test results in reference to values of healthy populations. In this report, we present a proposed protocol and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for common use in conducting multicenter RI studies on a national or international scale. The protocols and consensus on their contents were refined through discussions in recent C-RIDL meetings. The protocol describes in detail (1) the scheme and organization of the study, (2) the target population, inclusion/exclusion criteria, ethnicity, and sample size, (3) health status questionnaire, (4) target analytes, (5) blood collection, (6) sample processing and storage, (7) assays, (8) cross-check testing, (9) ethics, (10) data analyses, and (11) reporting of results. In addition, the protocol proposes the common measurement of a panel of sera when no standard materials exist for harmonization of test results. It also describes the requirements of the central laboratory, including the method of cross-check testing between the central laboratory of each country and local laboratories. This protocol and the SOPs remain largely exploratory and may require a reevaluation from the practical point of view after their implementation in the ongoing worldwide study. The paper is mainly intended to be a basis for discussion in the scientific community.

[Primary care screening of problems in the elderly and a proposal for a screening protocol with a multidimensional approach].

PubMed

Lino, Valéria Teresa Saraiva; Portela, Margareth Crisóstomo; Camacho, Luiz Antonio Bastos; Rodrigues, Nadia Cristina Pinheiro; Andrade, Monica Kramer de Noronha; O'Dwyer, Gisele

2016-07-21

The objectives were to examine psychometric properties of a screening test for the elderly and to propose a protocol for use in primary care. The method consisted of four stages: (1) inter-evaluator reliability for performance tests and self-assessment questions for eight functions; (2) sensitivity and specificity of questions on depression and social support; (3) meeting of experts to select instrumental activities of daily living (IADL); and (4) elaboration of the protocol. Screening lasted 16 minutes. Inter-evaluator reliability was excellent for performance tests but poor for questions. Depression and social support showed satisfactory sensitivity and specificity (0.74/0.77 and 0.77/0.96). Four IADL were selected by more than 55% of the experts. Following the results, a screening protocol was elaborated that prioritized the use of performance tests, maintaining questions on mood, social support, and IADL. The study suggests better reproducibility of performance tests when compared to questions. For mood and social support, the questions may provide a first screening stage. The proposed protocol allows rapid screening of problems.

Scalability enhancement of AODV using local link repairing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Jyoti; Gupta, Roopam; Bandhopadhyay, T. K.

2014-09-01

Dynamic change in the topology of an ad hoc network makes it difficult to design an efficient routing protocol. Scalability of an ad hoc network is also one of the important criteria of research in this field. Most of the research works in ad hoc network focus on routing and medium access protocols and produce simulation results for limited-size networks. Ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) is one of the best reactive routing protocols. In this article, modified routing protocols based on local link repairing of AODV are proposed. Method of finding alternate routes for next-to-next node is proposed in case of link failure. These protocols are beacon-less, means periodic hello message is removed from the basic AODV to improve scalability. Few control packet formats have been changed to accommodate suggested modification. Proposed protocols are simulated to investigate scalability performance and compared with basic AODV protocol. This also proves that local link repairing of proposed protocol improves scalability of the network. From simulation results, it is clear that scalability performance of routing protocol is improved because of link repairing method. We have tested protocols for different terrain area with approximate constant node densities and different traffic load.

A secure RFID authentication protocol adopting error correction code.

PubMed

Chen, Chien-Ming; Chen, Shuai-Min; Zheng, Xinying; Chen, Pei-Yu; Sun, Hung-Min

2014-01-01

RFID technology has become popular in many applications; however, most of the RFID products lack security related functionality due to the hardware limitation of the low-cost RFID tags. In this paper, we propose a lightweight mutual authentication protocol adopting error correction code for RFID. Besides, we also propose an advanced version of our protocol to provide key updating. Based on the secrecy of shared keys, the reader and the tag can establish a mutual authenticity relationship. Further analysis of the protocol showed that it also satisfies integrity, forward secrecy, anonymity, and untraceability. Compared with other lightweight protocols, the proposed protocol provides stronger resistance to tracing attacks, compromising attacks and replay attacks. We also compare our protocol with previous works in terms of performance.

A Secure RFID Authentication Protocol Adopting Error Correction Code

PubMed Central

Zheng, Xinying; Chen, Pei-Yu

2014-01-01

RFID technology has become popular in many applications; however, most of the RFID products lack security related functionality due to the hardware limitation of the low-cost RFID tags. In this paper, we propose a lightweight mutual authentication protocol adopting error correction code for RFID. Besides, we also propose an advanced version of our protocol to provide key updating. Based on the secrecy of shared keys, the reader and the tag can establish a mutual authenticity relationship. Further analysis of the protocol showed that it also satisfies integrity, forward secrecy, anonymity, and untraceability. Compared with other lightweight protocols, the proposed protocol provides stronger resistance to tracing attacks, compromising attacks and replay attacks. We also compare our protocol with previous works in terms of performance. PMID:24959619

Three-step semiquantum secure direct communication protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, XiangFu; Qiu, DaoWen

2014-09-01

Quantum secure direct communication is the direct communication of secret messages without need for establishing a shared secret key first. In the existing schemes, quantum secure direct communication is possible only when both parties are quantum. In this paper, we construct a three-step semiquantum secure direct communication (SQSDC) protocol based on single photon sources in which the sender Alice is classical. In a semiquantum protocol, a person is termed classical if he (she) can measure, prepare and send quantum states only with the fixed orthogonal quantum basis {|0>, |1>}. The security of the proposed SQSDC protocol is guaranteed by the complete robustness of semiquantum key distribution protocols and the unconditional security of classical one-time pad encryption. Therefore, the proposed SQSDC protocol is also completely robust. Complete robustness indicates that nonzero information acquired by an eavesdropper Eve on the secret message implies the nonzero probability that the legitimate participants can find errors on the bits tested by this protocol. In the proposed protocol, we suggest a method to check Eves disturbing in the doves returning phase such that Alice does not need to announce publicly any position or their coded bits value after the photons transmission is completed. Moreover, the proposed SQSDC protocol can be implemented with the existing techniques. Compared with many quantum secure direct communication protocols, the proposed SQSDC protocol has two merits: firstly the sender only needs classical capabilities; secondly to check Eves disturbing after the transmission of quantum states, no additional classical information is needed.

Security of the arbitrated quantum signature protocols revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kejia, Zhang; Dan, Li; Qi, Su

2014-01-01

Recently, much attention has been paid to the study of arbitrated quantum signature (AQS). Among these studies, the cryptanalysis of some AQS protocols and a series of improved ideas have been proposed. Compared with the previous analysis, we present a security criterion, which can judge whether an AQS protocol is able to prevent the receiver (i.e. one participant in the signature protocol) from forging a legal signature. According to our results, it can be seen that most AQS protocols which are based on the Zeng and Keitel (ZK) model are susceptible to a forgery attack. Furthermore, we present an improved idea of the ZK protocol. Finally, some supplement discussions and several interesting topics are provided.

Effects of a Short Drilling Implant Protocol on Osteotomy Site Temperature and Drill Torque.

PubMed

Mihali, Sorin G; Canjau, Silvana; Cernescu, Anghel; Bortun, Cristina M; Wang, Hom-Lay; Bratu, Emanuel

2018-02-01

To establish a protocol for reducing the drilling sequence during implant site preparation based on temperature and insertion torque. The traditional conventional drilling sequence (used several drills with 0.6-mm increment each time) was compared with the proposed short drilling protocol (only used 2 drills: initial and final drill). One hundred drilling osteotomies were performed in bovine and porcine bones. Sets of 2 osteotomy sites were created in 5 bone densities using 2 types of drilling protocols. Thermographic pictures were captured throughout all drilling procedures and analyzed using ThermaCAM Researcher Professional 2.10. Torque values were determined during drilling by measuring electrical input and drill speed. There were statistically significant differences in bone temperature between the conventional and short drilling protocols during implant site preparation (analysis of variance P = 0.0008). However, there were no significant differences between the 2 types of drilling protocols for both implant diameters. Implant site preparation time was significantly reduced when using the short drilling protocol compared with the conventional drilling protocol (P < 0.001). Within the limitations of the study, the short drilling protocol proposed herein may represent a safe approach for implant site preparation.

Design and Analysis of an Enhanced Patient-Server Mutual Authentication Protocol for Telecare Medical Information System.

PubMed

Amin, Ruhul; Islam, S K Hafizul; Biswas, G P; Khan, Muhammad Khurram; Obaidat, Mohammad S

2015-11-01

In order to access remote medical server, generally the patients utilize smart card to login to the server. It has been observed that most of the user (patient) authentication protocols suffer from smart card stolen attack that means the attacker can mount several common attacks after extracting smart card information. Recently, Lu et al.'s proposes a session key agreement protocol between the patient and remote medical server and claims that the same protocol is secure against relevant security attacks. However, this paper presents several security attacks on Lu et al.'s protocol such as identity trace attack, new smart card issue attack, patient impersonation attack and medical server impersonation attack. In order to fix the mentioned security pitfalls including smart card stolen attack, this paper proposes an efficient remote mutual authentication protocol using smart card. We have then simulated the proposed protocol using widely-accepted AVISPA simulation tool whose results make certain that the same protocol is secure against active and passive attacks including replay and man-in-the-middle attacks. Moreover, the rigorous security analysis proves that the proposed protocol provides strong security protection on the relevant security attacks including smart card stolen attack. We compare the proposed scheme with several related schemes in terms of computation cost and communication cost as well as security functionalities. It has been observed that the proposed scheme is comparatively better than related existing schemes.

Distance-Based and Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Gani, Abdullah; Anisi, Mohammad Hossein; Ab Hamid, Siti Hafizah; Akhunzada, Adnan; Khan, Muhammad Khurram

2016-01-01

A wireless sensor network (WSN) comprises small sensor nodes with limited energy capabilities. The power constraints of WSNs necessitate efficient energy utilization to extend the overall network lifetime of these networks. We propose a distance-based and low-energy adaptive clustering (DISCPLN) protocol to streamline the green issue of efficient energy utilization in WSNs. We also enhance our proposed protocol into the multi-hop-DISCPLN protocol to increase the lifetime of the network in terms of high throughput with minimum delay time and packet loss. We also propose the mobile-DISCPLN protocol to maintain the stability of the network. The modelling and comparison of these protocols with their corresponding benchmarks exhibit promising results. PMID:27658194

On the Search for Retrotransposons: Alternative Protocols to Obtain Sequences to Learn Profile Hidden Markov Models.

PubMed

Fischer, Carlos N; Campos, Victor De A; Barella, Victor H

2018-05-01

Profile hidden Markov models (pHMMs) have been used to search for transposable elements (TEs) in genomes. For the learning of pHMMs aimed to search for TEs of the retrotransposon class, the conventional protocol is to use the whole internal nucleotide portions of these elements as representative sequences. To further explore the potential of pHMMs in such a search, we propose five alternative ways to obtain the sets of representative sequences of TEs other than the conventional protocol. In this study, we are interested in Bel-PAO, Copia, Gypsy, and DIRS superfamilies from the retrotransposon class. We compared the pHMMs of all six protocols. The test results show that, for each TE superfamily, the pHMMs of at least two of the proposed protocols performed better than the conventional one and that the number of correct predictions provided by the latter can be improved by considering together the results of one or more of the alternative protocols.

Design and Development of Layered Security: Future Enhancements and Directions in Transmission

PubMed Central

Shahzad, Aamir; Lee, Malrey; Kim, Suntae; Kim, Kangmin; Choi, Jae-Young; Cho, Younghwa; Lee, Keun-Kwang

2016-01-01

Today, security is a prominent issue when any type of communication is being undertaken. Like traditional networks, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems suffer from a number of vulnerabilities. Numerous end-to-end security mechanisms have been proposed for the resolution of SCADA-system security issues, but due to insecure real-time protocol use and the reliance upon open protocols during Internet-based communication, these SCADA systems can still be compromised by security challenges. This study reviews the security challenges and issues that are commonly raised during SCADA/protocol transmissions and proposes a secure distributed-network protocol version 3 (DNP3) design, and the implementation of the security solution using a cryptography mechanism. Due to the insecurities found within SCADA protocols, the new development consists of a DNP3 protocol that has been designed as a part of the SCADA system, and the cryptographically derived security is deployed within the application layer as a part of the DNP3 stack. PMID:26751443

Design and Development of Layered Security: Future Enhancements and Directions in Transmission.

PubMed

Shahzad, Aamir; Lee, Malrey; Kim, Suntae; Kim, Kangmin; Choi, Jae-Young; Cho, Younghwa; Lee, Keun-Kwang

2016-01-06

Today, security is a prominent issue when any type of communication is being undertaken. Like traditional networks, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems suffer from a number of vulnerabilities. Numerous end-to-end security mechanisms have been proposed for the resolution of SCADA-system security issues, but due to insecure real-time protocol use and the reliance upon open protocols during Internet-based communication, these SCADA systems can still be compromised by security challenges. This study reviews the security challenges and issues that are commonly raised during SCADA/protocol transmissions and proposes a secure distributed-network protocol version 3 (DNP3) design, and the implementation of the security solution using a cryptography mechanism. Due to the insecurities found within SCADA protocols, the new development consists of a DNP3 protocol that has been designed as a part of the SCADA system, and the cryptographically derived security is deployed within the application layer as a part of the DNP3 stack.

Two-party quantum key agreement protocols under collective noise channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Hao; Chen, Xiao-Guang; Qian, Song-Rong

2018-06-01

Recently, quantum communication has become a very popular research field. The quantum key agreement (QKA) plays an important role in the field of quantum communication, based on its unconditional security in terms of theory. Among all kinds of QKA protocols, QKA protocols resisting collective noise are widely being studied. In this paper, we propose improved two-party QKA protocols resisting collective noise and present a feasible plan for information reconciliation. Our protocols' qubit efficiency has achieved 26.67%, which is the best among all the two-party QKA protocols against collective noise, thus showing that our protocol can improve the transmission efficiency of quantum key agreement.

Security Enhanced User Authentication Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Elliptic Curves Cryptography

PubMed Central

Choi, Younsung; Lee, Donghoon; Kim, Jiye; Jung, Jaewook; Nam, Junghyun; Won, Dongho

2014-01-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of sensors, gateways and users. Sensors are widely distributed to monitor various conditions, such as temperature, sound, speed and pressure but they have limited computational ability and energy. To reduce the resource use of sensors and enhance the security of WSNs, various user authentication protocols have been proposed. In 2011, Yeh et al. first proposed a user authentication protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for WSNs. However, it turned out that Yeh et al.'s protocol does not provide mutual authentication, perfect forward secrecy, and key agreement between the user and sensor. Later in 2013, Shi et al. proposed a new user authentication protocol that improves both security and efficiency of Yeh et al.'s protocol. However, Shi et al.'s improvement introduces other security weaknesses. In this paper, we show that Shi et al.'s improved protocol is vulnerable to session key attack, stolen smart card attack, and sensor energy exhausting attack. In addition, we propose a new, security-enhanced user authentication protocol using ECC for WSNs. PMID:24919012

Security enhanced user authentication protocol for wireless sensor networks using elliptic curves cryptography.

PubMed

Choi, Younsung; Lee, Donghoon; Kim, Jiye; Jung, Jaewook; Nam, Junghyun; Won, Dongho

2014-06-10

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) consist of sensors, gateways and users. Sensors are widely distributed to monitor various conditions, such as temperature, sound, speed and pressure but they have limited computational ability and energy. To reduce the resource use of sensors and enhance the security of WSNs, various user authentication protocols have been proposed. In 2011, Yeh et al. first proposed a user authentication protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) for WSNs. However, it turned out that Yeh et al.'s protocol does not provide mutual authentication, perfect forward secrecy, and key agreement between the user and sensor. Later in 2013, Shi et al. proposed a new user authentication protocol that improves both security and efficiency of Yeh et al.'s protocol. However, Shi et al.'s improvement introduces other security weaknesses. In this paper, we show that Shi et al.'s improved protocol is vulnerable to session key attack, stolen smart card attack, and sensor energy exhausting attack. In addition, we propose a new, security-enhanced user authentication protocol using ECC for WSNs.

Efficient multiparty quantum key agreement with collective detection.

PubMed

Huang, Wei; Su, Qi; Liu, Bin; He, Yuan-Hang; Fan, Fan; Xu, Bing-Jie

2017-11-10

As a burgeoning branch of quantum cryptography, quantum key agreement is a kind of key establishing processes where the security and fairness of the established common key should be guaranteed simultaneously. However, the difficulty on designing a qualified quantum key agreement protocol increases significantly with the increase of the number of the involved participants. Thus far, only few of the existing multiparty quantum key agreement (MQKA) protocols can really achieve security and fairness. Nevertheless, these qualified MQKA protocols are either too inefficient or too impractical. In this paper, an MQKA protocol is proposed with single photons in travelling mode. Since only one eavesdropping detection is needed in the proposed protocol, the qubit efficiency and measurement efficiency of it are higher than those of the existing ones in theory. Compared with the protocols which make use of the entangled states or multi-particle measurements, the proposed protocol is more feasible with the current technologies. Security and fairness analysis shows that the proposed protocol is not only immune to the attacks from external eavesdroppers, but also free from the attacks from internal betrayers.

Output Containment Control of Linear Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Systems Using Internal Model Principle.

PubMed

Zuo, Shan; Song, Yongduan; Lewis, Frank L; Davoudi, Ali

2017-01-04

This paper studies the output containment control of linear heterogeneous multi-agent systems, where the system dynamics and even the state dimensions can generally be different. Since the states can have different dimensions, standard results from state containment control do not apply. Therefore, the control objective is to guarantee the convergence of the output of each follower to the dynamic convex hull spanned by the outputs of leaders. This can be achieved by making certain output containment errors go to zero asymptotically. Based on this formulation, two different control protocols, namely, full-state feedback and static output-feedback, are designed based on internal model principles. Sufficient local conditions for the existence of the proposed control protocols are developed in terms of stabilizing the local followers' dynamics and satisfying a certain H∞ criterion. Unified design procedures to solve the proposed two control protocols are presented by formulation and solution of certain local state-feedback and static output-feedback problems, respectively. Numerical simulations are given to validate the proposed control protocols.

An Energy-Efficient and Robust Multipath Routing Protocol for Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Singh, Kishor; Moh, Sangman

2017-09-04

Routing in cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs) is a daunting task owing to dynamic topology, intermittent connectivity, spectrum heterogeneity, and energy constraints. Other prominent aspects such as channel stability, path reliability, and route discovery frequency should also be exploited. Several routing protocols have been proposed for CRAHNs in the literature. By stressing on one of the aspects more than any other, however, they do not satisfy all requirements of throughput, energy efficiency, and robustness. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient and robust multipath routing (ERMR) protocol for CRAHNs by considering all prominent aspects including residual energy and channel stability in design. Even when the current routing path fails, the alternative routing path is immediately utilized. In establishing primary and alternative routing paths, both residual energy and channel stability are exploited simultaneously. Our simulation study shows that the proposed ERMR outperforms the conventional protocol in terms of network throughput, packet delivery ratio, energy consumption, and end-to-end delay.

An Energy-Efficient and Robust Multipath Routing Protocol for Cognitive Radio Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Singh, Kishor

2017-01-01

Routing in cognitive radio ad hoc networks (CRAHNs) is a daunting task owing to dynamic topology, intermittent connectivity, spectrum heterogeneity, and energy constraints. Other prominent aspects such as channel stability, path reliability, and route discovery frequency should also be exploited. Several routing protocols have been proposed for CRAHNs in the literature. By stressing on one of the aspects more than any other, however, they do not satisfy all requirements of throughput, energy efficiency, and robustness. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient and robust multipath routing (ERMR) protocol for CRAHNs by considering all prominent aspects including residual energy and channel stability in design. Even when the current routing path fails, the alternative routing path is immediately utilized. In establishing primary and alternative routing paths, both residual energy and channel stability are exploited simultaneously. Our simulation study shows that the proposed ERMR outperforms the conventional protocol in terms of network throughput, packet delivery ratio, energy consumption, and end-to-end delay. PMID:28869551

Cryptanalysis and improvement of an improved two factor authentication protocol for telecare medical information systems.

PubMed

Chaudhry, Shehzad Ashraf; Naqvi, Husnain; Shon, Taeshik; Sher, Muhammad; Farash, Mohammad Sabzinejad

2015-06-01

Telecare medical information systems (TMIS) provides rapid and convenient health care services remotely. Efficient authentication is a prerequisite to guarantee the security and privacy of patients in TMIS. Authentication is used to verify the legality of the patients and TMIS server during remote access. Very recently Islam et al. (J. Med. Syst. 38(10):135, 2014) proposed a two factor authentication protocol for TMIS using elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) to improve Xu et al.'s (J. Med. Syst. 38(1):9994, 2014) protocol. They claimed their improved protocol to be efficient and provides all security requirements. However our analysis reveals that Islam et al.'s protocol suffers from user impersonation and server impersonation attacks. Furthermore we proposed an enhanced protocol. The proposed protocol while delivering all the virtues of Islam et al.'s protocol resists all known attacks.

Practical quantum appointment scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Touchette, Dave; Lovitz, Benjamin; Lütkenhaus, Norbert

2018-04-01

We propose a protocol based on coherent states and linear optics operations for solving the appointment-scheduling problem. Our main protocol leaks strictly less information about each party's input than the optimal classical protocol, even when considering experimental errors. Along with the ability to generate constant-amplitude coherent states over two modes, this protocol requires the ability to transfer these modes back-and-forth between the two parties multiple times with very low losses. The implementation requirements are thus still challenging. Along the way, we develop tools to study quantum information cost of interactive protocols in the finite regime.

A secure RFID authentication protocol for healthcare environments using elliptic curve cryptosystem.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhenguo

2014-05-01

With the fast advancement of the wireless communication technology and the widespread use of medical systems, the radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has been widely used in healthcare environments. As the first important protocol for ensuring secure communication in healthcare environment, the RFID authentication protocols derive more and more attentions. Most of RFID authentication protocols are based on hash function or symmetric cryptography. To get more security properties, elliptic curve cryptosystem (ECC) has been used in the design of RFID authentication protocol. Recently, Liao and Hsiao proposed a new RFID authentication protocol using ECC and claimed their protocol could withstand various attacks. In this paper, we will show that their protocol suffers from the key compromise problem, i.e. an adversary could get the private key stored in the tag. To enhance the security, we propose a new RFID authentication protocol using ECC. Detailed analysis shows the proposed protocol not only could overcome weaknesses in Liao and Hsiao's protocol but also has the same performance. Therefore, it is more suitable for healthcare environments.

Automated Static Culture System Cell Module Mixing Protocol and Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleis, Stanley J.; Truong, Tuan; Goodwin, Thomas J,

2004-01-01

This report is a documentation of a fluid dynamic analysis of the proposed Automated Static Culture System (ASCS) cell module mixing protocol. The report consists of a review of some basic fluid dynamics principles appropriate for the mixing of a patch of high oxygen content media into the surrounding media which is initially depleted of oxygen, followed by a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of this process for the proposed protocol over a range of the governing parameters. The time histories of oxygen concentration distributions and mechanical shear levels generated are used to characterize the mixing process for different parameter values.

Towards Reliable and Energy-Efficient Incremental Cooperative Communication for Wireless Body Area Networks.

PubMed

Yousaf, Sidrah; Javaid, Nadeem; Qasim, Umar; Alrajeh, Nabil; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Ahmed, Mansoor

2016-02-24

In this study, we analyse incremental cooperative communication for wireless body area networks (WBANs) with different numbers of relays. Energy efficiency (EE) and the packet error rate (PER) are investigated for different schemes. We propose a new cooperative communication scheme with three-stage relaying and compare it to existing schemes. Our proposed scheme provides reliable communication with less PER at the cost of surplus energy consumption. Analytical expressions for the EE of the proposed three-stage cooperative communication scheme are also derived, taking into account the effect of PER. Later on, the proposed three-stage incremental cooperation is implemented in a network layer protocol; enhanced incremental cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (EInCo-CEStat). Extensive simulations are conducted to validate the proposed scheme. Results of incremental relay-based cooperative communication protocols are compared to two existing cooperative routing protocols: cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (Co-CEStat) and InCo-CEStat. It is observed from the simulation results that incremental relay-based cooperation is more energy efficient than the existing conventional cooperation protocol, Co-CEStat. The results also reveal that EInCo-CEStat proves to be more reliable with less PER and higher throughput than both of the counterpart protocols. However, InCo-CEStat has less throughput with a greater stability period and network lifetime. Due to the availability of more redundant links, EInCo-CEStat achieves a reduced packet drop rate at the cost of increased energy consumption.

Towards Reliable and Energy-Efficient Incremental Cooperative Communication for Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Yousaf, Sidrah; Javaid, Nadeem; Qasim, Umar; Alrajeh, Nabil; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Ahmed, Mansoor

2016-01-01

In this study, we analyse incremental cooperative communication for wireless body area networks (WBANs) with different numbers of relays. Energy efficiency (EE) and the packet error rate (PER) are investigated for different schemes. We propose a new cooperative communication scheme with three-stage relaying and compare it to existing schemes. Our proposed scheme provides reliable communication with less PER at the cost of surplus energy consumption. Analytical expressions for the EE of the proposed three-stage cooperative communication scheme are also derived, taking into account the effect of PER. Later on, the proposed three-stage incremental cooperation is implemented in a network layer protocol; enhanced incremental cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (EInCo-CEStat). Extensive simulations are conducted to validate the proposed scheme. Results of incremental relay-based cooperative communication protocols are compared to two existing cooperative routing protocols: cooperative critical data transmission in emergencies for static WBANs (Co-CEStat) and InCo-CEStat. It is observed from the simulation results that incremental relay-based cooperation is more energy efficient than the existing conventional cooperation protocol, Co-CEStat. The results also reveal that EInCo-CEStat proves to be more reliable with less PER and higher throughput than both of the counterpart protocols. However, InCo-CEStat has less throughput with a greater stability period and network lifetime. Due to the availability of more redundant links, EInCo-CEStat achieves a reduced packet drop rate at the cost of increased energy consumption. PMID:26927104

Energy neutral protocol based on hierarchical routing techniques for energy harvesting wireless sensor network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muhammad, Umar B.; Ezugwu, Absalom E.; Ofem, Paulinus O.; Rajamäki, Jyri; Aderemi, Adewumi O.

2017-06-01

Recently, researchers in the field of wireless sensor networks have resorted to energy harvesting techniques that allows energy to be harvested from the ambient environment to power sensor nodes. Using such Energy harvesting techniques together with proper routing protocols, an Energy Neutral state can be achieved so that sensor nodes can run perpetually. In this paper, we propose an Energy Neutral LEACH routing protocol which is an extension to the traditional LEACH protocol. The goal of the proposed protocol is to use Gateway node in each cluster so as to reduce the data transmission ranges of cluster head nodes. Simulation results show that the proposed routing protocol achieves a higher throughput and ensure the energy neutral status of the entire network.

Quantum CSMA/CD Synchronous Communication Protocol with Entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Nanrun; Zeng, Binyang; Gong, Lihua

By utilizing the characteristics of quantum entanglement, a quantum synchronous communication protocol for Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD) is presented. The proposed protocol divides the link into the busy time and leisure one, where the data frames are sent via classical channels and the distribution of quantum entanglement is supposed to be completed at leisure time and the quantum acknowledge frames are sent via quantum entanglement channels. The time span between two successfully delivered messages can be significantly reduced in this proposed protocol. It is shown that the performance of the CSMA/CD protocol can be improved significantly since the collision can be reduced to a certain extent. The proposed protocol has great significance in quantum communication.

A Secured Authentication Protocol for SIP Using Elliptic Curves Cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Tien-Ho; Yeh, Hsiu-Lien; Liu, Pin-Chuan; Hsiang, Han-Chen; Shih, Wei-Kuan

Session initiation protocol (SIP) is a technology regularly performed in Internet Telephony, and Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) as digest authentication is one of the major methods for SIP authentication mechanism. In 2005, Yang et al. pointed out that HTTP could not resist server spoofing attack and off-line guessing attack and proposed a secret authentication with Diffie-Hellman concept. In 2009, Tsai proposed a nonce based authentication protocol for SIP. In this paper, we demonstrate that their protocol could not resist the password guessing attack and insider attack. Furthermore, we propose an ECC-based authentication mechanism to solve their issues and present security analysis of our protocol to show that ours is suitable for applications with higher security requirement.

A secured authentication protocol for wireless sensor networks using elliptic curves cryptography.

PubMed

Yeh, Hsiu-Lien; Chen, Tien-Ho; Liu, Pin-Chuan; Kim, Tai-Hoo; Wei, Hsin-Wen

2011-01-01

User authentication is a crucial service in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that is becoming increasingly common in WSNs because wireless sensor nodes are typically deployed in an unattended environment, leaving them open to possible hostile network attack. Because wireless sensor nodes are limited in computing power, data storage and communication capabilities, any user authentication protocol must be designed to operate efficiently in a resource constrained environment. In this paper, we review several proposed WSN user authentication protocols, with a detailed review of the M.L Das protocol and a cryptanalysis of Das' protocol that shows several security weaknesses. Furthermore, this paper proposes an ECC-based user authentication protocol that resolves these weaknesses. According to our analysis of security of the ECC-based protocol, it is suitable for applications with higher security requirements. Finally, we present a comparison of security, computation, and communication costs and performances for the proposed protocols. The ECC-based protocol is shown to be suitable for higher security WSNs.

A Secured Authentication Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks Using Elliptic Curves Cryptography

PubMed Central

Yeh, Hsiu-Lien; Chen, Tien-Ho; Liu, Pin-Chuan; Kim, Tai-Hoo; Wei, Hsin-Wen

2011-01-01

User authentication is a crucial service in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that is becoming increasingly common in WSNs because wireless sensor nodes are typically deployed in an unattended environment, leaving them open to possible hostile network attack. Because wireless sensor nodes are limited in computing power, data storage and communication capabilities, any user authentication protocol must be designed to operate efficiently in a resource constrained environment. In this paper, we review several proposed WSN user authentication protocols, with a detailed review of the M.L Das protocol and a cryptanalysis of Das’ protocol that shows several security weaknesses. Furthermore, this paper proposes an ECC-based user authentication protocol that resolves these weaknesses. According to our analysis of security of the ECC-based protocol, it is suitable for applications with higher security requirements. Finally, we present a comparison of security, computation, and communication costs and performances for the proposed protocols. The ECC-based protocol is shown to be suitable for higher security WSNs. PMID:22163874

An algorithm for optimal fusion of atlases with different labeling protocols

PubMed Central

Iglesias, Juan Eugenio; Sabuncu, Mert Rory; Aganj, Iman; Bhatt, Priyanka; Casillas, Christen; Salat, David; Boxer, Adam; Fischl, Bruce; Van Leemput, Koen

2014-01-01

In this paper we present a novel label fusion algorithm suited for scenarios in which different manual delineation protocols with potentially disparate structures have been used to annotate the training scans (hereafter referred to as “atlases”). Such scenarios arise when atlases have missing structures, when they have been labeled with different levels of detail, or when they have been taken from different heterogeneous databases. The proposed algorithm can be used to automatically label a novel scan with any of the protocols from the training data. Further, it enables us to generate new labels that are not present in any delineation protocol by defining intersections on the underling labels. We first use probabilistic models of label fusion to generalize three popular label fusion techniques to the multi-protocol setting: majority voting, semi-locally weighted voting and STAPLE. Then, we identify some shortcomings of the generalized methods, namely the inability to produce meaningful posterior probabilities for the different labels (majority voting, semi-locally weighted voting) and to exploit the similarities between the atlases (all three methods). Finally, we propose a novel generative label fusion model that can overcome these drawbacks. We use the proposed method to combine four brain MRI datasets labeled with different protocols (with a total of 102 unique labeled structures) to produce segmentations of 148 brain regions. Using cross-validation, we show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the generalizations of majority voting, semi-locally weighted voting and STAPLE (mean Dice score 83%, vs. 77%, 80% and 79%, respectively). We also evaluated the proposed algorithm in an aging study, successfully reproducing some well-known results in cortical and subcortical structures. PMID:25463466

A network coding based routing protocol for underwater sensor networks.

PubMed

Wu, Huayang; Chen, Min; Guan, Xin

2012-01-01

Due to the particularities of the underwater environment, some negative factors will seriously interfere with data transmission rates, reliability of data communication, communication range, and network throughput and energy consumption of underwater sensor networks (UWSNs). Thus, full consideration of node energy savings, while maintaining a quick, correct and effective data transmission, extending the network life cycle are essential when routing protocols for underwater sensor networks are studied. In this paper, we have proposed a novel routing algorithm for UWSNs. To increase energy consumption efficiency and extend network lifetime, we propose a time-slot based routing algorithm (TSR).We designed a probability balanced mechanism and applied it to TSR. The theory of network coding is introduced to TSBR to meet the requirement of further reducing node energy consumption and extending network lifetime. Hence, time-slot based balanced network coding (TSBNC) comes into being. We evaluated the proposed time-slot based balancing routing algorithm and compared it with other classical underwater routing protocols. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol can reduce the probability of node conflicts, shorten the process of routing construction, balance energy consumption of each node and effectively prolong the network lifetime.

A Network Coding Based Routing Protocol for Underwater Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wu, Huayang; Chen, Min; Guan, Xin

2012-01-01

Due to the particularities of the underwater environment, some negative factors will seriously interfere with data transmission rates, reliability of data communication, communication range, and network throughput and energy consumption of underwater sensor networks (UWSNs). Thus, full consideration of node energy savings, while maintaining a quick, correct and effective data transmission, extending the network life cycle are essential when routing protocols for underwater sensor networks are studied. In this paper, we have proposed a novel routing algorithm for UWSNs. To increase energy consumption efficiency and extend network lifetime, we propose a time-slot based routing algorithm (TSR).We designed a probability balanced mechanism and applied it to TSR. The theory of network coding is introduced to TSBR to meet the requirement of further reducing node energy consumption and extending network lifetime. Hence, time-slot based balanced network coding (TSBNC) comes into being. We evaluated the proposed time-slot based balancing routing algorithm and compared it with other classical underwater routing protocols. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol can reduce the probability of node conflicts, shorten the process of routing construction, balance energy consumption of each node and effectively prolong the network lifetime. PMID:22666045

The usefulness and reliability of fitness testing protocols for ice hockey players: a literature review.

PubMed

Nightingale, Steven C; Miller, Stuart; Turner, Anthony

2013-06-01

Ice hockey, like most sports, uses fitness testing to assess athletes. This study reviews the current commonly used fitness testing protocols for ice hockey players, discussing their predictive values and reliability. It also discusses a range of less commonly used measures and limitations in current testing protocols. The article concludes with a proposed testing program suitable for ice hockey players.

Verification of a Proposed Clinical Electroacoustic Test Protocol for Personal Digital Modulation Receivers Coupled to Cochlear Implant Sound Processors.

PubMed

Nair, Erika L; Sousa, Rhonda; Wannagot, Shannon

Guidelines established by the AAA currently recommend behavioral testing when fitting frequency modulated (FM) systems to individuals with cochlear implants (CIs). A protocol for completing electroacoustic measures has not yet been validated for personal FM systems or digital modulation (DM) systems coupled to CI sound processors. In response, some professionals have used or altered the AAA electroacoustic verification steps for fitting FM systems to hearing aids when fitting FM systems to CI sound processors. More recently steps were outlined in a proposed protocol. The purpose of this research is to review and compare the electroacoustic test measures outlined in a 2013 article by Schafer and colleagues in the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology titled "A Proposed Electroacoustic Test Protocol for Personal FM Receivers Coupled to Cochlear Implant Sound Processors" to the AAA electroacoustic verification steps for fitting FM systems to hearing aids when fitting DM systems to CI users. Electroacoustic measures were conducted on 71 CI sound processors and Phonak Roger DM systems using a proposed protocol and an adapted AAA protocol. Phonak's recommended default receiver gain setting was used for each CI sound processor manufacturer and adjusted if necessary to achieve transparency. Electroacoustic measures were conducted on Cochlear and Advanced Bionics (AB) sound processors. In this study, 28 Cochlear Nucleus 5/CP810 sound processors, 26 Cochlear Nucleus 6/CP910 sound processors, and 17 AB Naida CI Q70 sound processors were coupled in various combinations to Phonak Roger DM dedicated receivers (25 Phonak Roger 14 receivers-Cochlear dedicated receiver-and 9 Phonak Roger 17 receivers-AB dedicated receiver) and 20 Phonak Roger Inspiro transmitters. Employing both the AAA and the Schafer et al protocols, electroacoustic measurements were conducted with the Audioscan Verifit in a clinical setting on 71 CI sound processors and Phonak Roger DM systems to determine transparency and verify FM advantage, comparing speech inputs (65 dB SPL) in an effort to achieve equal outputs. If transparency was not achieved at Phonak's recommended default receiver gain, adjustments were made to the receiver gain. The integrity of the signal was monitored with the appropriate manufacturer's monitor earphones. Using the AAA hearing aid protocol, 50 of the 71 CI sound processors achieved transparency, and 59 of the 71 CI sound processors achieved transparency when using the proposed protocol at Phonak's recommended default receiver gain. After the receiver gain was adjusted, 3 of 21 CI sound processors still did not meet transparency using the AAA protocol, and 2 of 12 CI sound processors still did not meet transparency using the Schafer et al proposed protocol. Both protocols were shown to be effective in taking reliable electroacoustic measurements and demonstrate transparency. Both protocols are felt to be clinically feasible and to address the needs of populations that are unable to reliably report regarding the integrity of their personal DM systems. American Academy of Audiology

Application and analysis of geodetic protocols for monitoring subsidence phenomena along on-shore hydrocarbon reservoirs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montuori, Antonio; Anderlini, Letizia; Palano, Mimmo; Albano, Matteo; Pezzo, Giuseppe; Antoncecchi, Ilaria; Chiarabba, Claudio; Serpelloni, Enrico; Stramondo, Salvatore

2018-07-01

In this study, we tested the "land-subsidence monitoring guidelines" proposed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE), to study ground deformations along on-shore hydrocarbon reservoirs. We propose protocols that include the joint use of Global Positioning System (GPS) and multi-temporal Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) techniques, for a twofold purpose: a) monitoring land subsidence phenomena along selected areas after defining the background of ground deformations; b) analyzing possible relationships between hydrocarbon exploitation and anomalous deformation patterns. Experimental results, gathered along the Ravenna coastline (northern Italy) and in the southeastern Sicily (southern Italy), show wide areas of subsidence mainly related to natural and anthropogenic processes. Moreover, ground deformations retrieved through multi-temporal DInSAR time series exhibit low sensitivity as well as poor spatial and temporal correlation with hydrocarbon exploitation activities. Results allow evaluating the advantages and limitations of proposed protocols, to improve the techniques and security standards established by MISE guidelines for monitoring on-shore hydrocarbon reservoirs.

A secure RFID-based WBAN for healthcare applications.

PubMed

Ullah, Sana; Alamri, Atif

2013-10-01

A Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) allows the seamless integration of small and intelligent invasive or non-invasive sensor nodes in, on or around a human body for continuous health monitoring. These nodes are expected to use different power-efficient protocols in order to extend the WBAN lifetime. This paper highlights the power consumption and security issues of WBAN for healthcare applications. Numerous power saving mechanisms are discussed and a secure RFID-based protocol for WBAN is proposed. The performance of the proposed protocol is analyzed and compared with that of IEEE 802.15.6-based CSMA/CA and preamble-based TDMA protocols using extensive simulations. It is shown that the proposed protocol is power-efficient and protects patients' data from adversaries. It is less vulnerable to different attacks compared to that of IEEE 802.15.6-based CSMA/CA and preamble-based TDMA protocols. For a low traffic load and a single alkaline battery of capacity 2.6 Ah, the proposed protocol could extend the WBAN lifetime, when deployed on patients in hospitals or at homes, to approximately five years.

Diagnosing a Failed Proof in Fault-Tolerance: A Disproving Challenge Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pike, Lee; Miner, Paul; Torres-Pomales, Wilfredo

2006-01-01

This paper proposes a challenge problem in disproving. We describe a fault-tolerant distributed protocol designed at NASA for use in a fly-by-wire system for next-generation commercial aircraft. An early design of the protocol contains a subtle bug that is highly unlikely to be caught in fault injection testing. We describe a failed proof of the protocol's correctness in a mechanical theorem prover (PVS) with a complex unfinished proof conjecture. We use a model checking suite (SAL) to generate a concrete counterexample to the unproven conjecture to demonstrate the existence of a bug. However, we argue that the effort required in our approach is too high and propose what conditions a better solution would satisfy. We carefully describe the protocol and bug to provide a challenging but feasible case study for disproving research.

Method optimization for fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) liver S9 isolation

EPA Science Inventory

Standard protocols have been proposed to assess metabolic stability in rainbow trout liver S9 fractions. Using in vitro substrate depletion assays, in vitro intrinsic clearance rates can be calculated for a variety of study compounds. Existing protocols suggest potential adaptati...

Evaluating the performance of vehicular platoon control under different network topologies of initial states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yongfu; Li, Kezhi; Zheng, Taixiong; Hu, Xiangdong; Feng, Huizong; Li, Yinguo

2016-05-01

This study proposes a feedback-based platoon control protocol for connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) under different network topologies of initial states. In particularly, algebraic graph theory is used to describe the network topology. Then, the leader-follower approach is used to model the interactions between CAVs. In addition, feedback-based protocol is designed to control the platoon considering the longitudinal and lateral gaps simultaneously as well as different network topologies. The stability and consensus of the vehicular platoon is analyzed using the Lyapunov technique. Effects of different network topologies of initial states on convergence time and robustness of platoon control are investigated. Results from numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocol with respect to the position and velocity consensus in terms of the convergence time and robustness. Also, the findings of this study illustrate the convergence time of the control protocol is associated with the initial states, while the robustness is not affected by the initial states significantly.

Semi-quantum Dialogue Based on Single Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Tian-Yu; Ye, Chong-Qiang

2018-02-01

In this paper, we propose two semi-quantum dialogue (SQD) protocols by using single photons as the quantum carriers, where one requires the classical party to possess the measurement capability and the other does not have this requirement. The security toward active attacks from an outside Eve in the first SQD protocol is guaranteed by the complete robustness of present semi-quantum key distribution (SQKD) protocols, the classical one-time pad encryption, the classical party's randomization operation and the decoy photon technology. The information leakage problem of the first SQD protocol is overcome by the classical party' classical basis measurements on the single photons carrying messages which makes him share their initial states with the quantum party. The security toward active attacks from Eve in the second SQD protocol is guaranteed by the classical party's randomization operation, the complete robustness of present SQKD protocol and the classical one-time pad encryption. The information leakage problem of the second SQD protocol is overcome by the quantum party' classical basis measurements on each two adjacent single photons carrying messages which makes her share their initial states with the classical party. Compared with the traditional information leakage resistant QD protocols, the advantage of the proposed SQD protocols lies in that they only require one party to have quantum capabilities. Compared with the existing SQD protocol, the advantage of the proposed SQD protocols lies in that they only employ single photons rather than two-photon entangled states as the quantum carriers. The proposed SQD protocols can be implemented with present quantum technologies.

Summary and Synthesis: How to Present a Research Proposal.

PubMed

Setia, Maninder Singh; Panda, Saumya

2017-01-01

This concluding module attempts to synthesize the key learning points discussed during the course of the previous ten sets of modules on methodology and biostatistics. The objective of this module is to discuss how to present a model research proposal, based on whatever was discussed in the preceding modules. The lynchpin of a research proposal is the protocol, and the key component of a protocol is the study design. However, one must not neglect the other areas, be it the project summary through which one catches the eyes of the reviewer of the proposal, or the background and the literature review, or the aims and objectives of the study. Two critical areas in the "methods" section that cannot be emphasized more are the sampling strategy and a formal estimation of sample size. Without a legitimate sample size, none of the conclusions based on the statistical analysis would be valid. Finally, the ethical parameters of the study should be well understood by the researchers, and that should get reflected in the proposal.

Summary and Synthesis: How to Present a Research Proposal

PubMed Central

Setia, Maninder Singh; Panda, Saumya

2017-01-01

This concluding module attempts to synthesize the key learning points discussed during the course of the previous ten sets of modules on methodology and biostatistics. The objective of this module is to discuss how to present a model research proposal, based on whatever was discussed in the preceding modules. The lynchpin of a research proposal is the protocol, and the key component of a protocol is the study design. However, one must not neglect the other areas, be it the project summary through which one catches the eyes of the reviewer of the proposal, or the background and the literature review, or the aims and objectives of the study. Two critical areas in the “methods” section that cannot be emphasized more are the sampling strategy and a formal estimation of sample size. Without a legitimate sample size, none of the conclusions based on the statistical analysis would be valid. Finally, the ethical parameters of the study should be well understood by the researchers, and that should get reflected in the proposal. PMID:28979004

Protocols development for security and privacy of radio frequency identification systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabbagha, Fatin

There are benefits to adopting radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, although there are methods of attack that can compromise the system. This research determined how that may happen and what possible solutions can keep that from happening. Protocols were developed to implement better security. In addition, new topologies were developed to handle the problems of the key management. Previously proposed protocols focused on providing mutual authentication and privacy between readers and tags. However, those protocols are still vulnerable to be attacked. These protocols were analyzed and the disadvantages shown for each one. Previous works assumed that the channels between readers and the servers were secure. In the proposed protocols, a compromised reader is considered along with how to prevent tags from being read by that reader. The new protocols provide mutual authentication between readers and tags and, at the same time, remove the compromised reader from the system. Three protocols are proposed. In the first protocol, a mutual authentication is achieved and a compromised reader is not allowed in the network. In the second protocol, the number of times a reader contacts the server is reduced. The third protocol provides authentication and privacy between tags and readers using a trusted third party. The developed topology is implemented using python language and simulates work to check the efficiency regarding the processing time. The three protocols are implemented by writing codes in C language and then compiling them in MSP430. IAR Embedded workbench is used, which is an integrated development environment with the C/C++ compiler to generate a faster code and to debug the microcontroller. In summary, the goal of this research is to find solutions for the problems on previously proposed protocols, handle a compromised reader, and solve key management problems.

Double C-NOT attack and counterattack on `Three-step semi-quantum secure direct communication protocol'

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Jun; Lin, Po-hua; Hwang, Tzonelih

2018-07-01

Recently, Zou and Qiu (Sci China Phys Mech Astron 57:1696-1702, 2014) proposed a three-step semi-quantum secure direct communication protocol allowing a classical participant who does not have a quantum register to securely send his/her secret message to a quantum participant. However, this study points out that an eavesdropper can use the double C-NOT attack to obtain the secret message. To solve this problem, a modification is proposed.

SPAR: a security- and power-aware routing protocol for wireless ad hoc and sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oberoi, Vikram; Chigan, Chunxiao

2005-05-01

Wireless Ad Hoc and Sensor Networks (WAHSNs) are vulnerable to extensive attacks as well as severe resource constraints. To fulfill the security needs, many security enhancements have been proposed. Like wise, from resource constraint perspective, many power aware schemes have been proposed to save the battery power. However, we observe that for the severely resource limited and extremely vulnerable WAHSNs, taking security or power (or any other resource) alone into consideration for protocol design is rather inadequate toward the truly "secure-and-useful" WAHSNs. For example, from resource constraint perspective, we identify one of the potential problems, the Security-Capable-Congestion (SCC) behavior, for the WAHSNs routing protocols where only the security are concerned. On the other hand, the design approach where only scarce resource is concerned, such as many power-aware WAHSNs protocols, leaves security unconsidered and is undesirable to many WAHSNs application scenarios. Motivated by these observations, we propose a co-design approach, where both the high security and effective resource consumption are targeted for WAHSNs protocol design. Specifically, we propose a novel routing protocol, Security- and Power- Aware Routing (SPAR) protocol based on this co-design approach. In SPAR, the routing decisions are made based on both security and power as routing criteria. The idea of the SPAR mechanism is routing protocol independent and therefore can be broadly integrated into any of the existing WAHSNs routing protocols. The simulation results show that SPAR outperforms the WAHSNs routing protocols where security or power alone is considered, significantly. This research finding demonstrates the proposed security- and resource- aware co-design approach is promising towards the truly "secure-and-useful" WAHSNs.

40 CFR 792.120 - Protocol.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the test system. (8) A description of the experimental design, including methods for the control of... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Protocol. 792.120 Section 792.120... at which the study is being conducted. (4) The proposed experimental start and termination dates. (5...

Direction based Hazard Routing Protocol (DHRP) for disseminating road hazard information using road side infrastructures in VANETs.

PubMed

Berlin, M A; Anand, Sheila

2014-01-01

This paper presents Direction based Hazard Routing Protocol (DHRP) for disseminating information about fixed road hazards such as road blocks, tree fall, boulders on road, snow pile up, landslide, road maintenance work and other obstacles to the vehicles approaching the hazardous location. The proposed work focuses on dissemination of hazard messages on highways with sparse traffic. The vehicle coming across the hazard would report the presence of the hazard. It is proposed to use Road Side fixed infrastructure Units for reliable and timely delivery of hazard messages to vehicles. The vehicles can then take appropriate safety action to avoid the hazardous location. The proposed protocol has been implemented and tested using SUMO simulator to generate road traffic and NS 2.33 network simulator to analyze the performance of DHRP. The performance of the proposed protocol was also compared with simple flooding protocol and the results are presented.

Modifying the ECC-based grouping-proof RFID system to increase inpatient medication safety.

PubMed

Ko, Wen-Tsai; Chiou, Shin-Yan; Lu, Erl-Huei; Chang, Henry Ker-Chang

2014-09-01

RFID technology is increasingly used in applications that require tracking, identification, and authentication. It attaches RFID-readable tags to objects for identification and execution of specific RFID-enabled applications. Recently, research has focused on the use of grouping-proofs for preserving privacy in RFID applications, wherein a proof of two or more tags must be simultaneously scanned. In 2010, a privacy-preserving grouping proof protocol for RFID based on ECC in public-key cryptosystem was proposed but was shown to be vulnerable to tracking attacks. A proposed enhancement protocol was also shown to have defects which prevented proper execution. In 2012, Lin et al. proposed a more efficient RFID ECC-based grouping proof protocol to promote inpatient medication safety. However, we found this protocol is also vulnerable to tracking and impersonation attacks. We then propose a secure privacy-preserving RFID grouping proof protocol for inpatient medication safety and demonstrate its resistance to such attacks.

Cluster based architecture and network maintenance protocol for medical priority aware cognitive radio based hospital.

PubMed

Al Mamoon, Ishtiak; Muzahidul Islam, A K M; Baharun, Sabariah; Ahmed, Ashir; Komaki, Shozo

2016-08-01

Due to the rapid growth of wireless medical devices in near future, wireless healthcare services may face some inescapable issue such as medical spectrum scarcity, electromagnetic interference (EMI), bandwidth constraint, security and finally medical data communication model. To mitigate these issues, cognitive radio (CR) or opportunistic radio network enabled wireless technology is suitable for the upcoming wireless healthcare system. The up-to-date research on CR based healthcare has exposed some developments on EMI and spectrum problems. However, the investigation recommendation on system design and network model for CR enabled hospital is rare. Thus, this research designs a hierarchy based hybrid network architecture and network maintenance protocols for previously proposed CR hospital system, known as CogMed. In the previous study, the detail architecture of CogMed and its maintenance protocols were not present. The proposed architecture includes clustering concepts for cognitive base stations and non-medical devices. Two cluster head (CH selector equations are formulated based on priority of location, device, mobility rate of devices and number of accessible channels. In order to maintain the integrity of the proposed network model, node joining and node leaving protocols are also proposed. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed network maintenance time is very low for emergency medical devices (average maintenance period 9.5 ms) and the re-clustering effects for different mobility enabled non-medical devices are also balanced.

A proportional integral estimator-based clock synchronization protocol for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Yang, Wenlun; Fu, Minyue

2017-11-01

Clock synchronization is an issue of vital importance in applications of WSNs. This paper proposes a proportional integral estimator-based protocol (EBP) to achieve clock synchronization for wireless sensor networks. As each local clock skew gradually drifts, synchronization accuracy will decline over time. Compared with existing consensus-based approaches, the proposed synchronization protocol improves synchronization accuracy under time-varying clock skews. Moreover, by restricting synchronization error of clock skew into a relative small quantity, it could reduce periodic re-synchronization frequencies. At last, a pseudo-synchronous implementation for skew compensation is introduced as synchronous protocol is unrealistic in practice. Numerical simulations are shown to illustrate the performance of the proposed protocol. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy Efficient Medium Access Control Protocol for Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks with Adaptive Cross-Layer Scheduling.

PubMed

Sefuba, Maria; Walingo, Tom; Takawira, Fambirai

2015-09-18

This paper presents an Energy Efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for clustered wireless sensor networks that aims to improve energy efficiency and delay performance. The proposed protocol employs an adaptive cross-layer intra-cluster scheduling and an inter-cluster relay selection diversity. The scheduling is based on available data packets and remaining energy level of the source node (SN). This helps to minimize idle listening on nodes without data to transmit as well as reducing control packet overhead. The relay selection diversity is carried out between clusters, by the cluster head (CH), and the base station (BS). The diversity helps to improve network reliability and prolong the network lifetime. Relay selection is determined based on the communication distance, the remaining energy and the channel quality indicator (CQI) for the relay cluster head (RCH). An analytical framework for energy consumption and transmission delay for the proposed MAC protocol is presented in this work. The performance of the proposed MAC protocol is evaluated based on transmission delay, energy consumption, and network lifetime. The results obtained indicate that the proposed MAC protocol provides improved performance than traditional cluster based MAC protocols.

Energy Efficient Medium Access Control Protocol for Clustered Wireless Sensor Networks with Adaptive Cross-Layer Scheduling

PubMed Central

Sefuba, Maria; Walingo, Tom; Takawira, Fambirai

2015-01-01

This paper presents an Energy Efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for clustered wireless sensor networks that aims to improve energy efficiency and delay performance. The proposed protocol employs an adaptive cross-layer intra-cluster scheduling and an inter-cluster relay selection diversity. The scheduling is based on available data packets and remaining energy level of the source node (SN). This helps to minimize idle listening on nodes without data to transmit as well as reducing control packet overhead. The relay selection diversity is carried out between clusters, by the cluster head (CH), and the base station (BS). The diversity helps to improve network reliability and prolong the network lifetime. Relay selection is determined based on the communication distance, the remaining energy and the channel quality indicator (CQI) for the relay cluster head (RCH). An analytical framework for energy consumption and transmission delay for the proposed MAC protocol is presented in this work. The performance of the proposed MAC protocol is evaluated based on transmission delay, energy consumption, and network lifetime. The results obtained indicate that the proposed MAC protocol provides improved performance than traditional cluster based MAC protocols. PMID:26393608

Promoting Wired Links in Wireless Mesh Networks: An Efficient Engineering Solution

PubMed Central

Barekatain, Behrang; Raahemifar, Kaamran; Ariza Quintana, Alfonso; Triviño Cabrera, Alicia

2015-01-01

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) cannot completely guarantee good performance of traffic sources such as video streaming. To improve the network performance, this study proposes an efficient engineering solution named Wireless-to-Ethernet-Mesh-Portal-Passageway (WEMPP) that allows effective use of wired communication in WMNs. WEMPP permits transmitting data through wired and stable paths even when the destination is in the same network as the source (Intra-traffic). Tested with four popular routing protocols (Optimized Link State Routing or OLSR as a proactive protocol, Dynamic MANET On-demand or DYMO as a reactive protocol, DYMO with spanning tree ability and HWMP), WEMPP considerably decreases the end-to-end delay, jitter, contentions and interferences on nodes, even when the network size or density varies. WEMPP is also cost-effective and increases the network throughput. Moreover, in contrast to solutions proposed by previous studies, WEMPP is easily implemented by modifying the firmware of the actual Ethernet hardware without altering the routing protocols and/or the functionality of the IP/MAC/Upper layers. In fact, there is no need for modifying the functionalities of other mesh components in order to work with WEMPPs. The results of this study show that WEMPP significantly increases the performance of all routing protocols, thus leading to better video quality on nodes. PMID:25793516

Real-Time QoS Routing Protocols in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks: Study and Analysis.

PubMed

Alanazi, Adwan; Elleithy, Khaled

2015-09-02

Many routing protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor networks. These routing protocols are almost always based on energy efficiency. However, recent advances in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) cameras and small microphones have led to the development of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSN) as a class of wireless sensor networks which pose additional challenges. The transmission of imaging and video data needs routing protocols with both energy efficiency and Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics in order to guarantee the efficient use of the sensor nodes and effective access to the collected data. Also, with integration of real time applications in Wireless Senor Networks (WSNs), the use of QoS routing protocols is not only becoming a significant topic, but is also gaining the attention of researchers. In designing an efficient QoS routing protocol, the reliability and guarantee of end-to-end delay are critical events while conserving energy. Thus, considerable research has been focused on designing energy efficient and robust QoS routing protocols. In this paper, we present a state of the art research work based on real-time QoS routing protocols for WMSNs that have already been proposed. This paper categorizes the real-time QoS routing protocols into probabilistic and deterministic protocols. In addition, both categories are classified into soft and hard real time protocols by highlighting the QoS issues including the limitations and features of each protocol. Furthermore, we have compared the performance of mobility-aware query based real-time QoS routing protocols from each category using Network Simulator-2 (NS2). This paper also focuses on the design challenges and future research directions as well as highlights the characteristics of each QoS routing protocol.

Real-Time QoS Routing Protocols in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks: Study and Analysis

PubMed Central

Alanazi, Adwan; Elleithy, Khaled

2015-01-01

Many routing protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor networks. These routing protocols are almost always based on energy efficiency. However, recent advances in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) cameras and small microphones have led to the development of Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks (WMSN) as a class of wireless sensor networks which pose additional challenges. The transmission of imaging and video data needs routing protocols with both energy efficiency and Quality of Service (QoS) characteristics in order to guarantee the efficient use of the sensor nodes and effective access to the collected data. Also, with integration of real time applications in Wireless Senor Networks (WSNs), the use of QoS routing protocols is not only becoming a significant topic, but is also gaining the attention of researchers. In designing an efficient QoS routing protocol, the reliability and guarantee of end-to-end delay are critical events while conserving energy. Thus, considerable research has been focused on designing energy efficient and robust QoS routing protocols. In this paper, we present a state of the art research work based on real-time QoS routing protocols for WMSNs that have already been proposed. This paper categorizes the real-time QoS routing protocols into probabilistic and deterministic protocols. In addition, both categories are classified into soft and hard real time protocols by highlighting the QoS issues including the limitations and features of each protocol. Furthermore, we have compared the performance of mobility-aware query based real-time QoS routing protocols from each category using Network Simulator-2 (NS2). This paper also focuses on the design challenges and future research directions as well as highlights the characteristics of each QoS routing protocol. PMID:26364639

New Results on Unconditionally Secure Multi-receiver Manual Authentication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shuhong; Safavi-Naini, Reihaneh

Manual authentication is a recently proposed model of communication motivated by the settings where the only trusted infrastructure is a low bandwidth authenticated channel, possibly realized by the aid of a human, that connects the sender and the receiver who are otherwise connected through an insecure channel and do not have any shared key or public key infrastructure. A good example of such scenarios is pairing of devices in Bluetooth. Manual authentication systems are studied in computational and information theoretic security model and protocols with provable security have been proposed. In this paper we extend the results in information theoretic model in two directions. Firstly, we extend a single receiver scenario to multireceiver case where the sender wants to authenticate the same message to a group of receivers. We show new attacks (compared to single receiver case) that can launched in this model and demonstrate that the single receiver lower bound 2log(1/ɛ) + O(1) on the bandwidth of manual channel stays valid in the multireceiver scenario. We further propose a protocol that achieves this bound and provides security, in the sense that we define, if up to c receivers are corrupted. The second direction is the study of non-interactive protocols in unconditionally secure model. We prove that unlike computational security framework, without interaction a secure authentication protocol requires the bandwidth of the manual channel to be at least the same as the message size, hence non-trivial protocols do not exist.

A QoS-guaranteed coverage precedence routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Jiang, Joe-Air; Lin, Tzu-Shiang; Chuang, Cheng-Long; Chen, Chia-Pang; Sun, Chin-Hong; Juang, Jehn-Yih; Lin, Jiun-Chuan; Liang, Wei-Wen

2011-01-01

For mission-critical applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) involving extensive battlefield surveillance, medical healthcare, etc., it is crucial to have low-power, new protocols, methodologies and structures for transferring data and information in a network with full sensing coverage capability for an extended working period. The upmost mission is to ensure that the network is fully functional providing reliable transmission of the sensed data without the risk of data loss. WSNs have been applied to various types of mission-critical applications. Coverage preservation is one of the most essential functions to guarantee quality of service (QoS) in WSNs. However, a tradeoff exists between sensing coverage and network lifetime due to the limited energy supplies of sensor nodes. In this study, we propose a routing protocol to accommodate both energy-balance and coverage-preservation for sensor nodes in WSNs. The energy consumption for radio transmissions and the residual energy over the network are taken into account when the proposed protocol determines an energy-efficient route for a packet. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol is able to increase the duration of the on-duty network and provide up to 98.3% and 85.7% of extra service time with 100% sensing coverage ratio comparing with LEACH and the LEACH-Coverage-U protocols, respectively.

Secure anonymous mutual authentication for star two-tier wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Ibrahim, Maged Hamada; Kumari, Saru; Das, Ashok Kumar; Wazid, Mohammad; Odelu, Vanga

2016-10-01

Mutual authentication is a very important service that must be established between sensor nodes in wireless body area network (WBAN) to ensure the originality and integrity of the patient's data sent by sensors distributed on different parts of the body. However, mutual authentication service is not enough. An adversary can benefit from monitoring the traffic and knowing which sensor is in transmission of patient's data. Observing the traffic (even without disclosing the context) and knowing its origin, it can reveal to the adversary information about the patient's medical conditions. Therefore, anonymity of the communicating sensors is an important service as well. Few works have been conducted in the area of mutual authentication among sensor nodes in WBAN. However, none of them has considered anonymity among body sensor nodes. Up to our knowledge, our protocol is the first attempt to consider this service in a two-tier WBAN. We propose a new secure protocol to realize anonymous mutual authentication and confidential transmission for star two-tier WBAN topology. The proposed protocol uses simple cryptographic primitives. We prove the security of the proposed protocol using the widely-accepted Burrows-Abadi-Needham (BAN) logic, and also through rigorous informal security analysis. In addition, to demonstrate the practicality of our protocol, we evaluate it using NS-2 simulator. BAN logic and informal security analysis prove that our proposed protocol achieves the necessary security requirements and goals of an authentication service. The simulation results show the impact on the various network parameters, such as end-to-end delay and throughput. The nodes in the network require to store few hundred bits. Nodes require to perform very few hash invocations, which are computationally very efficient. The communication cost of the proposed protocol is few hundred bits in one round of communication. Due to the low computation cost, the energy consumed by the nodes is also low. Our proposed protocol is a lightweight anonymous mutually authentication protocol to mutually authenticate the sensor nodes with the controller node (hub) in a star two-tier WBAN topology. Results show that our protocol proves efficiency over previously proposed protocols and at the same time, achieves the necessary security requirements for a secure anonymous mutual authentication scheme. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

“Counterfactual” quantum protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaidman, L.

2016-05-01

The counterfactuality of recently proposed protocols is analyzed. A definition of “counterfactuality” is offered and it is argued that an interaction-free measurement (IFM) of the presence of an opaque object can be named “counterfactual”, while proposed “counterfactual” measurements of the absence of such objects are not counterfactual. The quantum key distribution protocols which rely only on measurements of the presence of the object are counterfactual, but quantum direct communication protocols are not. Therefore, the name “counterfactual” is not appropriate for recent “counterfactual” protocols which transfer quantum states by quantum direct communication.

Multi-server blind quantum computation over collective-noise channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Min; Liu, Lin; Song, Xiuli

2018-03-01

Blind quantum computation (BQC) enables ordinary clients to securely outsource their computation task to costly quantum servers. Besides two essential properties, namely correctness and blindness, practical BQC protocols also should make clients as classical as possible and tolerate faults from nonideal quantum channel. In this paper, using logical Bell states as quantum resource, we propose multi-server BQC protocols over collective-dephasing noise channel and collective-rotation noise channel, respectively. The proposed protocols permit completely or almost classical client, meet the correctness and blindness requirements of BQC protocol, and are typically practical BQC protocols.

One Step Quantum Key Distribution Based on EPR Entanglement.

PubMed

Li, Jian; Li, Na; Li, Lei-Lei; Wang, Tao

2016-06-30

A novel quantum key distribution protocol is presented, based on entanglement and dense coding and allowing asymptotically secure key distribution. Considering the storage time limit of quantum bits, a grouping quantum key distribution protocol is proposed, which overcomes the vulnerability of first protocol and improves the maneuverability. Moreover, a security analysis is given and a simple type of eavesdropper's attack would introduce at least an error rate of 46.875%. Compared with the "Ping-pong" protocol involving two steps, the proposed protocol does not need to store the qubit and only involves one step.

A slotted access control protocol for metropolitan WDM ring networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baziana, P. A.; Pountourakis, I. E.

2009-03-01

In this study we focus on the serious scalability problems that many access protocols for WDM ring networks introduce due to the use of a dedicated wavelength per access node for either transmission or reception. We propose an efficient slotted MAC protocol suitable for WDM ring metropolitan area networks. The proposed network architecture employs a separate wavelength for control information exchange prior to the data packet transmission. Each access node is equipped with a pair of tunable transceivers for data communication and a pair of fixed tuned transceivers for control information exchange. Also, each access node includes a set of fixed delay lines for synchronization reasons; to keep the data packets, while the control information is processed. An efficient access algorithm is applied to avoid both the data wavelengths and the receiver collisions. In our protocol, each access node is capable of transmitting and receiving over any of the data wavelengths, facing the scalability issues. Two different slot reuse schemes are assumed: the source and the destination stripping schemes. For both schemes, performance measures evaluation is provided via an analytic model. The analytical results are validated by a discrete event simulation model that uses Poisson traffic sources. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol manages efficient bandwidth utilization, especially under high load. Also, comparative simulation results prove that our protocol achieves significant performance improvement as compared with other WDMA protocols which restrict transmission over a dedicated data wavelength. Finally, performance measures evaluation is explored for diverse numbers of buffer size, access nodes and data wavelengths.

Analyzing the effect of routing protocols on media access control protocols in radio networks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barrett, C. L.; Drozda, M.; Marathe, A.

2002-01-01

We study the effect of routing protocols on the performance of media access control (MAC) protocols in wireless radio networks. Three well known MAC protocols: 802.11, CSMA, and MACA are considered. Similarly three recently proposed routing protocols: AODV, DSR and LAR scheme 1 are considered. The experimental analysis was carried out using GloMoSim: a tool for simulating wireless networks. The main focus of our experiments was to study how the routing protocols affect the performance of the MAC protocols when the underlying network and traffic parameters are varied. The performance of the protocols was measured w.r.t. five important parameters: (i)more » number of received packets, (ii) average latency of each packet, (iii) throughput (iv) long term fairness and (v) number of control packets at the MAC layer level. Our results show that combinations of routing and MAC protocols yield varying performance under varying network topology and traffic situations. The result has an important implication; no combination of routing protocol and MAC protocol is the best over all situations. Also, the performance analysis of protocols at a given level in the protocol stack needs to be studied not locally in isolation but as a part of the complete protocol stack. A novel aspect of our work is the use of statistical technique, ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) to characterize the effect of routing protocols on MAC protocols. This technique is of independent interest and can be utilized in several other simulation and empirical studies.« less

IoT real time data acquisition using MQTT protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atmoko, R. A.; Riantini, R.; Hasin, M. K.

2017-05-01

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides ease to monitor and to gain sensor data through the Internet [1]. The need of high quality data is increasing to the extent that data monitoring and acquisition system in real time is required, such as smart city or telediagnostic in medical areas [2]. Therefore, an appropriate communication protocol is required to resolve these problems. Lately, researchers have developed a lot of communication protocols for IoT, of which each has advantages and disadvantages. This study proposes the utilization of MQTT as a communication protocol, which is one of data communication protocols for IoT. This study used temperature and humidity sensors because the physical parameters are often needed as parameters of environment condition [3]. Data acquisition was done in real-time and stored in MySQL database. This study is also completed by interface web-based and mobile for online monitoring. This result of this study is the enhancement of data quality and reliability using MQTT protocol.

A Secure RFID Tag Authentication Protocol with Privacy Preserving in Telecare Medicine Information System.

PubMed

Li, Chun-Ta; Weng, Chi-Yao; Lee, Cheng-Chi

2015-08-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based solutions are widely used for providing many healthcare applications include patient monitoring, object traceability, drug administration system and telecare medicine information system (TMIS) etc. In order to reduce malpractices and ensure patient privacy, in 2015, Srivastava et al. proposed a hash based RFID tag authentication protocol in TMIS. Their protocol uses lightweight hash operation and synchronized secret value shared between back-end server and tag, which is more secure and efficient than other related RFID authentication protocols. Unfortunately, in this paper, we demonstrate that Srivastava et al.'s tag authentication protocol has a serious security problem in that an adversary may use the stolen/lost reader to connect to the medical back-end server that store information associated with tagged objects and this privacy damage causing the adversary could reveal medical data obtained from stolen/lost readers in a malicious way. Therefore, we propose a secure and efficient RFID tag authentication protocol to overcome security flaws and improve the system efficiency. Compared with Srivastava et al.'s protocol, the proposed protocol not only inherits the advantages of Srivastava et al.'s authentication protocol for TMIS but also provides better security with high system efficiency.

Performance Improvement in Geographic Routing for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Kaiwartya, Omprakash; Kumar, Sushil; Lobiyal, D. K.; Abdullah, Abdul Hanan; Hassan, Ahmed Nazar

2014-01-01

Geographic routing is one of the most investigated themes by researchers for reliable and efficient dissemination of information in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). Recently, different Geographic Distance Routing (GEDIR) protocols have been suggested in the literature. These protocols focus on reducing the forwarding region towards destination to select the Next Hop Vehicles (NHV). Most of these protocols suffer from the problem of elevated one-hop link disconnection, high end-to-end delay and low throughput even at normal vehicle speed in high vehicle density environment. This paper proposes a Geographic Distance Routing protocol based on Segment vehicle, Link quality and Degree of connectivity (SLD-GEDIR). The protocol selects a reliable NHV using the criteria segment vehicles, one-hop link quality and degree of connectivity. The proposed protocol has been simulated in NS-2 and its performance has been compared with the state-of-the-art protocols: P-GEDIR, J-GEDIR and V-GEDIR. The empirical results clearly reveal that SLD-GEDIR has lower link disconnection and end-to-end delay, and higher throughput as compared to the state-of-the-art protocols. It should be noted that the performance of the proposed protocol is preserved irrespective of vehicle density and speed. PMID:25429415

Performance improvement in geographic routing for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Kaiwartya, Omprakash; Kumar, Sushil; Lobiyal, D K; Abdullah, Abdul Hanan; Hassan, Ahmed Nazar

2014-11-25

Geographic routing is one of the most investigated themes by researchers for reliable and efficient dissemination of information in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). Recently, different Geographic Distance Routing (GEDIR) protocols have been suggested in the literature. These protocols focus on reducing the forwarding region towards destination to select the Next Hop Vehicles (NHV). Most of these protocols suffer from the problem of elevated one-hop link disconnection, high end-to-end delay and low throughput even at normal vehicle speed in high vehicle density environment. This paper proposes a Geographic Distance Routing protocol based on Segment vehicle, Link quality and Degree of connectivity (SLD-GEDIR). The protocol selects a reliable NHV using the criteria segment vehicles, one-hop link quality and degree of connectivity. The proposed protocol has been simulated in NS-2 and its performance has been compared with the state-of-the-art protocols: P-GEDIR, J-GEDIR and V-GEDIR. The empirical results clearly reveal that SLD-GEDIR has lower link disconnection and end-to-end delay, and higher throughput as compared to the state-of-the-art protocols. It should be noted that the performance of the proposed protocol is preserved irrespective of vehicle density and speed.

Elicitation of quantitative data from a heterogeneous expert panel: formal process and application in animal health.

PubMed

Van der Fels-Klerx, Ine H J; Goossens, Louis H J; Saatkamp, Helmut W; Horst, Suzan H S

2002-02-01

This paper presents a protocol for a formal expert judgment process using a heterogeneous expert panel aimed at the quantification of continuous variables. The emphasis is on the process's requirements related to the nature of expertise within the panel, in particular the heterogeneity of both substantive and normative expertise. The process provides the opportunity for interaction among the experts so that they fully understand and agree upon the problem at hand, including qualitative aspects relevant to the variables of interest, prior to the actual quantification task. Individual experts' assessments on the variables of interest, cast in the form of subjective probability density functions, are elicited with a minimal demand for normative expertise. The individual experts' assessments are aggregated into a single probability density function per variable, thereby weighting the experts according to their expertise. Elicitation techniques proposed include the Delphi technique for the qualitative assessment task and the ELI method for the actual quantitative assessment task. Appropriately, the Classical model was used to weight the experts' assessments in order to construct a single distribution per variable. Applying this model, the experts' quality typically was based on their performance on seed variables. An application of the proposed protocol in the broad and multidisciplinary field of animal health is presented. Results of this expert judgment process showed that the proposed protocol in combination with the proposed elicitation and analysis techniques resulted in valid data on the (continuous) variables of interest. In conclusion, the proposed protocol for a formal expert judgment process aimed at the elicitation of quantitative data from a heterogeneous expert panel provided satisfactory results. Hence, this protocol might be useful for expert judgment studies in other broad and/or multidisciplinary fields of interest.

Routing protocol for wireless quantum multi-hop mesh backbone network based on partially entangled GHZ state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Pei-Ying; Yu, Xu-Tao; Zhang, Zai-Chen; Zhan, Hai-Tao; Hua, Jing-Yu

2017-08-01

Quantum multi-hop teleportation is important in the field of quantum communication. In this study, we propose a quantum multi-hop communication model and a quantum routing protocol with multihop teleportation for wireless mesh backbone networks. Based on an analysis of quantum multi-hop protocols, a partially entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state is selected as the quantum channel for the proposed protocol. Both quantum and classical wireless channels exist between two neighboring nodes along the route. With the proposed routing protocol, quantum information can be transmitted hop by hop from the source node to the destination node. Based on multi-hop teleportation based on the partially entangled GHZ state, a quantum route established with the minimum number of hops. The difference between our routing protocol and the classical one is that in the former, the processes used to find a quantum route and establish quantum channel entanglement occur simultaneously. The Bell state measurement results of each hop are piggybacked to quantum route finding information. This method reduces the total number of packets and the magnitude of air interface delay. The deduction of the establishment of a quantum channel between source and destination is also presented here. The final success probability of quantum multi-hop teleportation in wireless mesh backbone networks was simulated and analyzed. Our research shows that quantum multi-hop teleportation in wireless mesh backbone networks through a partially entangled GHZ state is feasible.

A kind of universal quantum secret sharing protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiu-Bo; Dou, Zhao; Xu, Gang; He, Xiao-Yu; Yang, Yi-Xian

2017-01-01

Universality is an important feature, but less researched in quantum communication protocols. In this paper, a kind of universal quantum secret sharing protocol is investigated. Firstly, we design a quantum secret sharing protocol based on the Borras-Plastino-Batle (BPB) state. Departing from previous research, our protocol has a salient feature in that participants in our protocol only need projective measurement instead of any unitary operations. It makes our protocol more flexible. Secondly, universality of quantum communication protocols is studied for the first time. More specifically, module division of quantum communication protocols and coupling between different modules are discussed. Our aforementioned protocol is analyzed as an example. On one hand, plenty of quantum states (the BPB-class states and the BPB-like-class states, which are proposed in this paper) could be used as carrier to perform our protocol. On the other hand, our protocol also could be regarded as a quantum private comparison protocol with a little revision. These features are rare for quantum communication protocols, and make our protocol more robust. Thirdly, entanglements of the BPB-class states are calculated in the Appendix.

A kind of universal quantum secret sharing protocol.

PubMed

Chen, Xiu-Bo; Dou, Zhao; Xu, Gang; He, Xiao-Yu; Yang, Yi-Xian

2017-01-12

Universality is an important feature, but less researched in quantum communication protocols. In this paper, a kind of universal quantum secret sharing protocol is investigated. Firstly, we design a quantum secret sharing protocol based on the Borras-Plastino-Batle (BPB) state. Departing from previous research, our protocol has a salient feature in that participants in our protocol only need projective measurement instead of any unitary operations. It makes our protocol more flexible. Secondly, universality of quantum communication protocols is studied for the first time. More specifically, module division of quantum communication protocols and coupling between different modules are discussed. Our aforementioned protocol is analyzed as an example. On one hand, plenty of quantum states (the BPB-class states and the BPB-like-class states, which are proposed in this paper) could be used as carrier to perform our protocol. On the other hand, our protocol also could be regarded as a quantum private comparison protocol with a little revision. These features are rare for quantum communication protocols, and make our protocol more robust. Thirdly, entanglements of the BPB-class states are calculated in the Appendix.

A kind of universal quantum secret sharing protocol

PubMed Central

Chen, Xiu-Bo; Dou, Zhao; Xu, Gang; He, Xiao-Yu; Yang, Yi-Xian

2017-01-01

Universality is an important feature, but less researched in quantum communication protocols. In this paper, a kind of universal quantum secret sharing protocol is investigated. Firstly, we design a quantum secret sharing protocol based on the Borras-Plastino-Batle (BPB) state. Departing from previous research, our protocol has a salient feature in that participants in our protocol only need projective measurement instead of any unitary operations. It makes our protocol more flexible. Secondly, universality of quantum communication protocols is studied for the first time. More specifically, module division of quantum communication protocols and coupling between different modules are discussed. Our aforementioned protocol is analyzed as an example. On one hand, plenty of quantum states (the BPB-class states and the BPB-like-class states, which are proposed in this paper) could be used as carrier to perform our protocol. On the other hand, our protocol also could be regarded as a quantum private comparison protocol with a little revision. These features are rare for quantum communication protocols, and make our protocol more robust. Thirdly, entanglements of the BPB-class states are calculated in the Appendix. PMID:28079109

Automatic CT simulation optimization for radiation therapy: A general strategy.

PubMed

Li, Hua; Yu, Lifeng; Anastasio, Mark A; Chen, Hsin-Chen; Tan, Jun; Gay, Hiram; Michalski, Jeff M; Low, Daniel A; Mutic, Sasa

2014-03-01

In radiation therapy, x-ray computed tomography (CT) simulation protocol specifications should be driven by the treatment planning requirements in lieu of duplicating diagnostic CT screening protocols. The purpose of this study was to develop a general strategy that allows for automatically, prospectively, and objectively determining the optimal patient-specific CT simulation protocols based on radiation-therapy goals, namely, maintenance of contouring quality and integrity while minimizing patient CT simulation dose. The authors proposed a general prediction strategy that provides automatic optimal CT simulation protocol selection as a function of patient size and treatment planning task. The optimal protocol is the one that delivers the minimum dose required to provide a CT simulation scan that yields accurate contours. Accurate treatment plans depend on accurate contours in order to conform the dose to actual tumor and normal organ positions. An image quality index, defined to characterize how simulation scan quality affects contour delineation, was developed and used to benchmark the contouring accuracy and treatment plan quality within the predication strategy. A clinical workflow was developed to select the optimal CT simulation protocols incorporating patient size, target delineation, and radiation dose efficiency. An experimental study using an anthropomorphic pelvis phantom with added-bolus layers was used to demonstrate how the proposed prediction strategy could be implemented and how the optimal CT simulation protocols could be selected for prostate cancer patients based on patient size and treatment planning task. Clinical IMRT prostate treatment plans for seven CT scans with varied image quality indices were separately optimized and compared to verify the trace of target and organ dosimetry coverage. Based on the phantom study, the optimal image quality index for accurate manual prostate contouring was 4.4. The optimal tube potentials for patient sizes of 38, 43, 48, 53, and 58 cm were 120, 140, 140, 140, and 140 kVp, respectively, and the corresponding minimum CTDIvol for achieving the optimal image quality index 4.4 were 9.8, 32.2, 100.9, 241.4, and 274.1 mGy, respectively. For patients with lateral sizes of 43-58 cm, 120-kVp scan protocols yielded up to 165% greater radiation dose relative to 140-kVp protocols, and 140-kVp protocols always yielded a greater image quality index compared to the same dose-level 120-kVp protocols. The trace of target and organ dosimetry coverage and the γ passing rates of seven IMRT dose distribution pairs indicated the feasibility of the proposed image quality index for the predication strategy. A general strategy to predict the optimal CT simulation protocols in a flexible and quantitative way was developed that takes into account patient size, treatment planning task, and radiation dose. The experimental study indicated that the optimal CT simulation protocol and the corresponding radiation dose varied significantly for different patient sizes, contouring accuracy, and radiation treatment planning tasks.

A Smart Sensor for Defending against Clock Glitching Attacks on the I2C Protocol in Robotic Applications

PubMed Central

Jiménez-Naharro, Raúl; Gómez-Bravo, Fernando; Medina-García, Jonathan; Sánchez-Raya, Manuel; Gómez-Galán, Juan Antonio

2017-01-01

This paper presents a study about hardware attacking and clock signal vulnerability. It considers a particular type of attack on the clock signal in the I2C protocol, and proposes the design of a new sensor for detecting and defending against this type of perturbation. The analysis of the attack and the defense is validated by means of a configurable experimental platform that emulates a differential drive robot. A set of experimental results confirm the interest of the studied vulnerabilities and the efficiency of the proposed sensor in defending against this type of situation. PMID:28346337

A proposed protocol for acceptance and constancy control of computed tomography systems: a Nordic Association for Clinical Physics (NACP) work group report.

PubMed

Kuttner, Samuel; Bujila, Robert; Kortesniemi, Mika; Andersson, Henrik; Kull, Love; Østerås, Bjørn Helge; Thygesen, Jesper; Tarp, Ivanka Sojat

2013-03-01

Quality assurance (QA) of computed tomography (CT) systems is one of the routine tasks for medical physicists in the Nordic countries. However, standardized QA protocols do not yet exist and the QA methods, as well as the applied tolerance levels, vary in scope and extent at different hospitals. To propose a standardized protocol for acceptance and constancy testing of CT scanners in the Nordic Region. Following a Nordic Association for Clinical Physics (NACP) initiative, a group of medical physicists, with representatives from four Nordic countries, was formed. Based on international literature and practical experience within the group, a comprehensive standardized test protocol was developed. The proposed protocol includes tests related to the mechanical functionality, X-ray tube, detector, and image quality for CT scanners. For each test, recommendations regarding the purpose, equipment needed, an outline of the test method, the measured parameter, tolerance levels, and the testing frequency are stated. In addition, a number of optional tests are briefly discussed that may provide further information about the CT system. Based on international references and medical physicists' practical experiences, a comprehensive QA protocol for CT systems is proposed, including both acceptance and constancy tests. The protocol may serve as a reference for medical physicists in the Nordic countries.

Quantum Private Query Based on Bell State and Single Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xiang; Chang, Yan; Zhang, Shi-Bin; Yang, Fan; Zhang, Yan

2018-03-01

Quantum private query (QPQ) can protect both user's and database holder's privacy. In this paper, we propose a novel quantum private query protocol based on Bell state and single photons. As far as we know, no one has ever proposed the QPQ based on Bell state. By using the decoherence-free (DF) states, our protocol can resist the collective noise. Besides that, our protocol is a one-way quantum protocol, which can resist the Trojan horse attack and reduce the communication complexity. Our protocol can not only guarantee the participants' privacy but also stand against an external eavesdropper.

One Step Quantum Key Distribution Based on EPR Entanglement

PubMed Central

Li, Jian; Li, Na; Li, Lei-Lei; Wang, Tao

2016-01-01

A novel quantum key distribution protocol is presented, based on entanglement and dense coding and allowing asymptotically secure key distribution. Considering the storage time limit of quantum bits, a grouping quantum key distribution protocol is proposed, which overcomes the vulnerability of first protocol and improves the maneuverability. Moreover, a security analysis is given and a simple type of eavesdropper’s attack would introduce at least an error rate of 46.875%. Compared with the “Ping-pong” protocol involving two steps, the proposed protocol does not need to store the qubit and only involves one step. PMID:27357865

Health care access for rural youth on equal terms? A mixed methods study protocol in northern Sweden.

PubMed

Goicolea, Isabel; Carson, Dean; San Sebastian, Miguel; Christianson, Monica; Wiklund, Maria; Hurtig, Anna-Karin

2018-01-11

The purpose of this paper is to propose a protocol for researching the impact of rural youth health service strategies on health care access. There has been no published comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of youth health strategies in rural areas, and there is no clearly articulated model of how such assessments might be conducted. The protocol described here aims to gather information to; i) Assess rural youth access to health care according to their needs, ii) Identify and understand the strategies developed in rural areas to promote youth access to health care, and iii) Propose actions for further improvement. The protocol is described with particular reference to research being undertaken in the four northernmost counties of Sweden, which contain a widely dispersed and diverse youth population. The protocol proposes qualitative and quantitative methodologies sequentially in four phases. First, to map youth access to health care according to their health care needs, including assessing horizontal equity (equal use of health care for equivalent health needs,) and vertical equity (people with greater health needs should receive more health care than those with lesser needs). Second, a multiple case study design investigates strategies developed across the region (youth clinics, internet applications, public health programs) to improve youth access to health care. Third, qualitative comparative analysis of the 24 rural municipalities in the region identifies the best combination of conditions leading to high youth access to health care. Fourth, a concept mapping study involving rural stakeholders, care providers and youth provides recommended actions to improve rural youth access to health care. The implementation of this research protocol will contribute to 1) generating knowledge that could contribute to strengthening rural youth access to health care, as well as to 2) advancing the application of mixed methods to explore access to health care.

Quantum gambling using three nonorthogonal states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Won-Young; Matsumoto, Keiji

2002-11-01

We provide a quantum gambling protocol using three (symmetric) nonorthogonal states. The bias of the proposed protocol is less than that of previous ones, making it more practical. We show that the proposed scheme is secure against nonentanglement attacks. The security of the proposed scheme against entanglement attacks is shown heuristically.

A new quantum sealed-bid auction protocol with secret order in post-confirmation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing-Tao; Chen, Xiu-Bo; Xu, Gang; Meng, Xiang-Hua; Yang, Yi-Xian

2015-10-01

A new security protocol for quantum sealed-bid auction is proposed to resist the collusion attack from some malicious bidders. The most significant feature of this protocol is that bidders prepare their particles with secret order in post-confirmation for encoding bids. In addition, a new theorem and its proof are given based on the theory of combinatorial mathematics, which can be used as evaluation criteria for the collusion attack. It is shown that the new protocol is immune to the collusion attack and meets the demand for a secure auction. Compared with those previous protocols, the security, efficiency and availability of the proposed protocol are largely improved.

Controlled Bidirectional Quantum Secure Direct Communication

PubMed Central

Chou, Yao-Hsin; Lin, Yu-Ting; Zeng, Guo-Jyun; Lin, Fang-Jhu; Chen, Chi-Yuan

2014-01-01

We propose a novel protocol for controlled bidirectional quantum secure communication based on a nonlocal swap gate scheme. Our proposed protocol would be applied to a system in which a controller (supervisor/Charlie) controls the bidirectional communication with quantum information or secret messages between legitimate users (Alice and Bob). In this system, the legitimate users must obtain permission from the controller in order to exchange their respective quantum information or secret messages simultaneously; the controller is unable to obtain any quantum information or secret messages from the decoding process. Moreover, the presence of the controller also avoids the problem of one legitimate user receiving the quantum information or secret message before the other, and then refusing to help the other user decode the quantum information or secret message. Our proposed protocol is aimed at protecting against external and participant attacks on such a system, and the cost of transmitting quantum bits using our protocol is less than that achieved in other studies. Based on the nonlocal swap gate scheme, the legitimate users exchange their quantum information or secret messages without transmission in a public channel, thus protecting against eavesdroppers stealing the secret messages. PMID:25006596

Quantum private query based on single-photon interference

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Sheng-Wei; Sun, Ying; Lin, Song

2016-08-01

Quantum private query (QPQ) has become a research hotspot recently. Specially, the quantum key distribution (QKD)-based QPQ attracts lots of attention because of its practicality. Various such kind of QPQ protocols have been proposed based on different technologies of quantum communications. Single-photon interference is one of such technologies, on which the famous QKD protocol GV95 is just based. In this paper, we propose two QPQ protocols based on single-photon interference. The first one is simpler and easier to realize, and the second one is loss tolerant and flexible, and more practical than the first one. Furthermore, we analyze both the user privacy and the database privacy in the proposed protocols.

High-Dimensional Circular Quantum Secret Sharing Using Orbital Angular Momentum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Dawei; Wang, Tie-jun; Mi, Sichen; Geng, Xiao-Meng; Wang, Chuan

2016-11-01

Quantum secret sharing is to distribute secret message securely between multi-parties. Here exploiting orbital angular momentum (OAM) state of single photons as the information carrier, we propose a high-dimensional circular quantum secret sharing protocol which increases the channel capacity largely. In the proposed protocol, the secret message is split into two parts, and each encoded on the OAM state of single photons. The security of the protocol is guaranteed by the laws of non-cloning theorem. And the secret messages could not be recovered except that the two receivers collaborated with each other. Moreover, the proposed protocol could be extended into high-level quantum systems, and the enhanced security could be achieved.

Stationary average consensus protocol for a class of heterogeneous high-order multi-agent systems with application for aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rezaei, Mohammad Hadi; Menhaj, Mohammad Bagher

2018-01-01

This paper investigates the stationary average consensus problem for a class of heterogeneous-order multi-agent systems. The goal is to bring the positions of agents to the average of their initial positions while letting the other states converge to zero. To this end, three different consensus protocols are proposed. First, based on the auxiliary variables information among the agents under switching directed networks and state-feedback control, a protocol is proposed whereby all the agents achieve stationary average consensus. In the second and third protocols, by resorting to only measurements of relative positions of neighbouring agents under fixed balanced directed networks, two control frameworks are presented with two strategies based on state-feedback and output-feedback control. Finally, simulation results are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols.

Chromoendoscopy in magnetically guided capsule endoscopy

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Diagnosis of intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia via conventional endoscopy is characterized by low interobserver agreement and poor correlation with histopathologic findings. Chromoendoscopy significantly enhances the visibility of mucosa irregularities, like metaplasia and dysplasia mucosa. Magnetically guided capsule endoscopy (MGCE) offers an alternative technology for upper GI examination. We expect the difficulties of diagnosis of neoplasm in conventional endoscopy to transfer to MGCE. Thus, we aim to chart a path for the application of chromoendoscopy on MGCE via an ex-vivo animal study. Methods We propose a modified preparation protocol which adds a staining step to the existing MGCE preparation protocol. An optimal staining concentration is quantitatively determined for different stain types and pathologies. To that end 190 pig stomach tissue samples with and without lesion imitations were stained with different dye concentrations. Quantitative visual criteria are introduced to measure the quality of the staining with respect to mucosa and lesion visibility. Thusly determined optimal concentrations are tested in an ex-vivo pig stomach experiment under magnetic guidance of an endoscopic capsule with the modified protocol. Results We found that the proposed protocol modification does not impact the visibility in the stomach or steerability of the endoscopy capsule. An average optimal staining concentration for the proposed protocol was found at 0.4% for Methylene blue and Indigo carmine. The lesion visibility is improved using the previously obtained optimal dye concentration. Conclusions We conclude that chromoendoscopy may be applied in MGCE and improves mucosa and lesion visibility. Systematic evaluation provides important information on appropriate staining concentration. However, further animal and human in-vivo studies are necessary. PMID:23758801

FuGeF: A Resource Bound Secure Forwarding Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Umar, Idris Abubakar; Mohd Hanapi, Zurina; Sali, A; Zulkarnain, Zuriati A

2016-06-22

Resource bound security solutions have facilitated the mitigation of spatio-temporal attacks by altering protocol semantics to provide minimal security while maintaining an acceptable level of performance. The Dynamic Window Secured Implicit Geographic Forwarding (DWSIGF) routing protocol for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has been proposed to achieve a minimal selection of malicious nodes by introducing a dynamic collection window period to the protocol's semantics. However, its selection scheme suffers substantial packet losses due to the utilization of a single distance based parameter for node selection. In this paper, we propose a Fuzzy-based Geographic Forwarding protocol (FuGeF) to minimize packet loss, while maintaining performance. The FuGeF utilizes a new form of dynamism and introduces three selection parameters: remaining energy, connectivity cost, and progressive distance, as well as a Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) for node selection. These introduced mechanisms ensure the appropriate selection of a non-malicious node. Extensive simulation experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed FuGeF protocol as compared to DWSIGF variants. The simulation results show that the proposed FuGeF outperforms the two DWSIGF variants (DWSIGF-P and DWSIGF-R) in terms of packet delivery.

[Professional divers: analysis of critical issues and proposal of a health protocol for work fitness].

PubMed

Pedata, Paola; Corvino, Anna Rita; Napolitano, Raffaele Carmine; Garzillo, Elpidio Maria; Furfaro, Ciro; Lamberti, Monica

2016-01-20

From many years now, thanks to the development of modern diving techniques, there has been a rapid spread of diving activities everywhere. In fact, divers are ever more numerous both among the Armed Forces and civilians who dive for work, like fishing, biological research and archeology. The aim of the study was to propose a health protocol for work fitness of professional divers keeping in mind the peculiar work activity, existing Italian legislation that is almost out of date and the technical and scientific evolution in this occupational field. We performed an analysis of the most frequently occurring diseases among professional divers and of the clinical investigation and imaging techniques used for work fitness assessment of professional divers. From analysis of the health protocol recommended by D.M. 13 January 1979 (Ministerial Decree), that is most used by occupational health physician, several critical issues emerged. Very often the clinical investigation and imaging techniques still used are almost obsolete, ignoring the execution of simple and inexpensive investigations that are more useful for work fitness assessment. Considering the out-dated legislation concerning diving disciplines, it is necessary to draw up a common health protocol that takes into account clinical and scientific knowledge and skills acquired in this area. This protocol's aim is to propose a useful tool for occupational health physicians who work in this sector.

Distributed Synchronization Control of Multiagent Systems With Unknown Nonlinearities.

PubMed

Su, Shize; Lin, Zongli; Garcia, Alfredo

2016-01-01

This paper revisits the distributed adaptive control problem for synchronization of multiagent systems where the dynamics of the agents are nonlinear, nonidentical, unknown, and subject to external disturbances. Two communication topologies, represented, respectively, by a fixed strongly-connected directed graph and by a switching connected undirected graph, are considered. Under both of these communication topologies, we use distributed neural networks to approximate the uncertain dynamics. Decentralized adaptive control protocols are then constructed to solve the cooperative tracker problem, the problem of synchronization of all follower agents to a leader agent. In particular, we show that, under the proposed decentralized control protocols, the synchronization errors are ultimately bounded, and their ultimate bounds can be reduced arbitrarily by choosing the control parameter appropriately. Simulation study verifies the effectiveness of our proposed protocols.

An Efficient Mutual Authentication Framework for Healthcare System in Cloud Computing.

PubMed

Kumar, Vinod; Jangirala, Srinivas; Ahmad, Musheer

2018-06-28

The increasing role of Telecare Medicine Information Systems (TMIS) makes its accessibility for patients to explore medical treatment, accumulate and approach medical data through internet connectivity. Security and privacy preservation is necessary for medical data of the patient in TMIS because of the very perceptive purpose. Recently, Mohit et al.'s proposed a mutual authentication protocol for TMIS in the cloud computing environment. In this work, we reviewed their protocol and found that it is not secure against stolen verifier attack, many logged in patient attack, patient anonymity, impersonation attack, and fails to protect session key. For enhancement of security level, we proposed a new mutual authentication protocol for the similar environment. The presented framework is also more capable in terms of computation cost. In addition, the security evaluation of the protocol protects resilience of all possible security attributes, and we also explored formal security evaluation based on random oracle model. The performance of the proposed protocol is much better in comparison to the existing protocol.

A lightweight and secure two factor anonymous authentication protocol for Global Mobility Networks.

PubMed

Baig, Ahmed Fraz; Hassan, Khwaja Mansoor Ul; Ghani, Anwar; Chaudhry, Shehzad Ashraf; Khan, Imran; Ashraf, Muhammad Usman

2018-01-01

Global Mobility Networks(GLOMONETs) in wireless communication permits the global roaming services that enable a user to leverage the mobile services in any foreign country. Technological growth in wireless communication is also accompanied by new security threats and challenges. A threat-proof authentication protocol in wireless communication may overcome the security flaws by allowing only legitimate users to access a particular service. Recently, Lee et al. found Mun et al. scheme vulnerable to different attacks and proposed an advanced secure scheme to overcome the security flaws. However, this article points out that Lee et al. scheme lacks user anonymity, inefficient user authentication, vulnerable to replay and DoS attacks and Lack of local password verification. Furthermore, this article presents a more robust anonymous authentication scheme to handle the threats and challenges found in Lee et al.'s protocol. The proposed protocol is formally verified with an automated tool(ProVerif). The proposed protocol has superior efficiency in comparison to the existing protocols.

A lightweight and secure two factor anonymous authentication protocol for Global Mobility Networks

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Global Mobility Networks(GLOMONETs) in wireless communication permits the global roaming services that enable a user to leverage the mobile services in any foreign country. Technological growth in wireless communication is also accompanied by new security threats and challenges. A threat-proof authentication protocol in wireless communication may overcome the security flaws by allowing only legitimate users to access a particular service. Recently, Lee et al. found Mun et al. scheme vulnerable to different attacks and proposed an advanced secure scheme to overcome the security flaws. However, this article points out that Lee et al. scheme lacks user anonymity, inefficient user authentication, vulnerable to replay and DoS attacks and Lack of local password verification. Furthermore, this article presents a more robust anonymous authentication scheme to handle the threats and challenges found in Lee et al.’s protocol. The proposed protocol is formally verified with an automated tool(ProVerif). The proposed protocol has superior efficiency in comparison to the existing protocols. PMID:29702675

Optimization of protocol design: a path to efficient, lower cost clinical trial execution

PubMed Central

Malikova, Marina A

2016-01-01

Managing clinical trials requires strategic planning and efficient execution. In order to achieve a timely delivery of important clinical trials’ outcomes, it is useful to establish standardized trial management guidelines and develop robust scoring methodology for evaluation of study protocol complexity. This review will explore the challenges clinical teams face in developing protocols to ensure that the right patients are enrolled and the right data are collected to demonstrate that a drug is safe and efficacious, while managing study costs and study complexity based on proposed comprehensive scoring model. Key factors to consider when developing protocols and techniques to minimize complexity will be discussed. A methodology to identify processes at planning phase, approaches to increase fiscal return and mitigate fiscal compliance risk for clinical trials will be addressed. PMID:28031939

Hypertension study in anaesthetized rabbits: protocol proposal for AT1 antagonists screening.

PubMed

Politi, Aggeliki P; Zervou, Maria V; Triantafyllidi, Helen; Zoumpoulakis, Panagiotis G; Mavromoustakos, Thomas M; Zoga, Anastasia A; Moutevelis-Minakakis, Panagiota; Kokotos, George; Iliodromitis, Efstathios K; Kremastinos, Dimitris Th

2010-06-01

The aim of this study was to establish an optimized fast and safe protocol for the pharmacological screening of AT(1) antagonists. The pharmaceutical prototype AT(1) antagonist losartan, its active metabolite EXP3174 and the synthetic compound MMK1 were analysed in order to validate the protocol. Ang II was continuously infused while the animals received the drugs in two procedures. In the post-treatment procedure drugs were administered either in a single bolus dose or in a sequential manner. When losartan was administered in a single bolus dose, efficacy was evident until the 7th min (p=0.012) whilst EXP3174 infusion extended the efficiency up to the end of the study (p=0.006). In addition, the sequential injections of losartan prolonged the inhibitory time interval until the end of the study (p=0.045). In the pre-treatment procedure, results suggested a dose-dependent inhibitory effect for both antagonists. The pressor response to Ang II was unchanged after MMK1 administration either in the post- or in the pre-treatment mode. The proposed protocol appears to be safe, simple and fast for the pharmacological screening of AT(1) antagonists and enables the evaluation of new antagonists using lower doses than any other reported in the literature.

Use of Flowchart for Automation of Clinical Protocols in mHealth.

PubMed

Dias, Karine Nóra; Welfer, Daniel; Cordeiro d'Ornellas, Marcos; Pereira Haygert, Carlos Jesus; Dotto, Gustavo Nogara

2017-01-01

For healthcare professionals to use mobile applications we need someone who knows software development, provide them. In healthcare institutions, health professionals use clinical protocols to govern care, and sometimes these documents are computerized through mobile applications to assist them. This work aims to present a proposal of an application of flow as a way of describing clinical protocols for automatic generation of mobile applications to assist health professionals. The purpose of this research is to enable health professionals to develop applications from the description of their own clinical protocols. As a result, we developed a web system that automates clinical protocols for an Android platform, and we validated with two clinical protocols used in a Brazilian hospital. Preliminary results of the developed architecture demonstrate the feasibility of this study.

Experimental Optimal Single Qubit Purification in an NMR Quantum Information Processor

PubMed Central

Hou, Shi-Yao; Sheng, Yu-Bo; Feng, Guan-Ru; Long, Gui-Lu

2014-01-01

High quality single qubits are the building blocks in quantum information processing. But they are vulnerable to environmental noise. To overcome noise, purification techniques, which generate qubits with higher purities from qubits with lower purities, have been proposed. Purifications have attracted much interest and been widely studied. However, the full experimental demonstration of an optimal single qubit purification protocol proposed by Cirac, Ekert and Macchiavello [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 4344 (1999), the CEM protocol] more than one and half decades ago, still remains an experimental challenge, as it requires more complicated networks and a higher level of precision controls. In this work, we design an experiment scheme that realizes the CEM protocol with explicit symmetrization of the wave functions. The purification scheme was successfully implemented in a nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processor. The experiment fully demonstrated the purification protocol, and showed that it is an effective way of protecting qubits against errors and decoherence. PMID:25358758

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution based on a plug-and-play dual-phase-modulated coherent-states protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Duan; Huang, Peng; Wang, Tao; Li, Huasheng; Zhou, Yingming; Zeng, Guihua

2016-09-01

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocol using dual-phase-modulated coherent states. We show that the modulation scheme of our protocol works equivalently to that of the Gaussian-modulated coherent-states (GMCS) protocol, but shows better experimental feasibility in the plug-and-play configuration. Besides, it waives the necessity of propagation of a local oscillator (LO) between legitimate users and generates a real local LO for quantum measurement. Our protocol is proposed independent of the one-way GMCS QKD without sending a LO [Opt. Lett. 40, 3695 (2015), 10.1364/OL.40.003695; Phys. Rev. X 5, 041009 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevX.5.041009; Phys. Rev. X 5, 041010 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevX.5.041010]. In those recent works, the system stability will suffer the impact of polarization drifts induced by environmental perturbations, and two independent frequency-locked laser sources are necessary to achieve reliable coherent detection. In the proposed protocol, these previous problems can be resolved. We derive the security bounds for our protocol against collective attacks, and we also perform a proof-of-principle experiment to confirm the utility of our proposal in real-life applications. Such an efficient scheme provides a way of removing the security loopholes associated with the transmitting LO, which have been a notoriously hard problem in continuous-variable quantum communication.

Conduct of a personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field measurement study: proposed study protocol.

PubMed

Röösli, Martin; Frei, Patrizia; Bolte, John; Neubauer, Georg; Cardis, Elisabeth; Feychting, Maria; Gajsek, Peter; Heinrich, Sabine; Joseph, Wout; Mann, Simon; Martens, Luc; Mohler, Evelyn; Parslow, Roger C; Poulsen, Aslak Harbo; Radon, Katja; Schüz, Joachim; Thuroczy, György; Viel, Jean-François; Vrijheid, Martine

2010-05-20

The development of new wireless communication technologies that emit radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) is ongoing, but little is known about the RF-EMF exposure distribution in the general population. Previous attempts to measure personal exposure to RF-EMF have used different measurement protocols and analysis methods making comparisons between exposure situations across different study populations very difficult. As a result, observed differences in exposure levels between study populations may not reflect real exposure differences but may be in part, or wholly due to methodological differences. The aim of this paper is to develop a study protocol for future personal RF-EMF exposure studies based on experience drawn from previous research. Using the current knowledge base, we propose procedures for the measurement of personal exposure to RF-EMF, data collection, data management and analysis, and methods for the selection and instruction of study participants. We have identified two basic types of personal RF-EMF measurement studies: population surveys and microenvironmental measurements. In the case of a population survey, the unit of observation is the individual and a randomly selected representative sample of the population is needed to obtain reliable results. For microenvironmental measurements, study participants are selected in order to represent typical behaviours in different microenvironments. These two study types require different methods and procedures. Applying our proposed common core procedures in future personal measurement studies will allow direct comparisons of personal RF-EMF exposures in different populations and study areas.

Conduct of a personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field measurement study: proposed study protocol

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The development of new wireless communication technologies that emit radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) is ongoing, but little is known about the RF-EMF exposure distribution in the general population. Previous attempts to measure personal exposure to RF-EMF have used different measurement protocols and analysis methods making comparisons between exposure situations across different study populations very difficult. As a result, observed differences in exposure levels between study populations may not reflect real exposure differences but may be in part, or wholly due to methodological differences. Methods The aim of this paper is to develop a study protocol for future personal RF-EMF exposure studies based on experience drawn from previous research. Using the current knowledge base, we propose procedures for the measurement of personal exposure to RF-EMF, data collection, data management and analysis, and methods for the selection and instruction of study participants. Results We have identified two basic types of personal RF-EMF measurement studies: population surveys and microenvironmental measurements. In the case of a population survey, the unit of observation is the individual and a randomly selected representative sample of the population is needed to obtain reliable results. For microenvironmental measurements, study participants are selected in order to represent typical behaviours in different microenvironments. These two study types require different methods and procedures. Conclusion Applying our proposed common core procedures in future personal measurement studies will allow direct comparisons of personal RF-EMF exposures in different populations and study areas. PMID:20487532

Adaptive transmission based on multi-relay selection and rate-compatible LDPC codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Hualing; He, Yucheng; Zhou, Lin

2017-08-01

In order to adapt to the dynamical changeable channel condition and improve the transmissive reliability of the system, a cooperation system of rate-compatible low density parity check (RC-LDPC) codes combining with multi-relay selection protocol is proposed. In traditional relay selection protocol, only the channel state information (CSI) of source-relay and the CSI of relay-destination has been considered. The multi-relay selection protocol proposed by this paper takes the CSI between relays into extra account in order to obtain more chances of collabration. Additionally, the idea of hybrid automatic request retransmission (HARQ) and rate-compatible are introduced. Simulation results show that the transmissive reliability of the system can be significantly improved by the proposed protocol.

Gaussian error correction of quantum states in a correlated noisy channel.

PubMed

Lassen, Mikael; Berni, Adriano; Madsen, Lars S; Filip, Radim; Andersen, Ulrik L

2013-11-01

Noise is the main obstacle for the realization of fault-tolerant quantum information processing and secure communication over long distances. In this work, we propose a communication protocol relying on simple linear optics that optimally protects quantum states from non-Markovian or correlated noise. We implement the protocol experimentally and demonstrate the near-ideal protection of coherent and entangled states in an extremely noisy channel. Since all real-life channels are exhibiting pronounced non-Markovian behavior, the proposed protocol will have immediate implications in improving the performance of various quantum information protocols.

Portable ultrasonography in mass casualty incidents: The CAVEAT examination.

PubMed

Stawicki, Stanislaw Peter; Howard, James M; Pryor, John P; Bahner, David P; Whitmill, Melissa L; Dean, Anthony J

2010-11-18

Ultrasonography used by practicing clinicians has been shown to be of utility in the evaluation of time-sensitive and critical illnesses in a range of environments, including pre-hospital triage, emergency department, and critical care settings. The increasing availability of light-weight, robust, user-friendly, and low-cost portable ultrasound equipment is particularly suited for use in the physically and temporally challenging environment of a multiple casualty incident (MCI). Currently established ultrasound applications used to identify potentially lethal thoracic or abdominal conditions offer a base upon which rapid, focused protocols using hand-carried emergency ultrasonography could be developed. Following a detailed review of the current use of portable ultrasonography in military and civilian MCI settings, we propose a protocol for sonographic evaluation of the chest, abdomen, vena cava, and extremities for acute triage. The protocol is two-tiered, based on the urgency and technical difficulty of the sonographic examination. In addition to utilization of well-established bedside abdominal and thoracic sonography applications, this protocol incorporates extremity assessment for long-bone fractures. Studies of the proposed protocol will need to be conducted to determine its utility in simulated and actual MCI settings.

A Protocol Layer Trust-Based Intrusion Detection Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Jian; Jiang, Shuai; Fapojuwo, Abraham O.

2017-01-01

This article proposes a protocol layer trust-based intrusion detection scheme for wireless sensor networks. Unlike existing work, the trust value of a sensor node is evaluated according to the deviations of key parameters at each protocol layer considering the attacks initiated at different protocol layers will inevitably have impacts on the parameters of the corresponding protocol layers. For simplicity, the paper mainly considers three aspects of trustworthiness, namely physical layer trust, media access control layer trust and network layer trust. The per-layer trust metrics are then combined to determine the overall trust metric of a sensor node. The performance of the proposed intrusion detection mechanism is then analyzed using the t-distribution to derive analytical results of false positive and false negative probabilities. Numerical analytical results, validated by simulation results, are presented in different attack scenarios. It is shown that the proposed protocol layer trust-based intrusion detection scheme outperforms a state-of-the-art scheme in terms of detection probability and false probability, demonstrating its usefulness for detecting cross-layer attacks. PMID:28555023

A Protocol Layer Trust-Based Intrusion Detection Scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Wang, Jian; Jiang, Shuai; Fapojuwo, Abraham O

2017-05-27

This article proposes a protocol layer trust-based intrusion detection scheme for wireless sensor networks. Unlike existing work, the trust value of a sensor node is evaluated according to the deviations of key parameters at each protocol layer considering the attacks initiated at different protocol layers will inevitably have impacts on the parameters of the corresponding protocol layers. For simplicity, the paper mainly considers three aspects of trustworthiness, namely physical layer trust, media access control layer trust and network layer trust. The per-layer trust metrics are then combined to determine the overall trust metric of a sensor node. The performance of the proposed intrusion detection mechanism is then analyzed using the t-distribution to derive analytical results of false positive and false negative probabilities. Numerical analytical results, validated by simulation results, are presented in different attack scenarios. It is shown that the proposed protocol layer trust-based intrusion detection scheme outperforms a state-of-the-art scheme in terms of detection probability and false probability, demonstrating its usefulness for detecting cross-layer attacks.

No information flow using statistical fluctuations and quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsson, Jan-Åke

2004-04-01

The communication protocol of Home and Whitaker [

A Lightweight Continuous Authentication Protocol for the Internet of Things.

PubMed

Chuang, Yo-Hsuan; Lo, Nai-Wei; Yang, Cheng-Ying; Tang, Ssu-Wei

2018-04-05

Modern societies are moving toward an information-oriented environment. To gather and utilize information around people's modern life, tiny devices with all kinds of sensing devices and various sizes of gateways need to be deployed and connected with each other through the Internet or proxy-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Within this kind of Internet of Things (IoT) environment, how to authenticate each other between two communicating devices is a fundamental security issue. As a lot of IoT devices are powered by batteries and they need to transmit sensed data periodically, it is necessary for IoT devices to adopt a lightweight authentication protocol to reduce their energy consumption when a device wants to authenticate and transmit data to its targeted peer. In this paper, a lightweight continuous authentication protocol for sensing devices and gateway devices in general IoT environments is introduced. The concept of valid authentication time period is proposed to enhance robustness of authentication between IoT devices. To construct the proposed lightweight continuous authentication protocol, token technique and dynamic features of IoT devices are adopted in order to reach the design goals: the reduction of time consumption for consecutive authentications and energy saving for authenticating devices through by reducing the computation complexity during session establishment of continuous authentication. Security analysis is conducted to evaluate security strength of the proposed protocol. In addition, performance analysis has shown the proposed protocol is a strong competitor among existing protocols for device-to-device authentication in IoT environments.

Development of a systematic observation protocol of physical exposure of the back: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Tousignant, M; Tougas, G; Rossignol, M; Goulet, L

2002-04-01

At present there is no systematic observation protocol for the assessment of the multi-factorial aspects of physical exposure related to the back used within the constraints of occupational epidemiological research. In this context, a new preliminary systematic observation protocol is proposed to assess exposure to physical loading of the back using nine categories of physical risk factors: the SOPE back protocol. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the new protocol can correctly identify the level of exposure related to measured physical loading of the back. The subjects of this closed cohort study were 451 manual workers at a natural gas distribution company. The assessment of exposure was made with the protocol using groups with different job titles. The workers were followed for a 2 yr period to establish the risk of a new occurrence of complete disability related to the back (NOCD back injury) in each job grouping. Based on the median of the total scores derived from the protocol, two levels of exposure were identified (high and low). Taking into account the limitations of this study, the protocol in development may be a good tool to establish two levels of exposure to physical loading of the back in large epidemiological studies of occupational low back pain. Further research is needed to replicate these results with larger samples and to test the reliability and predictive validity of the protocol.

A double candidate survivable routing protocol for HAP network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Panfeng; Li, Chunyue; Ni, Shuyan

2016-11-01

To improve HAP network invulnerability, and at the same time considering the quasi-dynamic topology in HAP network, a simple and reliable routing protocol is proposed in the paper. The protocol firstly uses a double-candidate strategy for the next-node select to provide better robustness. Then during the maintenance stage, short hello packets instead of long routing packets are used only to check link connectivity in the quasi-dynamic HAP network. The route maintenance scheme based on short hello packets can greatly reduce link spending. Simulation results based on OPNET demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed routing protocol.

A Mobility-Aware QoS Signaling Protocol for Ambient Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeong, Seong-Ho; Lee, Sung-Hyuck; Bang, Jongho

Mobility-aware quality of service (QoS) signaling is crucial to provide seamless multimedia services in the ambient environment where mobile nodes may move frequently between different wireless access networks. The mobility of an IP-based node in ambient networks affects routing paths, and as a result, can have a significant impact on the operation and state management of QoS signaling protocols. In this paper, we first analyze the impact of mobility on QoS signaling protocols and how the protocols operate in mobility scenarios. We then propose an efficient mobility-aware QoS signaling protocol which can operate adaptively in ambient networks. The key features of the protocol include the fast discovery of a crossover node where the old and new paths converge or diverge due to handover and the localized state management for seamless services. Our analytical and simulation/experimental results show that the proposed/implemented protocol works better than existing protocols in the IP-based mobile environment.

Integration and Analysis of Neighbor Discovery and Link Quality Estimation in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Radi, Marjan; Dezfouli, Behnam; Abu Bakar, Kamalrulnizam; Abd Razak, Shukor

2014-01-01

Network connectivity and link quality information are the fundamental requirements of wireless sensor network protocols to perform their desired functionality. Most of the existing discovery protocols have only focused on the neighbor discovery problem, while a few number of them provide an integrated neighbor search and link estimation. As these protocols require a careful parameter adjustment before network deployment, they cannot provide scalable and accurate network initialization in large-scale dense wireless sensor networks with random topology. Furthermore, performance of these protocols has not entirely been evaluated yet. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive simulation study on the efficiency of employing adaptive protocols compared to the existing nonadaptive protocols for initializing sensor networks with random topology. In this regard, we propose adaptive network initialization protocols which integrate the initial neighbor discovery with link quality estimation process to initialize large-scale dense wireless sensor networks without requiring any parameter adjustment before network deployment. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to provide a detailed simulation study on the performance of integrated neighbor discovery and link quality estimation protocols for initializing sensor networks. This study can help system designers to determine the most appropriate approach for different applications. PMID:24678277

A fast screening protocol for carotid plaques imaging using 3D multi-contrast MRI without contrast agent.

PubMed

Zhang, Na; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Qi; Pei, Anqi; Tong, Xiaoxin; Chung, Yiu-Cho; Liu, Xin

2017-06-01

To implement a fast (~15min) MRI protocol for carotid plaque screening using 3D multi-contrast MRI sequences without contrast agent on a 3Tesla MRI scanner. 7 healthy volunteers and 25 patients with clinically confirmed transient ischemic attack or suspected cerebrovascular ischemia were included in this study. The proposed protocol, including 3D T1-weighted and T2-weighted SPACE (variable-flip-angle 3D turbo spin echo), and T1-weighted magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo (MPRAGE) was performed first and was followed by 2D T1-weighted and T2-weighted turbo spin echo, and post-contrast T1-weighted SPACE sequences. Image quality, number of plaques, and vessel wall thicknesses measured at the intersection of the plaques were evaluated and compared between sequences. Average examination time of the proposed protocol was 14.6min. The average image quality scores of 3D T1-weighted, T2-weighted SPACE, and T1-weighted magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo were 3.69, 3.75, and 3.48, respectively. There was no significant difference in detecting the number of plaques and vulnerable plaques using pre-contrast 3D images with or without post-contrast T1-weighted SPACE. The 3D SPACE and 2D turbo spin echo sequences had excellent agreement (R=0.96 for T1-weighted and 0.98 for T2-weighted, p<0.001) regarding vessel wall thickness measurements. The proposed protocol demonstrated the feasibility of attaining carotid plaque screening within a 15-minute scan, which provided sufficient anatomical coverage and critical diagnostic information. This protocol offers the potential for rapid and reliable screening for carotid plaques without contrast agent. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

RACOON: a multiuser QoS design for mobile wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Cheng, Shihheng; Huang, Chingyao; Tu, Chun Chen

2011-10-01

In this study, Random Contention-based Resource Allocation (RACOON) medium access control (MAC) protocol is proposed to support the quality of service (QoS) for multi-user mobile wireless body area networks (WBANs). Different from existing QoS designs that focus on a single WBAN, a multiuser WBAN QoS should further consider both inter-WBAN interference and inter-WBAN priorities. Similar problems have been studied in both overlapped wireless local area networks (WLANs) and Bluetooth piconets that need QoS supports. However, these solutions are designed for non-medical transmissions that do not consider any priority scheme for medical applications. Most importantly, these studies focus on only static or low mobility networks. Network mobility of WBANs will introduce unnecessary inter-network collisions and energy waste, which are not considered by these solutions. The proposed multiuser-QoS protocol, RACOON, simultaneously satisfies the inter WBAN QoS requirements and overcomes the performance degradation caused by WBAN mobility. Simulation results verify that RACOON provides better latency and energy control, as compared with WBAN QoS protocols without considering the inter-WBAN requirements.

Blind quantum computation over a collective-noise channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, Yuki; Fujii, Keisuke; Ikuta, Rikizo; Yamamoto, Takashi; Imoto, Nobuyuki

2016-05-01

Blind quantum computation (BQC) allows a client (Alice), who only possesses relatively poor quantum devices, to delegate universal quantum computation to a server (Bob) in such a way that Bob cannot know Alice's inputs, algorithm, and outputs. The quantum channel between Alice and Bob is noisy, and the loss over the long-distance quantum communication should also be taken into account. Here we propose to use decoherence-free subspace (DFS) to overcome the collective noise in the quantum channel for BQC, which we call DFS-BQC. We propose three variations of DFS-BQC protocols. One of them, a coherent-light-assisted DFS-BQC protocol, allows Alice to faithfully send the signal photons with a probability proportional to a transmission rate of the quantum channel. In all cases, we combine the ideas based on DFS and the Broadbent-Fitzsimons-Kashefi protocol, which is one of the BQC protocols, without degrading unconditional security. The proposed DFS-based schemes are generic and hence can be applied to other BQC protocols where Alice sends quantum states to Bob.

FuGeF: A Resource Bound Secure Forwarding Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Umar, Idris Abubakar; Mohd Hanapi, Zurina; Sali, A.; Zulkarnain, Zuriati A.

2016-01-01

Resource bound security solutions have facilitated the mitigation of spatio-temporal attacks by altering protocol semantics to provide minimal security while maintaining an acceptable level of performance. The Dynamic Window Secured Implicit Geographic Forwarding (DWSIGF) routing protocol for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) has been proposed to achieve a minimal selection of malicious nodes by introducing a dynamic collection window period to the protocol’s semantics. However, its selection scheme suffers substantial packet losses due to the utilization of a single distance based parameter for node selection. In this paper, we propose a Fuzzy-based Geographic Forwarding protocol (FuGeF) to minimize packet loss, while maintaining performance. The FuGeF utilizes a new form of dynamism and introduces three selection parameters: remaining energy, connectivity cost, and progressive distance, as well as a Fuzzy Logic System (FLS) for node selection. These introduced mechanisms ensure the appropriate selection of a non-malicious node. Extensive simulation experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed FuGeF protocol as compared to DWSIGF variants. The simulation results show that the proposed FuGeF outperforms the two DWSIGF variants (DWSIGF-P and DWSIGF-R) in terms of packet delivery. PMID:27338411

Preparing Protocols for Institutional Review Boards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyons, Charles M.

1983-01-01

Introduces the process by which Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) review proposals for research involving human subjects. Describes the composition of IRBs. Presents the Nuremberg code, the elements of informed consent, the judging criteria for proposals, and a sample protocol format. References newly published regulations governing research with…

Handling Neighbor Discovery and Rendezvous Consistency with Weighted Quorum-Based Approach

PubMed Central

Own, Chung-Ming; Meng, Zhaopeng; Liu, Kehan

2015-01-01

Neighbor discovery and the power of sensors play an important role in the formation of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) and mobile networks. Many asynchronous protocols based on wake-up time scheduling have been proposed to enable neighbor discovery among neighboring nodes for the energy saving, especially in the difficulty of clock synchronization. However, existing researches are divided two parts with the neighbor-discovery methods, one is the quorum-based protocols and the other is co-primality based protocols. Their distinction is on the arrangements of time slots, the former uses the quorums in the matrix, the latter adopts the numerical analysis. In our study, we propose the weighted heuristic quorum system (WQS), which is based on the quorum algorithm to eliminate redundant paths of active slots. We demonstrate the specification of our system: fewer active slots are required, the referring rate is balanced, and remaining power is considered particularly when a device maintains rendezvous with discovered neighbors. The evaluation results showed that our proposed method can effectively reschedule the active slots and save the computing time of the network system. PMID:26404297

A Hybrid Path-Oriented Code Assignment CDMA-Based MAC Protocol for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Chen, Huifang; Fan, Guangyu; Xie, Lei; Cui, Jun-Hong

2013-01-01

Due to the characteristics of underwater acoustic channel, media access control (MAC) protocols designed for underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWASNs) are quite different from those for terrestrial wireless sensor networks. Moreover, in a sink-oriented network with event information generation in a sensor field and message forwarding to the sink hop-by-hop, the sensors near the sink have to transmit more packets than those far from the sink, and then a funneling effect occurs, which leads to packet congestion, collisions and losses, especially in UWASNs with long propagation delays. An improved CDMA-based MAC protocol, named path-oriented code assignment (POCA) CDMA MAC (POCA-CDMA-MAC), is proposed for UWASNs in this paper. In the proposed MAC protocol, both the round-robin method and CDMA technology are adopted to make the sink receive packets from multiple paths simultaneously. Since the number of paths for information gathering is much less than that of nodes, the length of the spreading code used in the POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol is shorter greatly than that used in the CDMA-based protocols with transmitter-oriented code assignment (TOCA) or receiver-oriented code assignment (ROCA). Simulation results show that the proposed POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol achieves a higher network throughput and a lower end-to-end delay compared to other CDMA-based MAC protocols. PMID:24193100

A hybrid path-oriented code assignment CDMA-based MAC protocol for underwater acoustic sensor networks.

PubMed

Chen, Huifang; Fan, Guangyu; Xie, Lei; Cui, Jun-Hong

2013-11-04

Due to the characteristics of underwater acoustic channel, media access control (MAC) protocols designed for underwater acoustic sensor networks (UWASNs) are quite different from those for terrestrial wireless sensor networks. Moreover, in a sink-oriented network with event information generation in a sensor field and message forwarding to the sink hop-by-hop, the sensors near the sink have to transmit more packets than those far from the sink, and then a funneling effect occurs, which leads to packet congestion, collisions and losses, especially in UWASNs with long propagation delays. An improved CDMA-based MAC protocol, named path-oriented code assignment (POCA) CDMA MAC (POCA-CDMA-MAC), is proposed for UWASNs in this paper. In the proposed MAC protocol, both the round-robin method and CDMA technology are adopted to make the sink receive packets from multiple paths simultaneously. Since the number of paths for information gathering is much less than that of nodes, the length of the spreading code used in the POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol is shorter greatly than that used in the CDMA-based protocols with transmitter-oriented code assignment (TOCA) or receiver-oriented code assignment (ROCA). Simulation results show that the proposed POCA-CDMA-MAC protocol achieves a higher network throughput and a lower end-to-end delay compared to other CDMA-based MAC protocols.

Evidence-based recommendations for bowel cleansing before colonoscopy in children: a report from a national working group.

PubMed

Turner, D; Levine, A; Weiss, B; Hirsh, A; Shamir, R; Shaoul, R; Berkowitz, D; Bujanover, Y; Cohen, S; Eshach-Adiv, O; Jamal, Gera; Kori, M; Lerner, A; On, A; Rachman, L; Rosenbach, Y; Shamaly, H; Shteyer, E; Silbermintz, A; Yerushalmi, B

2010-12-01

There are no current recommendations for bowel cleansing before colonoscopy in children. The Israeli Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (ISPGAN) established an iterative working group to formulate evidence-based guidelines for bowel cleansing in children prior to colonoscopy. Data were collected by systematic review of the literature and via a national-based survey of all endoscopy units in Israel. Based on the strength of evidence, the Committee reached consensus on six recommended protocols in children. Guidelines were finalized after an open audit of ISPGAN members. Data on 900 colonoscopies per year were accrued, which represents all annual pediatric colonoscopies performed in Israel. Based on the literature review, the national survey, and the open audit, several age-stratified pediatric cleansing protocols were proposed: two PEG-ELS protocols (polyethylene-glycol with electrolyte solution); Picolax-based protocol (sodium picosulphate with magnesium citrate); sodium phosphate protocol (only in children over the age of 12 years who are at low risk for renal damage); stimulant laxative-based protocol (e. g. bisacodyl); and a PEG 3350-based protocol. A population-based analysis estimated that the acute toxicity rate of oral sodium phosphate is at most 3/7320 colonoscopies (0.041 %). Recommendations on diet and enema use are provided in relation to each proposed protocol. There is no ideal bowel cleansing regimen and, thus, various protocols are in use. We propose several evidence-based protocols to optimize bowel cleansing in children prior to colonoscopy and minimize adverse events. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Focus on Quantum Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brennen, Gavin; Giacobino, Elisabeth; Simon, Christoph

2015-05-01

Quantum memories are essential for quantum information processing and long-distance quantum communication. The field has recently seen a lot of progress, and the present focus issue offers a glimpse of these developments, showing both experimental and theoretical results from many of the leading groups around the world. On the experimental side, it shows work on cold gases, warm vapors, rare-earth ion doped crystals and single atoms. On the theoretical side there are in-depth studies of existing memory protocols, proposals for new protocols including approaches based on quantum error correction, and proposals for new applications of quantum storage. Looking forward, we anticipate many more exciting results in this area.

Multi-Bit Quantum Private Query

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Wei-Xu; Liu, Xing-Tong; Wang, Jian; Tang, Chao-Jing

2015-09-01

Most of the existing Quantum Private Queries (QPQ) protocols provide only single-bit queries service, thus have to be repeated several times when more bits are retrieved. Wei et al.'s scheme for block queries requires a high-dimension quantum key distribution system to sustain, which is still restricted in the laboratory. Here, based on Markus Jakobi et al.'s single-bit QPQ protocol, we propose a multi-bit quantum private query protocol, in which the user can get access to several bits within one single query. We also extend the proposed protocol to block queries, using a binary matrix to guard database security. Analysis in this paper shows that our protocol has better communication complexity, implementability and can achieve a considerable level of security.

Continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with photon subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Hong-Xin; Huang, Peng; Bai, Dong-Yun; Wang, Shi-Yu; Bao, Wan-Su; Zeng, Gui-Hua

2018-04-01

It has been found that non-Gaussian operations can be applied to increase and distill entanglement between Gaussian entangled states. We show the successful use of the non-Gaussian operation, in particular, photon subtraction operation, on the continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI-QKD) protocol. The proposed method can be implemented based on existing technologies. Security analysis shows that the photon subtraction operation can remarkably increase the maximal transmission distance of the CV-MDI-QKD protocol, which precisely make up for the shortcoming of the original CV-MDI-QKD protocol, and one-photon subtraction operation has the best performance. Moreover, the proposed protocol provides a feasible method for the experimental implementation of the CV-MDI-QKD protocol.

An Anonymous Surveying Protocol via Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naseri, Mosayeb; Gong, Li-Hua; Houshmand, Monireh; Matin, Laleh Farhang

2016-10-01

A new experimentally feasible anonymous survey protocol with authentication using Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) entangled states is proposed. In this protocol, a chief executive officer (CEO) of a firm or company is trying to find out the effect of a possible action. In order to prepare a fair voting, the CEO would like to make an anonymous survey and is also interested in the total action for the whole company and he doesn't want to have a partial estimate for each department. In our proposal, there are two voters, Alice and Bob, voting on a question with a response of either "yes" or "no" and a tallyman, whose responsibility is to determine whether they have cast the same vote or not. In the proposed protocol the total response of the voters is calculated without revealing the actual votes of the voters.

No information flow using statistical fluctuations and quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larsson, Jan-Aake

2004-04-01

The communication protocol of Home and Whitaker [Phys. Rev. A 67, 022306 (2003)] is examined in some detail, and found to work equally well using a separable state. The protocol is in fact completely classical, based on postselection of suitable experimental runs. The quantum-cryptography protocol proposed in the same publication is also examined, and this protocol uses entanglement, a strictly quantum property of the system. An individual eavesdropping attack on each qubit pair would be detected by the security test proposed in the mentioned paper. However, the key is provided by groups of qubits, and there exists a coherent attack,more » internal to these groups, that will go unnoticed in that security test. A modified test is proposed here that will ensure security, even against such a coherent attack.« less

Integrative Application of Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment to Environmental Impacts of Anthropogenic Pollutants at a Watershed Scale.

PubMed

Lin, Xiaodan; Yu, Shen; Ma, Hwongwen

2018-01-01

Intense human activities have led to increasing deterioration of the watershed environment via pollutant discharge, which threatens human health and ecosystem function. To meet a need of comprehensive environmental impact/risk assessment for sustainable watershed development, a biogeochemical process-based life cycle assessment and risk assessment (RA) integration for pollutants aided by geographic information system is proposed in this study. The integration is to frame a conceptual protocol of "watershed life cycle assessment (WLCA) for pollutants". The proposed WLCA protocol consists of (1) geographic and environmental characterization mapping; (2) life cycle inventory analysis; (3) integration of life-cycle impact assessment (LCIA) with RA via characterization factor of pollutant of interest; and (4) result analysis and interpretation. The WLCA protocol can visualize results of LCIA and RA spatially for the pollutants of interest, which might be useful for decision or policy makers for mitigating impacts of watershed development.

A decentralized fuzzy C-means-based energy-efficient routing protocol for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Alia, Osama Moh'd

2014-01-01

Energy conservation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is a vital consideration when designing wireless networking protocols. In this paper, we propose a Decentralized Fuzzy Clustering Protocol, named DCFP, which minimizes total network energy dissipation to promote maximum network lifetime. The process of constructing the infrastructure for a given WSN is performed only once at the beginning of the protocol at a base station, which remains unchanged throughout the network's lifetime. In this initial construction step, a fuzzy C-means algorithm is adopted to allocate sensor nodes into their most appropriate clusters. Subsequently, the protocol runs its rounds where each round is divided into a CH-Election phase and a Data Transmission phase. In the CH-Election phase, the election of new cluster heads is done locally in each cluster where a new multicriteria objective function is proposed to enhance the quality of elected cluster heads. In the Data Transmission phase, the sensing and data transmission from each sensor node to their respective cluster head is performed and cluster heads in turn aggregate and send the sensed data to the base station. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol improves network lifetime, data delivery, and energy consumption compared to other well-known energy-efficient protocols.

A Decentralized Fuzzy C-Means-Based Energy-Efficient Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Energy conservation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is a vital consideration when designing wireless networking protocols. In this paper, we propose a Decentralized Fuzzy Clustering Protocol, named DCFP, which minimizes total network energy dissipation to promote maximum network lifetime. The process of constructing the infrastructure for a given WSN is performed only once at the beginning of the protocol at a base station, which remains unchanged throughout the network's lifetime. In this initial construction step, a fuzzy C-means algorithm is adopted to allocate sensor nodes into their most appropriate clusters. Subsequently, the protocol runs its rounds where each round is divided into a CH-Election phase and a Data Transmission phase. In the CH-Election phase, the election of new cluster heads is done locally in each cluster where a new multicriteria objective function is proposed to enhance the quality of elected cluster heads. In the Data Transmission phase, the sensing and data transmission from each sensor node to their respective cluster head is performed and cluster heads in turn aggregate and send the sensed data to the base station. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol improves network lifetime, data delivery, and energy consumption compared to other well-known energy-efficient protocols. PMID:25162060

A Passive Testing Approach for Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Che, Xiaoping; Maag, Stephane; Tan, Hwee-Xian; Tan, Hwee-Pink; Zhou, Zhangbing

2015-01-01

Smart systems are today increasingly developed with the number of wireless sensor devices drastically increasing. They are implemented within several contexts throughout our environment. Thus, sensed data transported in ubiquitous systems are important, and the way to carry them must be efficient and reliable. For that purpose, several routing protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor networks (WSN). However, one stage that is often neglected before their deployment is the conformance testing process, a crucial and challenging step. Compared to active testing techniques commonly used in wired networks, passive approaches are more suitable to the WSN environment. While some works propose to specify the protocol with state models or to analyze them with simulators and emulators, we here propose a logic-based approach for formally specifying some functional requirements of a novel WSN routing protocol. We provide an algorithm to evaluate these properties on collected protocol execution traces. Further, we demonstrate the efficiency and suitability of our approach by its application into common WSN functional properties, as well as specific ones designed from our own routing protocol. We provide relevant testing verdicts through a real indoor testbed and the implementation of our protocol. Furthermore, the flexibility, genericity and practicability of our approach have been proven by the experimental results. PMID:26610495

A Passive Testing Approach for Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Che, Xiaoping; Maag, Stephane; Tan, Hwee-Xian; Tan, Hwee-Pink; Zhou, Zhangbing

2015-11-19

Smart systems are today increasingly developed with the number of wireless sensor devices drastically increasing. They are implemented within several contexts throughout our environment. Thus, sensed data transported in ubiquitous systems are important, and the way to carry them must be efficient and reliable. For that purpose, several routing protocols have been proposed for wireless sensor networks (WSN). However, one stage that is often neglected before their deployment is the conformance testing process, a crucial and challenging step. Compared to active testing techniques commonly used in wired networks, passive approaches are more suitable to the WSN environment. While some works propose to specify the protocol with state models or to analyze them with simulators and emulators, we here propose a logic-based approach for formally specifying some functional requirements of a novel WSN routing protocol. We provide an algorithm to evaluate these properties on collected protocol execution traces. Further, we demonstrate the efficiency and suitability of our approach by its application into common WSN functional properties, as well as specific ones designed from our own routing protocol. We provide relevant testing verdicts through a real indoor testbed and the implementation of our protocol. Furthermore, the flexibility, genericity and practicability of our approach have been proven by the experimental results.

Protocol Support for a New Satellite-Based Airspace Communication Network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shang, Yadong; Hadjitheodosiou, Michael; Baras, John

2004-01-01

We recommend suitable transport protocols for an aeronautical network supporting Internet and data services via satellite. We study the characteristics of an aeronautical satellite hybrid network and focus on the problems that cause dramatically degraded performance of the Transport Protocol. We discuss various extensions to standard TCP that alleviate some of these performance problems. Through simulation, we identify those TCP implementations that can be expected to perform well. Based on the observation that it is difficult for an end-to-end solution to solve these problems effectively, we propose a new TCP-splitting protocol, termed Aeronautical Transport Control Protocol (AeroTCP). The main idea of this protocol is to use a fixed window for flow control and one duplicated acknowledgement (ACK) for fast recovery. Our simulation results show that AeroTCP can maintain higher utilization for the satellite link than end-to-end TCP, especially in high BER environment.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Authentication with Identity Protection for Smart Grids

PubMed Central

Zhang, Liping; Tang, Shanyu; Luo, He

2016-01-01

In a smart grid, the power service provider enables the expected power generation amount to be measured according to current power consumption, thus stabilizing the power system. However, the data transmitted over smart grids are not protected, and then suffer from several types of security threats and attacks. Thus, a robust and efficient authentication protocol should be provided to strength the security of smart grid networks. As the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system provides the security protection between the control center and substations in most smart grid environments, we focus on how to secure the communications between the substations and smart appliances. Existing security approaches fail to address the performance-security balance. In this study, we suggest a mitigation authentication protocol based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography with privacy protection by using a tamper-resistant device at the smart appliance side to achieve a delicate balance between performance and security of smart grids. The proposed protocol provides some attractive features such as identity protection, mutual authentication and key agreement. Finally, we demonstrate the completeness of the proposed protocol using the Gong-Needham- Yahalom logic. PMID:27007951

Elliptic Curve Cryptography-Based Authentication with Identity Protection for Smart Grids.

PubMed

Zhang, Liping; Tang, Shanyu; Luo, He

2016-01-01

In a smart grid, the power service provider enables the expected power generation amount to be measured according to current power consumption, thus stabilizing the power system. However, the data transmitted over smart grids are not protected, and then suffer from several types of security threats and attacks. Thus, a robust and efficient authentication protocol should be provided to strength the security of smart grid networks. As the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system provides the security protection between the control center and substations in most smart grid environments, we focus on how to secure the communications between the substations and smart appliances. Existing security approaches fail to address the performance-security balance. In this study, we suggest a mitigation authentication protocol based on Elliptic Curve Cryptography with privacy protection by using a tamper-resistant device at the smart appliance side to achieve a delicate balance between performance and security of smart grids. The proposed protocol provides some attractive features such as identity protection, mutual authentication and key agreement. Finally, we demonstrate the completeness of the proposed protocol using the Gong-Needham-Yahalom logic.

Sampled-data-based consensus and containment control of multiple harmonic oscillators: A motion-planning approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yongfang; Zhao, Yu; Chen, Guanrong

2016-11-01

This paper studies the distributed consensus and containment problems for a group of harmonic oscillators with a directed communication topology. First, for consensus without a leader, a class of distributed consensus protocols is designed by using motion planning and Pontryagin's principle. The proposed protocol only requires relative information measurements at the sampling instants, without requiring information exchange over the sampled interval. By using stability theory and the properties of stochastic matrices, it is proved that the distributed consensus problem can be solved in the motion planning framework. Second, for the case with multiple leaders, a class of distributed containment protocols is developed for followers such that their positions and velocities can ultimately converge to the convex hull formed by those of the leaders. Compared with the existing consensus algorithms, a remarkable advantage of the proposed sampled-data-based protocols is that the sampling periods, communication topologies and control gains are all decoupled and can be separately designed, which relaxes many restrictions in controllers design. Finally, some numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the analytical results.

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-02

... Protection regulations, the science of ozone layer depletion, and related topics. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION... compliance with the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Protocol) and the CAA.... obligations under Article 2H of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (Protocol...

Novel Multi-Party Quantum Key Agreement Protocol with G-Like States and Bell States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Shi-Qi; Chen, Hua-Ying; Gong, Li-Hua

2018-03-01

A significant aspect of quantum cryptography is quantum key agreement (QKA), which ensures the security of key agreement protocols by quantum information theory. The fairness of an absolute security multi-party quantum key agreement (MQKA) protocol demands that all participants can affect the protocol result equally so as to establish a shared key and that nobody can determine the shared key by himself/herself. We found that it is difficult for the existing multi-party quantum key agreement protocol to withstand the collusion attacks. Put differently, it is possible for several cooperated and untruthful participants to determine the final key without being detected. To address this issue, based on the entanglement swapping between G-like state and Bell states, a new multi-party quantum key agreement protocol is put forward. The proposed protocol makes full use of EPR pairs as quantum resources, and adopts Bell measurement and unitary operation to share a secret key. Besides, the proposed protocol is fair, secure and efficient without involving a third party quantum center. It demonstrates that the protocol is capable of protecting users' privacy and meeting the requirement of fairness. Moreover, it is feasible to carry out the protocol with existing technologies.

Novel Multi-Party Quantum Key Agreement Protocol with G-Like States and Bell States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Min, Shi-Qi; Chen, Hua-Ying; Gong, Li-Hua

2018-06-01

A significant aspect of quantum cryptography is quantum key agreement (QKA), which ensures the security of key agreement protocols by quantum information theory. The fairness of an absolute security multi-party quantum key agreement (MQKA) protocol demands that all participants can affect the protocol result equally so as to establish a shared key and that nobody can determine the shared key by himself/herself. We found that it is difficult for the existing multi-party quantum key agreement protocol to withstand the collusion attacks. Put differently, it is possible for several cooperated and untruthful participants to determine the final key without being detected. To address this issue, based on the entanglement swapping between G-like state and Bell states, a new multi-party quantum key agreement protocol is put forward. The proposed protocol makes full use of EPR pairs as quantum resources, and adopts Bell measurement and unitary operation to share a secret key. Besides, the proposed protocol is fair, secure and efficient without involving a third party quantum center. It demonstrates that the protocol is capable of protecting users' privacy and meeting the requirement of fairness. Moreover, it is feasible to carry out the protocol with existing technologies.

Variation in Research Designs Used to Test the Effectiveness of Dissemination and Implementation Strategies: A Review.

PubMed

Mazzucca, Stephanie; Tabak, Rachel G; Pilar, Meagan; Ramsey, Alex T; Baumann, Ana A; Kryzer, Emily; Lewis, Ericka M; Padek, Margaret; Powell, Byron J; Brownson, Ross C

2018-01-01

The need for optimal study designs in dissemination and implementation (D&I) research is increasingly recognized. Despite the wide range of study designs available for D&I research, we lack understanding of the types of designs and methodologies that are routinely used in the field. This review assesses the designs and methodologies in recently proposed D&I studies and provides resources to guide design decisions. We reviewed 404 study protocols published in the journal Implementation Science from 2/2006 to 9/2017. Eligible studies tested the efficacy or effectiveness of D&I strategies (i.e., not effectiveness of the underlying clinical or public health intervention); had a comparison by group and/or time; and used ≥1 quantitative measure. Several design elements were extracted: design category (e.g., randomized); design type [e.g., cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT)]; data type (e.g., quantitative); D&I theoretical framework; levels of treatment assignment, intervention, and measurement; and country in which the research was conducted. Each protocol was double-coded, and discrepancies were resolved through discussion. Of the 404 protocols reviewed, 212 (52%) studies tested one or more implementation strategy across 208 manuscripts, therefore meeting inclusion criteria. Of the included studies, 77% utilized randomized designs, primarily cluster RCTs. The use of alternative designs (e.g., stepped wedge) increased over time. Fewer studies were quasi-experimental (17%) or observational (6%). Many study design categories (e.g., controlled pre-post, matched pair cluster design) were represented by only one or two studies. Most articles proposed quantitative and qualitative methods (61%), with the remaining 39% proposing only quantitative. Half of protocols (52%) reported using a theoretical framework to guide the study. The four most frequently reported frameworks were Consolidated Framework for Implementing Research and RE-AIM ( n  = 16 each), followed by Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services and Theoretical Domains Framework ( n  = 12 each). While several novel designs for D&I research have been proposed (e.g., stepped wedge, adaptive designs), the majority of the studies in our sample employed RCT designs. Alternative study designs are increasing in use but may be underutilized for a variety of reasons, including preference of funders or lack of awareness of these designs. Promisingly, the prevalent use of quantitative and qualitative methods together reflects methodological innovation in newer D&I research.

A Lightweight Continuous Authentication Protocol for the Internet of Things

PubMed Central

Chuang, Yo-Hsuan; Yang, Cheng-Ying; Tang, Ssu-Wei

2018-01-01

Modern societies are moving toward an information-oriented environment. To gather and utilize information around people’s modern life, tiny devices with all kinds of sensing devices and various sizes of gateways need to be deployed and connected with each other through the Internet or proxy-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Within this kind of Internet of Things (IoT) environment, how to authenticate each other between two communicating devices is a fundamental security issue. As a lot of IoT devices are powered by batteries and they need to transmit sensed data periodically, it is necessary for IoT devices to adopt a lightweight authentication protocol to reduce their energy consumption when a device wants to authenticate and transmit data to its targeted peer. In this paper, a lightweight continuous authentication protocol for sensing devices and gateway devices in general IoT environments is introduced. The concept of valid authentication time period is proposed to enhance robustness of authentication between IoT devices. To construct the proposed lightweight continuous authentication protocol, token technique and dynamic features of IoT devices are adopted in order to reach the design goals: the reduction of time consumption for consecutive authentications and energy saving for authenticating devices through by reducing the computation complexity during session establishment of continuous authentication. Security analysis is conducted to evaluate security strength of the proposed protocol. In addition, performance analysis has shown the proposed protocol is a strong competitor among existing protocols for device-to-device authentication in IoT environments. PMID:29621168

A Power-Optimized Cooperative MAC Protocol for Lifetime Extension in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Liu, Kai; Wu, Shan; Huang, Bo; Liu, Feng; Xu, Zhen

2016-10-01

In wireless sensor networks, in order to satisfy the requirement of long working time of energy-limited nodes, we need to design an energy-efficient and lifetime-extended medium access control (MAC) protocol. In this paper, a node cooperation mechanism that one or multiple nodes with higher channel gain and sufficient residual energy help a sender relay its data packets to its recipient is employed to achieve this objective. We first propose a transmission power optimization algorithm to prolong network lifetime by optimizing the transmission powers of the sender and its cooperative nodes to maximize their minimum residual energy after their data packet transmissions. Based on it, we propose a corresponding power-optimized cooperative MAC protocol. A cooperative node contention mechanism is designed to ensure that the sender can effectively select a group of cooperative nodes with the lowest energy consumption and the best channel quality for cooperative transmissions, thus further improving the energy efficiency. Simulation results show that compared to typical MAC protocol with direct transmissions and energy-efficient cooperative MAC protocol, the proposed cooperative MAC protocol can efficiently improve the energy efficiency and extend the network lifetime.

A Power-Optimized Cooperative MAC Protocol for Lifetime Extension in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Liu, Kai; Wu, Shan; Huang, Bo; Liu, Feng; Xu, Zhen

2016-01-01

In wireless sensor networks, in order to satisfy the requirement of long working time of energy-limited nodes, we need to design an energy-efficient and lifetime-extended medium access control (MAC) protocol. In this paper, a node cooperation mechanism that one or multiple nodes with higher channel gain and sufficient residual energy help a sender relay its data packets to its recipient is employed to achieve this objective. We first propose a transmission power optimization algorithm to prolong network lifetime by optimizing the transmission powers of the sender and its cooperative nodes to maximize their minimum residual energy after their data packet transmissions. Based on it, we propose a corresponding power-optimized cooperative MAC protocol. A cooperative node contention mechanism is designed to ensure that the sender can effectively select a group of cooperative nodes with the lowest energy consumption and the best channel quality for cooperative transmissions, thus further improving the energy efficiency. Simulation results show that compared to typical MAC protocol with direct transmissions and energy-efficient cooperative MAC protocol, the proposed cooperative MAC protocol can efficiently improve the energy efficiency and extend the network lifetime. PMID:27706079

A Fair Contention Access Scheme for Low-Priority Traffic in Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Sajeel, Muhammad; Bashir, Faisal; Asfand-e-yar, Muhammad; Tauqir, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Recently, wireless body area networks (WBANs) have attracted significant consideration in ubiquitous healthcare. A number of medium access control (MAC) protocols, primarily derived from the superframe structure of the IEEE 802.15.4, have been proposed in literature. These MAC protocols aim to provide quality of service (QoS) by prioritizing different traffic types in WBANs. A contention access period (CAP)with high contention in priority-based MAC protocols can result in higher number of collisions and retransmissions. During CAP, traffic classes with higher priority are dominant over low-priority traffic; this has led to starvation of low-priority traffic, thus adversely affecting WBAN throughput, delay, and energy consumption. Hence, this paper proposes a traffic-adaptive priority-based superframe structure that is able to reduce contention in the CAP period, and provides a fair chance for low-priority traffic. Simulation results in ns-3 demonstrate that the proposed MAC protocol, called traffic- adaptive priority-based MAC (TAP-MAC), achieves low energy consumption, high throughput, and low latency compared to the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and the most recent priority-based MAC protocol, called priority-based MAC protocol (PA-MAC). PMID:28832495

Applications of Multi-Channel Safety Authentication Protocols in Wireless Networks.

PubMed

Chen, Young-Long; Liau, Ren-Hau; Chang, Liang-Yu

2016-01-01

People can use their web browser or mobile devices to access web services and applications which are built into these servers. Users have to input their identity and password to login the server. The identity and password may be appropriated by hackers when the network environment is not safe. The multiple secure authentication protocol can improve the security of the network environment. Mobile devices can be used to pass the authentication messages through Wi-Fi or 3G networks to serve as a second communication channel. The content of the message number is not considered in a multiple secure authentication protocol. The more excessive transmission of messages would be easier to collect and decode by hackers. In this paper, we propose two schemes which allow the server to validate the user and reduce the number of messages using the XOR operation. Our schemes can improve the security of the authentication protocol. The experimental results show that our proposed authentication protocols are more secure and effective. In regard to applications of second authentication communication channels for a smart access control system, identity identification and E-wallet, our proposed authentication protocols can ensure the safety of person and property, and achieve more effective security management mechanisms.

Protocol for Communication Networking for Formation Flying

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jennings, Esther; Okino, Clayton; Gao, Jay; Clare, Loren

2009-01-01

An application-layer protocol and a network architecture have been proposed for data communications among multiple autonomous spacecraft that are required to fly in a precise formation in order to perform scientific observations. The protocol could also be applied to other autonomous vehicles operating in formation, including robotic aircraft, robotic land vehicles, and robotic underwater vehicles. A group of spacecraft or other vehicles to which the protocol applies could be characterized as a precision-formation- flying (PFF) network, and each vehicle could be characterized as a node in the PFF network. In order to support precise formation flying, it would be necessary to establish a corresponding communication network, through which the vehicles could exchange position and orientation data and formation-control commands. The communication network must enable communication during early phases of a mission, when little positional knowledge is available. Particularly during early mission phases, the distances among vehicles may be so large that communication could be achieved only by relaying across multiple links. The large distances and need for omnidirectional coverage would limit communication links to operation at low bandwidth during these mission phases. Once the vehicles were in formation and distances were shorter, the communication network would be required to provide high-bandwidth, low-jitter service to support tight formation-control loops. The proposed protocol and architecture, intended to satisfy the aforementioned and other requirements, are based on a standard layered-reference-model concept. The proposed application protocol would be used in conjunction with conventional network, data-link, and physical-layer protocols. The proposed protocol includes the ubiquitous Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 medium access control (MAC) protocol to be used in the datalink layer. In addition to its widespread and proven use in diverse local-area networks, this protocol offers both (1) a random- access mode needed for the early PFF deployment phase and (2) a time-bounded-services mode needed during PFF-maintenance operations. Switching between these two modes could be controlled by upper-layer entities using standard link-management mechanisms. Because the early deployment phase of a PFF mission can be expected to involve multihop relaying to achieve network connectivity (see figure), the proposed protocol includes the open shortest path first (OSPF) network protocol that is commonly used in the Internet. Each spacecraft in a PFF network would be in one of seven distinct states as the mission evolved from initial deployment, through coarse formation, and into precise formation. Reconfiguration of the formation to perform different scientific observations would also cause state changes among the network nodes. The application protocol provides for recognition and tracking of the seven states for each node and for protocol changes under specified conditions to adapt the network and satisfy communication requirements associated with the current PFF mission phase. Except during early deployment, when peer-to-peer random access discovery methods would be used, the application protocol provides for operation in a centralized manner.

An Individualized, Perception-Based Protocol to Investigate Human Physiological Responses to Cooling

PubMed Central

Coolbaugh, Crystal L.; Bush, Emily C.; Galenti, Elizabeth S.; Welch, E. Brian; Towse, Theodore F.

2018-01-01

Cold exposure, a known stimulant of the thermogenic effects of brown adipose tissue (BAT), is the most widely used method to study BAT physiology in adult humans. Recently, individualized cooling has been recommended to standardize the physiological cold stress applied across participants, but critical experimental details remain unclear. The purpose of this work was to develop a detailed methodology for an individualized, perception-based protocol to investigate human physiological responses to cooling. Participants were wrapped in two water-circulating blankets and fitted with skin temperature probes to estimate BAT activity and peripheral vasoconstriction. We created a thermoesthesia graphical user interface (tGUI) to continuously record the subject's perception of cooling and shivering status during the cooling protocol. The protocol began with a 15 min thermoneutral phase followed by a series of 10 min cooling phases and concluded when sustained shivering (>1 min duration) occurred. Researchers used perception of cooling feedback (tGUI ratings) to manually adjust and personalize the water temperature at each cooling phase. Blanket water temperatures were recorded continuously during the protocol. Twelve volunteers (ages: 26.2 ± 1.4 years; 25% female) completed a feasibility study to evaluate the proposed protocol. Water temperature, perception of cooling, and shivering varied considerably across participants in response to cooling. Mean clavicle skin temperature, a surrogate measure of BAT activity, decreased (−0.99°C, 95% CI: −1.7 to −0.25°C, P = 0.16) after the cooling protocol, but an increase in supraclavicular skin temperature was observed in 4 participants. A strong positive correlation was also found between thermoesthesia and peripheral vasoconstriction (ρ = 0.84, P < 0.001). The proposed individualized, perception-based protocol therefore has potential to investigate the physiological responses to cold stress applied across populations with varying age, sex, body composition, and cold sensitivity characteristics. PMID:29593558

Performing private database queries in a real-world environment using a quantum protocol.

PubMed

Chan, Philip; Lucio-Martinez, Itzel; Mo, Xiaofan; Simon, Christoph; Tittel, Wolfgang

2014-06-10

In the well-studied cryptographic primitive 1-out-of-N oblivious transfer, a user retrieves a single element from a database of size N without the database learning which element was retrieved. While it has previously been shown that a secure implementation of 1-out-of-N oblivious transfer is impossible against arbitrarily powerful adversaries, recent research has revealed an interesting class of private query protocols based on quantum mechanics in a cheat sensitive model. Specifically, a practical protocol does not need to guarantee that the database provider cannot learn what element was retrieved if doing so carries the risk of detection. The latter is sufficient motivation to keep a database provider honest. However, none of the previously proposed protocols could cope with noisy channels. Here we present a fault-tolerant private query protocol, in which the novel error correction procedure is integral to the security of the protocol. Furthermore, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of the protocol over a deployed fibre.

Performing private database queries in a real-world environment using a quantum protocol

PubMed Central

Chan, Philip; Lucio-Martinez, Itzel; Mo, Xiaofan; Simon, Christoph; Tittel, Wolfgang

2014-01-01

In the well-studied cryptographic primitive 1-out-of-N oblivious transfer, a user retrieves a single element from a database of size N without the database learning which element was retrieved. While it has previously been shown that a secure implementation of 1-out-of-N oblivious transfer is impossible against arbitrarily powerful adversaries, recent research has revealed an interesting class of private query protocols based on quantum mechanics in a cheat sensitive model. Specifically, a practical protocol does not need to guarantee that the database provider cannot learn what element was retrieved if doing so carries the risk of detection. The latter is sufficient motivation to keep a database provider honest. However, none of the previously proposed protocols could cope with noisy channels. Here we present a fault-tolerant private query protocol, in which the novel error correction procedure is integral to the security of the protocol. Furthermore, we present a proof-of-concept demonstration of the protocol over a deployed fibre. PMID:24913129

Boron neutron capture therapy applied to advanced breast cancers: Engineering simulation and feasibility study of the radiation treatment protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sztejnberg Goncalves-Carralves, Manuel Leonardo

This dissertation describes a novel Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) application for the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 positive (HER2+) breast cancers. The original contribution of the dissertation is the development of the engineering simulation and the feasibility study of the radiation treatment protocol for this novel combination of BNCT and HER2+ breast cancer treatment. This new concept of BNCT, representing a radiation binary targeted treatment, consists of the combination of two approaches never used in a synergism before. This combination may offer realistic hope for relapsed and/or metastasized breast cancers. This treatment assumes that the boronated anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies (MABs) are administrated to the patient and accumulate preferentially in the tumor. Then the tumor is destroyed when is exposed to neutron irradiation. Since the use of anti-HER2 MABs yields good and promising results, the proposed concept is expected to amplify the known effect and be considered as a possible additional treatment approach to the most severe breast cancers for patients with metastasized cancer for which the current protocol is not successful and for patients refusing to have the standard treatment protocol. This dissertation makes an original contribution with an integral numerical approach and proves feasible the combination of the aforementioned therapy and disease. With these goals, the dissertation describes the theoretical analysis of the proposed concept providing an integral engineering simulation study of the treatment protocol. An extensive analysis of the potential limitations, capabilities and optimization factors are well studied using simplified models, models based on real CT patients' images, cellular models, and Monte Carlo (MCNP5/X) transport codes. One of the outcomes of the integral dosimetry assessment originally developed for the proposed treatment of advanced breast cancers is the implementation of BNCT for HER2+ breast cancers for deep seated tumors using MITRII-FCB facility with an 8 cm diameter beam (port closest-to-tumor position), with boron concentrations in the tumor higher than 32 mug/g, and for a tumor-to-healthy tissue boron concentration ratio of 8:1. The therapeutic ratios for the proposed treatment would be higher than five for skin and adipose tissue and higher than three for tumor surrounding fibroglandular tissue. The microdosimetry study shows potential improvements in the therapeutic ratios based on the expected sub-cellular boron biodistributions. The engineering simulation study of clinical cases shows the advantages of using BNCT for HER+ breast cancers. Assuming an assured high efficiency of the boron agent delivery, the proposed concept can be considered for stage IV HER2+ breast cancers in treating the metastasized tumors in brain, head and neck, and lungs.

An extended protocol for usability validation of medical devices: Research design and reference model.

PubMed

Schmettow, Martin; Schnittker, Raphaela; Schraagen, Jan Maarten

2017-05-01

This paper proposes and demonstrates an extended protocol for usability validation testing of medical devices. A review of currently used methods for the usability evaluation of medical devices revealed two main shortcomings. Firstly, the lack of methods to closely trace the interaction sequences and derive performance measures. Secondly, a prevailing focus on cross-sectional validation studies, ignoring the issues of learnability and training. The U.S. Federal Drug and Food Administration's recent proposal for a validation testing protocol for medical devices is then extended to address these shortcomings: (1) a novel process measure 'normative path deviations' is introduced that is useful for both quantitative and qualitative usability studies and (2) a longitudinal, completely within-subject study design is presented that assesses learnability, training effects and allows analysis of diversity of users. A reference regression model is introduced to analyze data from this and similar studies, drawing upon generalized linear mixed-effects models and a Bayesian estimation approach. The extended protocol is implemented and demonstrated in a study comparing a novel syringe infusion pump prototype to an existing design with a sample of 25 healthcare professionals. Strong performance differences between designs were observed with a variety of usability measures, as well as varying training-on-the-job effects. We discuss our findings with regard to validation testing guidelines, reflect on the extensions and discuss the perspectives they add to the validation process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A two-hop based adaptive routing protocol for real-time wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Rachamalla, Sandhya; Kancherla, Anitha Sheela

2016-01-01

One of the most important and challenging issues in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is to optimally manage the limited energy of nodes without degrading the routing efficiency. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient adaptive routing mechanism for WSNs, which saves energy of nodes by removing the much delayed packets without degrading the real-time performance of the used routing protocol. It uses the adaptive transmission power algorithm which is based on the attenuation of the wireless link to improve the energy efficiency. The proposed routing mechanism can be associated with any geographic routing protocol and its performance is evaluated by integrating with the well known two-hop based real-time routing protocol, PATH and the resulting protocol is energy-efficient adaptive routing protocol (EE-ARP). The EE-ARP performs well in terms of energy consumption, deadline miss ratio, packet drop and end-to-end delay.

Multiparty Quantum Key Agreement Based on Quantum Search Algorithm

PubMed Central

Cao, Hao; Ma, Wenping

2017-01-01

Quantum key agreement is an important topic that the shared key must be negotiated equally by all participants, and any nontrivial subset of participants cannot fully determine the shared key. To date, the embed modes of subkey in all the previously proposed quantum key agreement protocols are based on either BB84 or entangled states. The research of the quantum key agreement protocol based on quantum search algorithms is still blank. In this paper, on the basis of investigating the properties of quantum search algorithms, we propose the first quantum key agreement protocol whose embed mode of subkey is based on a quantum search algorithm known as Grover’s algorithm. A novel example of protocols with 5 – party is presented. The efficiency analysis shows that our protocol is prior to existing MQKA protocols. Furthermore it is secure against both external attack and internal attacks. PMID:28332610

An improved PRoPHET routing protocol in delay tolerant network.

PubMed

Han, Seung Deok; Chung, Yun Won

2015-01-01

In delay tolerant network (DTN), an end-to-end path is not guaranteed and packets are delivered from a source node to a destination node via store-carry-forward based routing. In DTN, a source node or an intermediate node stores packets in buffer and carries them while it moves around. These packets are forwarded to other nodes based on predefined criteria and finally are delivered to a destination node via multiple hops. In this paper, we improve the dissemination speed of PRoPHET (probability routing protocol using history of encounters and transitivity) protocol by employing epidemic protocol for disseminating message m, if forwarding counter and hop counter values are smaller than or equal to the threshold values. The performance of the proposed protocol was analyzed from the aspect of delivery probability, average delay, and overhead ratio. Numerical results show that the proposed protocol can improve the delivery probability, average delay, and overhead ratio of PRoPHET protocol by appropriately selecting the threshold forwarding counter and threshold hop counter values.

Application of a real-space three-dimensional image reconstruction method in the structural analysis of noncrystalline biological macromolecules enveloped by water in coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy.

PubMed

Kodama, Wataru; Nakasako, Masayoshi

2011-08-01

Coherent x-ray diffraction microscopy is a novel technique in the structural analyses of particles that are difficult to crystallize, such as the biological particles composing living cells. As water is indispensable for maintaining particles in functional structures, sufficient hydration of targeted particles is required during sample preparation for diffraction microscopy experiments. However, the water enveloping particles also contributes significantly to the diffraction patterns and reduces the electron-density contrast of the sample particles. In this study, we propose a protocol for the structural analyses of particles in water by applying a three-dimensional reconstruction method in real space for the projection images phase-retrieved from diffraction patterns, together with a developed density modification technique. We examined the feasibility of the protocol through three simulations involving a protein molecule in a vacuum, and enveloped in either a droplet or a cube-shaped water. The simulations were carried out for the diffraction patterns in the reciprocal planes normal to the incident x-ray beam. This assumption and the simulation conditions corresponded to experiments using x-ray wavelengths of shorter than 0.03 Å. The analyses demonstrated that our protocol provided an interpretable electron-density map. Based on the results, we discuss the advantages and limitations of the proposed protocol and its practical application for experimental data. In particular, we examined the influence of Poisson noise in diffraction patterns on the reconstructed three-dimensional electron density in the proposed protocol.

Restoring Bladder Function by Spinal Cord Neuromodulation in SCI

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

conduct interviews/ surveys , recruit participants, obtain consent, review records, etc. View For existing protocols: Item 2.0 has been modified and...apply: A mechanism such as Survey Monkey, Zoomerang, or an e-mail anonymizing service will be used to strip off the IP addresses for data submitted via...attach the following: Protocol, Dissertation Proposal or Study Plan Preliminary Data Surveys , Questionnaires or other instruments to be used with

Multiple-access relaying with network coding: iterative network/channel decoding with imperfect CSI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, Xuan-Thang; Renzo, Marco Di; Duhamel, Pierre

2013-12-01

In this paper, we study the performance of the four-node multiple-access relay channel with binary Network Coding (NC) in various Rayleigh fading scenarios. In particular, two relay protocols, decode-and-forward (DF) and demodulate-and-forward (DMF) are considered. In the first case, channel decoding is performed at the relay before NC and forwarding. In the second case, only demodulation is performed at the relay. The contributions of the paper are as follows: (1) two joint network/channel decoding (JNCD) algorithms, which take into account possible decoding error at the relay, are developed in both DF and DMF relay protocols; (2) both perfect channel state information (CSI) and imperfect CSI at receivers are studied. In addition, we propose a practical method to forward the relays error characterization to the destination (quantization of the BER). This results in a fully practical scheme. (3) We show by simulation that the number of pilot symbols only affects the coding gain but not the diversity order, and that quantization accuracy affects both coding gain and diversity order. Moreover, when compared with the recent results using DMF protocol, our proposed DF protocol algorithm shows an improvement of 4 dB in fully interleaved Rayleigh fading channels and 0.7 dB in block Rayleigh fading channels.

Jack Healy Remembers - Anecdotal Evidence for the Origin of the Approximate 24-hour Urine Sampling Protocol Used for Worker Bioassay Monitoring

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carbaugh, Eugene H.

2008-10-01

The origin of the approximate 24-hour urine sampling protocol used at Hanford for routine bioassay is attributed to an informal study done in the mid-1940s. While the actual data were never published and have been lost, anecdotal recollections by staff involved in the initial bioassay program design and administration suggest that the sampling protocol had a solid scientific basis. Numerous alternate methods for normalizing partial day samples to represent a total 24-hour collection have since been proposed and used, but no one method is obviously preferred.

A Geographical Heuristic Routing Protocol for VANETs

PubMed Central

Urquiza-Aguiar, Luis; Tripp-Barba, Carolina; Aguilar Igartua, Mónica

2016-01-01

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) leverage the communication system of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Recently, Delay-Tolerant Network (DTN) routing protocols have increased their popularity among the research community for being used in non-safety VANET applications and services like traffic reporting. Vehicular DTN protocols use geographical and local information to make forwarding decisions. However, current proposals only consider the selection of the best candidate based on a local-search. In this paper, we propose a generic Geographical Heuristic Routing (GHR) protocol that can be applied to any DTN geographical routing protocol that makes forwarding decisions hop by hop. GHR includes in its operation adaptations simulated annealing and Tabu-search meta-heuristics, which have largely been used to improve local-search results in discrete optimization. We include a complete performance evaluation of GHR in a multi-hop VANET simulation scenario for a reporting service. Our study analyzes all of the meaningful configurations of GHR and offers a statistical analysis of our findings by means of MANOVA tests. Our results indicate that the use of a Tabu list contributes to improving the packet delivery ratio by around 5% to 10%. Moreover, if Tabu is used, then the simulated annealing routing strategy gets a better performance than the selection of the best node used with carry and forwarding (default operation). PMID:27669254

A Geographical Heuristic Routing Protocol for VANETs.

PubMed

Urquiza-Aguiar, Luis; Tripp-Barba, Carolina; Aguilar Igartua, Mónica

2016-09-23

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) leverage the communication system of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). Recently, Delay-Tolerant Network (DTN) routing protocols have increased their popularity among the research community for being used in non-safety VANET applications and services like traffic reporting. Vehicular DTN protocols use geographical and local information to make forwarding decisions. However, current proposals only consider the selection of the best candidate based on a local-search. In this paper, we propose a generic Geographical Heuristic Routing (GHR) protocol that can be applied to any DTN geographical routing protocol that makes forwarding decisions hop by hop. GHR includes in its operation adaptations simulated annealing and Tabu-search meta-heuristics, which have largely been used to improve local-search results in discrete optimization. We include a complete performance evaluation of GHR in a multi-hop VANET simulation scenario for a reporting service. Our study analyzes all of the meaningful configurations of GHR and offers a statistical analysis of our findings by means of MANOVA tests. Our results indicate that the use of a Tabu list contributes to improving the packet delivery ratio by around 5% to 10%. Moreover, if Tabu is used, then the simulated annealing routing strategy gets a better performance than the selection of the best node used with carry and forwarding (default operation).

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution for Scarani-Acin-Ribordy-Gisin 04 protocol

PubMed Central

Mizutani, Akihiro; Tamaki, Kiyoshi; Ikuta, Rikizo; Yamamoto, Takashi; Imoto, Nobuyuki

2014-01-01

The measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI QKD) was proposed to make BB84 completely free from any side-channel in detectors. Like in prepare & measure QKD, the use of other protocols in MDI setting would be advantageous in some practical situations. In this paper, we consider SARG04 protocol in MDI setting. The prepare & measure SARG04 is proven to be able to generate a key up to two-photon emission events. In MDI setting we show that the key generation is possible from the event with single or two-photon emission by a party and single-photon emission by the other party, but the two-photon emission event by both parties cannot contribute to the key generation. On the contrary to prepare & measure SARG04 protocol where the experimental setup is exactly the same as BB84, the measurement setup for SARG04 in MDI setting cannot be the same as that for BB84 since the measurement setup for BB84 in MDI setting induces too many bit errors. To overcome this problem, we propose two alternative experimental setups, and we simulate the resulting key rate. Our study highlights the requirements that MDI QKD poses on us regarding with the implementation of a variety of QKD protocols. PMID:24913431

Vehicle Density Based Forwarding Protocol for Safety Message Broadcast in VANET

PubMed Central

Huang, Jiawei; Wang, Jianxin

2014-01-01

In vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), the medium access control (MAC) protocol is of great importance to provide time-critical safety applications. Contemporary multihop broadcast protocols in VANETs usually choose the farthest node in broadcast range as the forwarder to reduce the number of forwarding hops. However, in this paper, we demonstrate that the farthest forwarder may experience large contention delay in case of high vehicle density. We propose an IEEE 802.11-based multihop broadcast protocol VDF to address the issue of emergency message dissemination. To achieve the tradeoff between contention delay and forwarding hops, VDF adaptably chooses the forwarder according to the vehicle density. Simulation results show that, due to its ability to decrease the transmission collisions, the proposed protocol can provide significantly lower broadcast delay. PMID:25121125

Electronic Voting Protocol Using Identity-Based Cryptography.

PubMed

Gallegos-Garcia, Gina; Tapia-Recillas, Horacio

2015-01-01

Electronic voting protocols proposed to date meet their properties based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC), which offers high flexibility through key agreement protocols and authentication mechanisms. However, when PKC is used, it is necessary to implement Certification Authority (CA) to provide certificates which bind public keys to entities and enable verification of such public key bindings. Consequently, the components of the protocol increase notably. An alternative is to use Identity-Based Encryption (IBE). With this kind of cryptography, it is possible to have all the benefits offered by PKC, without neither the need of certificates nor all the core components of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Considering the aforementioned, in this paper we propose an electronic voting protocol, which meets the privacy and robustness properties by using bilinear maps.

Electronic Voting Protocol Using Identity-Based Cryptography

PubMed Central

Gallegos-Garcia, Gina; Tapia-Recillas, Horacio

2015-01-01

Electronic voting protocols proposed to date meet their properties based on Public Key Cryptography (PKC), which offers high flexibility through key agreement protocols and authentication mechanisms. However, when PKC is used, it is necessary to implement Certification Authority (CA) to provide certificates which bind public keys to entities and enable verification of such public key bindings. Consequently, the components of the protocol increase notably. An alternative is to use Identity-Based Encryption (IBE). With this kind of cryptography, it is possible to have all the benefits offered by PKC, without neither the need of certificates nor all the core components of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Considering the aforementioned, in this paper we propose an electronic voting protocol, which meets the privacy and robustness properties by using bilinear maps. PMID:26090515

Secure Transaction Protocol for CEPS Compliant EPS in Limited Connectivity Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devane, Satish; Phatak, Deepak

Common Electronic Purse Specification (CEPS) used by European countries, elaborately defines the transaction between customer’s CEP card and merchant’s point of sales (POS) terminal. However it merely defines the specification to transfer the transactions between the Merchant and Merchant Acquirer (MA). This paper proposes a novel approach by introducing an entity, mobile merchant acquirer (MMA) which is a trusted agent of MA and principally works on man in middle concept, but facilitates remote two fold mutual authentication and secure transaction transfer between Merchant and MA through MMA. This approach removes the bottle-neck of connectivity issues between Merchant and MA in limited connectivity environment. The proposed protocol ensures the confidentiality, integrity and money atomicity of transaction batch. The proposed protocol has been verified for correctness by Spin, a model checker and security properties of the protocol have been verified by avispa.

On the designing of a tamper resistant prescription RFID access control system.

PubMed

Safkhani, Masoumeh; Bagheri, Nasour; Naderi, Majid

2012-12-01

Recently, Chen et al. have proposed a novel tamper resistant prescription RFID access control system, published in the Journal of Medical Systems. In this paper we consider the security of the proposed protocol and identify some existing weaknesses. The main attack is a reader impersonation attack which allows an active adversary to impersonate a legitimate doctor, e.g. the patient's doctor, to access the patient's tag and change the patient prescription. The presented attack is quite efficient. To impersonate a doctor, the adversary should eavesdrop one session between the doctor and the patient's tag and then she can impersonate the doctor with the success probability of '1'. In addition, we present efficient reader-tag to back-end database impersonation, de-synchronization and traceability attacks against the protocol. Finally, we propose an improved version of protocol which is more efficient compared to the original protocol while provides the desired security against the presented attacks.

A Concurrent Multiple Negotiation Protocol Based on Colored Petri Nets.

PubMed

Niu, Lei; Ren, Fenghui; Zhang, Minjie; Bai, Quan

2017-11-01

Concurrent multiple negotiation (CMN) provides a mechanism for an agent to simultaneously conduct more than one negotiation. There may exist different interdependency relationships among these negotiations and these interdependency relationships can impact the outcomes of these negotiations. The outcomes of these concurrent negotiations contribute together for the agent to achieve an overall negotiation goal. Handling a CMN while considering interdependency relationships among multiple negotiations is a challenging research problem. This paper: 1) comprehensively highlights research problems of negotiations at concurrent negotiation level; 2) provides a graph-based CMN model with consideration of the interdependency relationships; and 3) proposes a colored Petri net-based negotiation protocol for conducting CMNs. With the proposed protocol, a CMN can be efficiently and concurrently processed and negotiation agreements can be efficiently achieved. Experimental results indicate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed protocol in terms of the negotiation success rate, the negotiation time and the negotiation outcome.

On the MAC/network/energy performance evaluation of Wireless Sensor Networks: Contrasting MPH, AODV, DSR and ZTR routing protocols.

PubMed

Del-Valle-Soto, Carolina; Mex-Perera, Carlos; Orozco-Lugo, Aldo; Lara, Mauricio; Galván-Tejada, Giselle M; Olmedo, Oscar

2014-12-02

Wireless Sensor Networks deliver valuable information for long periods, then it is desirable to have optimum performance, reduced delays, low overhead, and reliable delivery of information. In this work, proposed metrics that influence energy consumption are used for a performance comparison among our proposed routing protocol, called Multi-Parent Hierarchical (MPH), the well-known protocols for sensor networks, Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (AODV), Dynamic Source Routing (DSR), and Zigbee Tree Routing (ZTR), all of them working with the IEEE 802.15.4 MAC layer. Results show how some communication metrics affect performance, throughput, reliability and energy consumption. It can be concluded that MPH is an efficient protocol since it reaches the best performance against the other three protocols under evaluation, such as 19.3% reduction of packet retransmissions, 26.9% decrease of overhead, and 41.2% improvement on the capacity of the protocol for recovering the topology from failures with respect to AODV protocol. We implemented and tested MPH in a real network of 99 nodes during ten days and analyzed parameters as number of hops, connectivity and delay, in order to validate our Sensors 2014, 14 22812 simulator and obtain reliable results. Moreover, an energy model of CC2530 chip is proposed and used for simulations of the four aforementioned protocols, showing that MPH has 15.9% reduction of energy consumption with respect to AODV, 13.7% versus DSR, and 5% against ZTR.

Community of Practice: A Path to Strategic Learning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nancy M. Carlson

2003-04-01

To explore the concept of community of practice, the research initially concentrates on a strategic business process in a research and applied engineering laboratory discovering essential communication tools and processes needed to cultivate a high functioning cross-disciplinary team engaged in proposal preparation. Qualitative research in the human ecology of the proposal process blends topic-oriented ethnography and grounded theory and includes an innovative addition to qualitative interviewing, called meta-inquiry. Meta-inquiry uses an initial interview protocol with a homogeneous pool of informants to enhance the researcher's sensitivity to the unique cultures involved in the proposal process before developing a formal interview protocol.more » In this study the preanalysis process uses data from editors, graphic artists, text processors, and production coordinators to assess, modify, enhance, and focus the formal interview protocol with scientists, engineers, and technical managers-the heterogeneous informants. Thus this human ecology-based interview protocol values homogeneous and heterogeneous informant data and acquires data from which concepts, categories, properties, and both substantive and formal theory emerges. The research discovers the five essential processes of owning, visioning, reviewing, producing, and contributing for strategic learning to occur in a proposal community of practice. The apprenticeship, developmental, and nurturing perspectives of adult learning provide the proposal community of practice with cohesion, interdependence, and caring, while core and boundary practices provide insight into the tacit and explicit dimensions of the proposal process. By making these dimensions explicit, the necessary competencies, absorptive capacity, and capabilities needed for strategic learning are discovered. Substantive theory emerges and provides insight into the ability of the proposal community of practice to evolve, flourish, and adapt to the strategic advantage of the laboratory. The substantive theory explores the dimensions of owning, visioning, reviewing, producing, and contributing and their interrelationship to community learning dynamics. Through dialogue, creative tension, and imagination, the proposal community of practice focuses on actionable goals linked by proactively participating in practice, creating possibilities, evaluating and enhancing potential, producing a valued product, and confirming strategic value. Lastly, a formal theory emerges linking competency-capacity-capability, cohesion, interdependence, and caring as essential attributes of strategic learning communities.« less

Implementation of a protocol proposed by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency for antibiotic use in very low birth weight infants.

PubMed

Pinto, Maria Cristina F Guedes; Bueno, Arnaldo C; Vieira, Alan A

2013-01-01

To analyze the implementation of a protocol proposed by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária - ANVISA) to improve sepsis diagnosis in very low birth weight newborns. This was a prospective study that evaluated the implementation of a protocol involving clinical and laboratory criteria (hematologic scoring system of Rodwell and C-reactive protein serial measurements), recommended by ANVISA, to improve the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis in very low birth weight newborns. The study included all patients who were born and remained in the neonatal intensive care unit until discharge or death, and excluded those with congenital diseases. The main outcomes measured in newborns before (2006-2007) and after implementation of the protocol (2008) were the rates of early and late-onset sepsis, use of antibiotics, and mortality. Means were compared by Student's t-test and categorical variables were compared by the chi-squared test; the significance level for all tests was set at 95%. The study included 136 newborns with very low birth weight. There was no difference between groups regarding general clinical characteristics in the studied periods. There was, however, a decrease in the number of diagnoses of probable early-onset sepsis (p<0.001), use of antimicrobial regimens (p<0.001), and overall mortality and infection-related mortality (p=0.009 and p=0.049, respectively). The implementation of the protocol allowed improvement of sepsis diagnosis by reducing the diagnosis of probable early-onset sepsis, thus promoting efficient antimicrobial use in this population. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) Scenarios, Climate Effects and the Montreal Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velders, G. J. M.; Fahey, D. W.; Daniel, J. S.

2016-12-01

The Montreal Protocol has reduced the use of ozone-depleting substances by more than 95% from its peak levels in the 1980s. As a direct result the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as substitute compounds has increased significantly. National regulations to limit HFC use have been adopted recently in the European Union, Japan and USA, and four proposals have been submitted to amend the Montreal Protocol to substantially reduce growth in HFC use. The Parties of the Montreal Protocol have discussed these proposals during their meetings in 2016. The effects of the national regulations and Montreal Protocol amendment proposals on climate forcings and surface temperatures will be presented. Global scenarios of HFC emissions reach 4.0-5.3 GtCO2-eq yr-1 in 2050, which corresponds to a projected growth from 2015 to 2050 which is 9% to 29% of that for CO2 over the same time period. In 2050, in percent of global HFC emissions, China ( 30%), India and the rest of Asia ( 25%), Middle East and northern Africa ( 10%), and USA ( 10%) are the principal source regions; and refrigeration and stationary air conditioning are the major use sectors. Calculated baseline emissions are reduced by 90% in 2050 by implementing the North America Montreal Protocol amendment proposal. This corresponds to a reduction in surface temperature attributed to HFCs from 0.1 oC to 0.04 oC in 2050 and from 0.3-0.4 oC to 0.02 oC in 2100.

REVIEW OF THE NEGOTIATION OF THE MODEL PROTOCOL ADDITIONAL TO THE AGREEMENT(S) BETWEEN STATE(S) AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY FOR THE APPLICATION OF SAFEGUARDS, INFCIRC/540 (Corrected) VOLUME II/III IAEA COMMITTEE 24, Major Issues Underlying the Model Additional Protocol (1996-1997).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rosenthal, M.D.; Saum-Manning, L.; Houck, F.

Volume I of this Review traces the origins of the Model Additional Protocol. It covers the period from 1991, when events in Iraq triggered an intensive review of the safeguards system, until 1996, when the IAEA Board of Governors established Committee 24 to negotiate a new protocol to safeguards agreement. The period from 1991-1996 set the stage for this negotiation and shaped its outcome in important ways. During this 5-year period, many proposals for strengthening safeguards were suggested and reviewed. Some proposals were dropped, for example, the suggestion by the IAEA Secretariat to verify certain imports, and others were refined.more » A rough consensus was established about the directions in which the international community wanted to go, and this was reflected in the draft of an additional protocol that was submitted to the IAEA Board of Governors on May 6, 1996 in document GOV/2863, Strengthening the Effectiveness and Improving the Efficiency of the Safeguards System - Proposals For Implementation Under Complementary Legal Authority, A Report by the Director General. This document ended with a recommendation that, 'the Board, through an appropriate mechanism, finalize the required legal instrument taking as a basis the draft protocol proposed by the Secretariat and the explanation of the measures contained in this document.'« less

Secure and Lightweight Cloud-Assisted Video Reporting Protocol over 5G-Enabled Vehicular Networks

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

In the vehicular networks, the real-time video reporting service is used to send the recorded videos in the vehicle to the cloud. However, when facilitating the real-time video reporting service in the vehicular networks, the usage of the fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) was proved to suffer from latency while the IEEE 802.11p standard does not offer sufficient scalability for a such congested environment. To overcome those drawbacks, the fifth-generation (5G)-enabled vehicular network is considered as a promising technology for empowering the real-time video reporting service. In this paper, we note that security and privacy related issues should also be carefully addressed to boost the early adoption of 5G-enabled vehicular networks. There exist a few research works for secure video reporting service in 5G-enabled vehicular networks. However, their usage is limited because of public key certificates and expensive pairing operations. Thus, we propose a secure and lightweight protocol for cloud-assisted video reporting service in 5G-enabled vehicular networks. Compared to the conventional public key certificates, the proposed protocol achieves entities’ authorization through anonymous credential. Also, by using lightweight security primitives instead of expensive bilinear pairing operations, the proposed protocol minimizes the computational overhead. From the evaluation results, we show that the proposed protocol takes the smaller computation and communication time for the cryptographic primitives than that of the well-known Eiza-Ni-Shi protocol. PMID:28946633

Secure and Lightweight Cloud-Assisted Video Reporting Protocol over 5G-Enabled Vehicular Networks.

PubMed

Nkenyereye, Lewis; Kwon, Joonho; Choi, Yoon-Ho

2017-09-23

In the vehicular networks, the real-time video reporting service is used to send the recorded videos in the vehicle to the cloud. However, when facilitating the real-time video reporting service in the vehicular networks, the usage of the fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) was proved to suffer from latency while the IEEE 802.11p standard does not offer sufficient scalability for a such congested environment. To overcome those drawbacks, the fifth-generation (5G)-enabled vehicular network is considered as a promising technology for empowering the real-time video reporting service. In this paper, we note that security and privacy related issues should also be carefully addressed to boost the early adoption of 5G-enabled vehicular networks. There exist a few research works for secure video reporting service in 5G-enabled vehicular networks. However, their usage is limited because of public key certificates and expensive pairing operations. Thus, we propose a secure and lightweight protocol for cloud-assisted video reporting service in 5G-enabled vehicular networks. Compared to the conventional public key certificates, the proposed protocol achieves entities' authorization through anonymous credential. Also, by using lightweight security primitives instead of expensive bilinear pairing operations, the proposed protocol minimizes the computational overhead. From the evaluation results, we show that the proposed protocol takes the smaller computation and communication time for the cryptographic primitives than that of the well-known Eiza-Ni-Shi protocol.

Link-state-estimation-based transmission power control in wireless body area networks.

PubMed

Kim, Seungku; Eom, Doo-Seop

2014-07-01

This paper presents a novel transmission power control protocol to extend the lifetime of sensor nodes and to increase the link reliability in wireless body area networks (WBANs). We first experimentally investigate the properties of the link states using the received signal strength indicator (RSSI). We then propose a practical transmission power control protocol based on both short- and long-term link-state estimations. Both the short- and long-term link-state estimations enable the transceiver to adapt the transmission power level and target the RSSI threshold range, respectively, to simultaneously satisfy the requirements of energy efficiency and link reliability. Finally, the performance of the proposed protocol is experimentally evaluated in two experimental scenarios-body posture change and dynamic body motion-and compared with the typical WBAN transmission power control protocols, a real-time reactive scheme, and a dynamic postural position inference mechanism. From the experimental results, it is found that the proposed protocol increases the lifetime of the sensor nodes by a maximum of 9.86% and enhances the link reliability by reducing the packet loss by a maximum of 3.02%.

A Mutual Authentication Framework for Wireless Medical Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Srinivas, Jangirala; Mishra, Dheerendra; Mukhopadhyay, Sourav

2017-05-01

Wireless medical sensor networks (WMSN) comprise of distributed sensors, which can sense human physiological signs and monitor the health condition of the patient. It is observed that providing privacy to the patient's data is an important issue and can be challenging. The information passing is done via the public channel in WMSN. Thus, the patient, sensitive information can be obtained by eavesdropping or by unauthorized use of handheld devices which the health professionals use in monitoring the patient. Therefore, there is an essential need of restricting the unauthorized access to the patient's medical information. Hence, the efficient authentication scheme for the healthcare applications is needed to preserve the privacy of the patients' vital signs. To ensure secure and authorized communication in WMSN, we design a symmetric key based authentication protocol for WMSN environment. The proposed protocol uses only computationally efficient operations to achieve lightweight attribute. We analyze the security of the proposed protocol. We use a formal security proof algorithm to show the scheme security against known attacks. We also use the Automated Validation of Internet Security Protocols and Applications (AVISPA) simulator to show protocol secure against man-in-the-middle attack and replay attack. Additionally, we adopt an informal analysis to discuss the key attributes of the proposed scheme. From the formal proof of security, we can see that an attacker has a negligible probability of breaking the protocol security. AVISPA simulator also demonstrates the proposed scheme security against active attacks, namely, man-in-the-middle attack and replay attack. Additionally, through the comparison of computational efficiency and security attributes with several recent results, proposed scheme seems to be battered.

Design and development of compact monitoring system for disaster remote health centres.

PubMed

Santhi, S; Sadasivam, G S

2015-02-01

To enhance speedy communication between the patient and the doctor through newly proposed routing protocol at the mobile node. The proposed model is applied for a telemedicine application during disaster recovery management. In this paper, Energy Efficient Link Stability Routing Protocol (EELSRP) has been developed by simulation and real time. This framework is designed for the immediate healing of affected persons in remote areas, especially at the time of the disaster where there is no hospital proximity. In case of disasters, there might be an outbreak of infectious diseases. In such cases, the patient's medical record is also transferred by the field operator from disaster place to the hospital to facilitate the identification of the disease-causing agent and to prescribe the necessary medication. The heterogeneous networking framework provides reliable, energy efficientand speedy communication between the patient and the doctor using the proposed routing protocol at the mobile node. The performance of the simulation and real time versions of the Energy Efficient Link Stability Routing Protocol (EELSRP) protocol has been analyzed. Experimental results prove the efficiency of the real-time version of EESLRP protocol. The packet delivery ratio and throughput of the real time version of EELSRP protocol is increased by 3% and 10%, respectively, when compared to the simulated version of EELSRP. The end-to-end delay and energy consumption are reduced by 10% and 2% in the real time version of EELSRP.

75 FR 69505 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of Proposed Rule...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-12

... routing standardized equity and index options. Specifically, the Exchange proposes to adopt a tiered fee... in connection with the use of other trading telecommunication protocols: [ $500 per month for each... is a protocol used by NOM market participants for order entry, modification and cancellation and...

The OAuth 2.0 Web Authorization Protocol for the Internet Addiction Bioinformatics (IABio) Database.

PubMed

Choi, Jeongseok; Kim, Jaekwon; Lee, Dong Kyun; Jang, Kwang Soo; Kim, Dai-Jin; Choi, In Young

2016-03-01

Internet addiction (IA) has become a widespread and problematic phenomenon as smart devices pervade society. Moreover, internet gaming disorder leads to increases in social expenditures for both individuals and nations alike. Although the prevention and treatment of IA are getting more important, the diagnosis of IA remains problematic. Understanding the neurobiological mechanism of behavioral addictions is essential for the development of specific and effective treatments. Although there are many databases related to other addictions, a database for IA has not been developed yet. In addition, bioinformatics databases, especially genetic databases, require a high level of security and should be designed based on medical information standards. In this respect, our study proposes the OAuth standard protocol for database access authorization. The proposed IA Bioinformatics (IABio) database system is based on internet user authentication, which is a guideline for medical information standards, and uses OAuth 2.0 for access control technology. This study designed and developed the system requirements and configuration. The OAuth 2.0 protocol is expected to establish the security of personal medical information and be applied to genomic research on IA.

Implant Rehabilitation Planning Protocol for the Edentulous Patient According to Denture Space, Lip Support, and Smile Line.

PubMed

Lago, Laura; Rilo, Benito; Fernández-Formoso, Noelia; DaSilva, Luis

2017-08-01

Rehabilitation with implants is a challenge. Having previous evaluation criteria is key to establishing the best treatment for the patient. In addition to clinical and radiological aspects, the prosthetic parameters must be taken into account in the initial workup, since they allow discrimination between fixed and removable rehabilitation. We present a study protocol that analyzes three basic prosthetic aspects. First, denture space defines the need to replace teeth, tissue, or both. Second, lip support focuses on whether or not to include a flange. Third, the smile line warns of potential risks in esthetic rehabilitation. Combining these parameters allows us to make a decision as to the most suitable type of prosthesis. The proposed protocol is useful for assessing the prosthetic parameters that influence decision making as to the best-suited type of restoration. From this point of view, we think it is appropriate for the initial approach to the patient. In any case, other considerations of study may amend the proposal. © 2016 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

MAC Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks Using a Genetic Algorithm

PubMed Central

Elizarraras, Omar; Panduro, Marco; Méndez, Aldo L.

2014-01-01

The problem of obtaining the transmission rate in an ad hoc network consists in adjusting the power of each node to ensure the signal to interference ratio (SIR) and the energy required to transmit from one node to another is obtained at the same time. Therefore, an optimal transmission rate for each node in a medium access control (MAC) protocol based on CSMA-CDMA (carrier sense multiple access-code division multiple access) for ad hoc networks can be obtained using evolutionary optimization. This work proposes a genetic algorithm for the transmission rate election considering a perfect power control, and our proposition achieves improvement of 10% compared with the scheme that handles the handshaking phase to adjust the transmission rate. Furthermore, this paper proposes a genetic algorithm that solves the problem of power combining, interference, data rate, and energy ensuring the signal to interference ratio in an ad hoc network. The result of the proposed genetic algorithm has a better performance (15%) compared to the CSMA-CDMA protocol without optimizing. Therefore, we show by simulation the effectiveness of the proposed protocol in terms of the throughput. PMID:25140339

Quantum Authencryption with Two-Photon Entangled States for Off-Line Communicants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Tian-Yu

2016-02-01

In this paper, a quantum authencryption protocol is proposed by using the two-photon entangled states as the quantum resource. Two communicants Alice and Bob share two private keys in advance, which determine the generation of two-photon entangled states. The sender Alice sends the two-photon entangled state sequence encoded with her classical bits to the receiver Bob in the manner of one-step quantum transmission. Upon receiving the encoded quantum state sequence, Bob decodes out Alice's classical bits with the two-photon joint measurements and authenticates the integrity of Alice's secret with the help of one-way hash function. The proposed protocol only uses the one-step quantum transmission and needs neither a public discussion nor a trusted third party. As a result, the proposed protocol can be adapted to the case where the receiver is off-line, such as the quantum E-mail systems. Moreover, the proposed protocol provides the message authentication to one bit level with the help of one-way hash function and has an information-theoretical efficiency equal to 100 %.

40 CFR 792.120 - Protocol.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... the test system. (8) A description of the experimental design, including methods for the control of... at which the study is being conducted. (4) The proposed experimental start and termination dates. (5...

40 CFR 792.120 - Protocol.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... the test system. (8) A description of the experimental design, including methods for the control of... at which the study is being conducted. (4) The proposed experimental start and termination dates. (5...

40 CFR 792.120 - Protocol.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... the test system. (8) A description of the experimental design, including methods for the control of... at which the study is being conducted. (4) The proposed experimental start and termination dates. (5...

40 CFR 792.120 - Protocol.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... the test system. (8) A description of the experimental design, including methods for the control of... at which the study is being conducted. (4) The proposed experimental start and termination dates. (5...

Compact Modbus TCP/IP protocol for data acquisition systems based on limited hardware resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Q.; Jin, B.; Wang, D.; Wang, Y.; Liu, X.

2018-04-01

The Modbus TCP/IP has been a standard industry communication protocol and widely utilized for establishing sensor-cloud platforms on the Internet. However, numerous existing data acquisition systems built on traditional single-chip microcontrollers without sufficient resources cannot support it, because the complete Modbus TCP/IP protocol always works dependent on a full operating system which occupies abundant hardware resources. Hence, a compact Modbus TCP/IP protocol is proposed in this work to make it run efficiently and stably even on a resource-limited hardware platform. Firstly, the Modbus TCP/IP protocol stack is analyzed and the refined protocol suite is rebuilt by streamlining the typical TCP/IP suite. Then, specific implementation of every hierarchical layer is respectively presented in detail according to the protocol structure. Besides, the compact protocol is implemented in a traditional microprocessor to validate the feasibility of the scheme. Finally, the performance of the proposed scenario is assessed. The experimental results demonstrate that message packets match the frame format of Modbus TCP/IP protocol and the average bandwidth reaches to 1.15 Mbps. The compact protocol operates stably even based on a traditional microcontroller with only 4-kB RAM and 12-MHz system clock, and no communication congestion or frequent packet loss occurs.

Quantum direct communication protocol strengthening against Pavičić’s attack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Bo; Shi, Wei-Xu; Wang, Jian; Tang, Chao-Jing

2015-12-01

A quantum circuit providing an undetectable eavesdropping of information in message mode, which compromises all two-state ψ-ϕ quantum direct communication (QDC) protocols, has been recently proposed by Pavičić [Phys. Rev. A 87 (2013) 042326]. A modification of the protocol’s control mode is proposed, which improves users’ 25% detection probability of Eve to 50% at best, as that in ping-pong protocol. The modification also improves the detection probability of Wójcik’s attack [Phys. Rev. Lett 90 (2003) 157901] to 75% at best. The resistance against man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack as well as the discussion of security for four Bell state protocols is presented. As a result, the protocol security is strengthened both theoretically and practically, and quantum advantage of superdense coding is restored.

A Smart Collaborative Routing Protocol for Reliable Data Diffusion in IoT Scenarios.

PubMed

Ai, Zheng-Yang; Zhou, Yu-Tong; Song, Fei

2018-06-13

It is knotty for current routing protocols to meet the needs of reliable data diffusion during the Internet of Things (IoT) deployments. Due to the random placement, limited resources and unattended features of existing sensor nodes, the wireless transmissions are easily exposed to unauthorized users, which becomes a vulnerable area for various malicious attacks, such as wormhole and Sybil attacks. However, the scheme based on geographic location is a suitable candidate to defend against them. This paper is inspired to propose a smart collaborative routing protocol, Geographic energy aware routing and Inspecting Node (GIN), for guaranteeing the reliability of data exchanging. The proposed protocol integrates the directed diffusion routing, Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing (GPSR), and the inspecting node mechanism. We first discuss current wireless routing protocols from three diverse perspectives (improving transmission rate, shortening transmission range and reducing transmission consumption). Then, the details of GIN, including the model establishment and implementation processes, are presented by means of the theoretical analysis. Through leveraging the game theory, the inspecting node is elected to monitor the network behaviors. Thirdly, we evaluate the network performances, in terms of transmission delay, packet loss ratio, and throughput, between GIN and three traditional schemes (i.e., Flooding, GPSR, and GEAR). The simulation results illustrate that the proposed protocol is able to outperform the others.

Space Wire Upper Layer Protocols

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rakow, Glenn; Schnurr, Richard; Gilley, Daniel; Parkes, Steve

2004-01-01

This viewgraph presentation addresses efforts to provide a streamlined approach for developing SpaceWire Upper layer protocols which allows industry to drive standardized communication solutions for real projects. The presentation proposes a simple packet header that will allow flexibility in implementing a diverse range of protocols.

Anibamine and its Analogues as Novel Anti Prostate Cancer Agents

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

PC- 3, and DU-145 has been conducted continuously to evaluate the efficacy of more ligands. A molecular modeling study (3D QSAR ) protocol has been... Toxicology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Both the PI’s lab and Dr. 10 Selley’s lab have fully functional binding assay facility. The assays is...pursue the docking study and 3D QSAR study. 5.3 3D QSAR (Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships) Study As proposed in our proposal, we will

Differential Sarcomere and Electrophysiological Maturation of Human iPSC-Derived Cardiac Myocytes in Monolayer vs. Aggregation-Based Differentiation Protocols

PubMed Central

Jeziorowska, Dorota; Fontaine, Vincent; Jouve, Charlène; Villard, Eric; Dussaud, Sébastien; Akbar, David; Letang, Valérie; Cervello, Pauline; Itier, Jean-Michiel; Pruniaux, Marie-Pierre; Hulot, Jean-Sébastien

2017-01-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) represent a powerful human model to study cardiac disease in vitro, notably channelopathies and sarcomeric cardiomyopathies. Different protocols for cardiac differentiation of iPSCs have been proposed either based on embroid body formation (3D) or, more recently, on monolayer culture (2D). We performed a direct comparison of the characteristics of the derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) on day 27 ± 2 of differentiation between 3D and 2D differentiation protocols with two different Wnt-inhibitors were compared: IWR1 (inhibitor of Wnt response) or IWP2 (inhibitor of Wnt production). We firstly found that the level of Troponin T (TNNT2) expression measured by FACS was significantly higher for both 2D protocols as compared to the 3D protocol. In the three methods, iPSC-CM show sarcomeric structures. However, iPSC-CM generated in 2D protocols constantly displayed larger sarcomere lengths as compared to the 3D protocol. In addition, mRNA and protein analyses reveal higher cTNi to ssTNi ratios in the 2D protocol using IWP2 as compared to both other protocols, indicating a higher sarcomeric maturation. Differentiation of cardiac myocytes with 2D monolayer-based protocols and the use of IWP2 allows the production of higher yield of cardiac myocytes that have more suitable characteristics to study sarcomeric cardiomyopathies. PMID:28587156

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lim, Charles Ci Wen; Xu, Feihu; Siopsis, George

Quantum position verification (QPV) is the art of verifying the geographical location of an untrusted party. It has recently been shown that the widely studied Bennett & Brassard 1984 (BB84) QPV protocol is insecure after the 3 dB loss point assuming local operations and classical communication (LOCC) adversaries. Here in this paper, we propose a time-reversed entanglement swapping QPV protocol (based on measurement-device-independent quantum cryptography) that is highly robust against quantum channel loss. First, assuming ideal qubit sources, we show that the protocol is secure against LOCC adversaries for any quantum channel loss, thereby overcoming the 3 dB loss limit.more » Then, we analyze the security of the protocol in a more practical setting involving weak laser sources and linear optics. Lastly, in this setting, we find that the security only degrades by an additive constant and the protocol is able to verify positions up to 47 dB channel loss.« less

Loss-tolerant quantum secure positioning with weak laser sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Charles Ci Wen; Xu, Feihu; Siopsis, George; Chitambar, Eric; Evans, Philip G.; Qi, Bing

2016-09-01

Quantum position verification (QPV) is the art of verifying the geographical location of an untrusted party. Recently, it has been shown that the widely studied Bennett & Brassard 1984 (BB84) QPV protocol is insecure after the 3 dB loss point assuming local operations and classical communication (LOCC) adversaries. Here, we propose a time-reversed entanglement swapping QPV protocol (based on measurement-device-independent quantum cryptography) that is highly robust against quantum channel loss. First, assuming ideal qubit sources, we show that the protocol is secure against LOCC adversaries for any quantum channel loss, thereby overcoming the 3 dB loss limit. Then, we analyze the security of the protocol in a more practical setting involving weak laser sources and linear optics. In this setting, we find that the security only degrades by an additive constant and the protocol is able to verify positions up to 47 dB channel loss.

A simple protocol for Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization- time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis of lipids and proteins in single microsamples of paintings.

PubMed

van der Werf, Inez D; Calvano, Cosima D; Palmisano, Francesco; Sabbatini, Luigia

2012-03-09

A simple protocol, based on Bligh-Dyer (BD) extraction followed by MALDI-TOF-MS analysis, for fast identification of paint binders in single microsamples is proposed. For the first time it is demonstrated that the BD method is effective for the simultaneous extraction of lipids and proteins from complex, and atypical matrices, such as pigmented paint layers. The protocol makes use of an alternative denaturing anionic detergent (RapiGest™) in order to improve efficiency of protein digestion and purification step. Detection of various lipid classes, such as triacylglycerols (TAGs) and phospholipids (PLs), and their oxidation by-products was accomplished, whereas proteins could be identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. The effect of pigments on ageing of lipids and proteins was also investigated. Finally, the proposed protocol was successfully applied to the study of a late-15th century Italian panel painting allowing the identification of various proteinaceous and lipid sections in organic binders, such as egg yolk, egg white, animal glue, casein, and drying oil. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiple Object Based RFID System Using Security Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jiyeon; Jung, Jongjin; Ryu, Ukjae; Ko, Hoon; Joe, Susan; Lee, Yongjun; Kim, Boyeon; Chang, Yunseok; Lee, Kyoonha

2007-12-01

RFID systems are increasingly applied for operational convenience in wide range of industries and individual life. However, it is uneasy for a person to control many tags because common RFID systems have the restriction that a tag used to identify just a single object. In addition, RFID systems can make some serious problems in violation of privacy and security because of their radio frequency communication. In this paper, we propose a multiple object RFID tag which can keep multiple object identifiers for different applications in a same tag. The proposed tag allows simultaneous access for their pair applications. We also propose an authentication protocol for multiple object tag to prevent serious problems of security and privacy in RFID applications. Especially, we focus on efficiency of the authentication protocol by considering security levels of applications. In the proposed protocol, the applications go through different authentication procedures according to security level of the object identifier stored in the tag. We implemented the proposed RFID scheme and made experimental results about efficiency and stability for the scheme.

A multimetric, map-aware routing protocol for VANETs in urban areas.

PubMed

Tripp-Barba, Carolina; Urquiza-Aguiar, Luis; Aguilar Igartua, Mónica; Rebollo-Monedero, David; de la Cruz Llopis, Luis J; Mezher, Ahmad Mohamad; Aguilar-Calderón, José Alfonso

2014-01-28

In recent years, the general interest in routing for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) has increased notably. Many proposals have been presented to improve the behavior of the routing decisions in these very changeable networks. In this paper, we propose a new routing protocol for VANETs that uses four different metrics. which are the distance to destination, the vehicles' density, the vehicles' trajectory and the available bandwidth, making use of the information retrieved by the sensors of the vehicle, in order to make forwarding decisions, minimizing packet losses and packet delay. Through simulation, we compare our proposal to other protocols, such as AODV (Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector), GPSR (Greedy Perimeter Stateless Routing), I-GPSR (Improvement GPSR) and to our previous proposal, GBSR-B (Greedy Buffer Stateless Routing Building-aware). Besides, we present a performance evaluation of the individual importance of each metric to make forwarding decisions. Experimental results show that our proposed forwarding decision outperforms existing solutions in terms of packet delivery.

Enhanced protocol for real-time transmission of echocardiograms over wireless channels.

PubMed

Cavero, Eva; Alesanco, Alvaro; García, Jose

2012-11-01

This paper presents a methodology to transmit clinical video over wireless networks in real-time. A 3-D set partitioning in hierarchical trees compression prior to transmission is proposed. In order to guarantee the clinical quality of the compressed video, a clinical evaluation specific to each video modality has to be made. This evaluation indicates the minimal transmission rate necessary for an accurate diagnosis. However, the channel conditions produce errors and distort the video. A reliable application protocol is therefore proposed using a hybrid solution in which either retransmission or retransmission combined with forward error correction (FEC) techniques are used, depending on the channel conditions. In order to analyze the proposed methodology, the 2-D mode of an echocardiogram has been assessed. A bandwidth of 200 kbps is necessary to guarantee its clinical quality. The transmission using the proposed solution and retransmission and FEC techniques working separately have been simulated and compared in high-speed uplink packet access (HSUPA) and worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) networks. The proposed protocol achieves guaranteed clinical quality for bit error rates higher than with the other protocols, being for a mobile speed of 60 km/h up to 3.3 times higher for HSUPA and 10 times for WiMAX.

Biodistribution of the boron carriers boronophenylalanine (BPA) and/or decahydrodecaborate (GB-10) for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in an experimental model of lung metastases.

PubMed

Trivillin, V A; Garabalino, M A; Colombo, L L; González, S J; Farías, R O; Monti Hughes, A; Pozzi, E C C; Bortolussi, S; Altieri, S; Itoiz, M E; Aromando, R F; Nigg, D W; Schwint, A E

2014-06-01

BNCT was proposed for the treatment of diffuse, non-resectable tumors in the lung. We performed boron biodistribution studies with 5 administration protocols employing the boron carriers BPA and/or GB-10 in an experimental model of disseminated lung metastases in rats. All 5 protocols were non-toxic and showed preferential tumor boron uptake versus lung. Absolute tumor boron concentration values were therapeutically useful (25-76ppm) for 3 protocols. Dosimetric calculations indicate that BNCT at RA-3 would be potentially therapeutic without exceeding radiotolerance in the lung. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Biodistribution of the boron carriers boronophenylalanine (BPA) and/or decahydrodecaborate (GB-10) for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) in an experimental model of lung metastases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

D.W. Nigg; Various Others

BNCT was proposed for the treatment of diffuse, non-resectable tumors in the lung. We performed boron biodistribution studies with 5 administration protocols employing the boron carriers BPA and/or GB-10 in an experimental model of disseminated lung metastases in rats. All 5 protocols were non-toxic and showed preferential tumor boron uptake versus lung. Absolute tumor boron concentration values were therapeutically useful (25–76 ppm) for 3 protocols. Dosimetric calculations indicate that BNCT at RA-3 would be potentially therapeutic without exceeding radiotolerance in the lung.

A review on transport layer protocol performance for delivering video on an adhoc network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suherman; Suwendri; Al-Akaidi, Marwan

2017-09-01

The transport layer protocol is responsible for the end to end data transmission. Transmission control protocol (TCP) provides a reliable connection and user datagram protocol (UDP) offers fast but unguaranteed data transfer. Meanwhile, the 802.11 (wireless fidelity/WiFi) networks have been widely used as internet hotspots. This paper evaluates TCP, TCP variants and UDP performances for video transmission on an adhoc network. The transport protocol - medium access cross-layer is proposed by prioritizing TCP acknowledgement to reduce delay. The NS-2 evaluations show that the average delays increase linearly for all the evaluated protocols and the average packet losses grow logarithmically. UDP produces the lowest transmission delay; 5.4% and 5.8% lower than TCP and TCP variant, but experiences the highest packet loss. Both TCP and TCP Vegas maintain packet loss as low as possible. The proposed cross-layer successfully decreases TCP and TCP Vegas delay about 0.12 % and 0.15%, although losses remain similar.

Enhanced just-in-time plus protocol for optical burst switching networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Joel J. P. C.; Gregório, José M. B.; Vasilakos, Athanasios V.

2010-07-01

We propose a new one-way resource reservation protocol for optical burst switching (OBS) networks, called Enhanced Just-in-Time Plus (E-JIT+). The protocol is described in detail, and its formal specification is presented, following an extended finite state machine approach. The performance evaluation of E-JIT+ is analyzed in comparison with other proposed OBS protocols (JIT+ and E-JIT) for the following network topologies: rings; degree-two, degree-three, and degree-four chordal rings; mesh-torus; NSFNET; ARPANET; FCCN-NET; and the European Optical Network. We evaluate and compare the performance of the different protocols in terms of burst loss probability, taking into account the most important OBS network parameters. It was shown that E-JIT+ performs better than available one-way resource reservation protocols for all the evaluated network topologies. Moreover, the scalability of E-JIT+ was observed, and when the network traffic increases, the burst loss probability also increases, leading to a worse network performance.

Dual watermarking scheme for secure buyer-seller watermarking protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehra, Neelesh; Shandilya, Madhu

2012-04-01

A buyer-seller watermarking protocol utilize watermarking along with cryptography for copyright and copy protection for the seller and meanwhile it also preserve buyers rights for privacy. It enables a seller to successfully identify a malicious seller from a pirated copy, while preventing the seller from framing an innocent buyer and provide anonymity to buyer. Up to now many buyer-seller watermarking protocols have been proposed which utilize more and more cryptographic scheme to solve many common problems such as customer's rights, unbinding problem, buyer's anonymity problem and buyer's participation in the dispute resolution. But most of them are infeasible since the buyer may not have knowledge of cryptography. Another issue is the number of steps to complete the protocols are large, a buyer needs to interact with different parties many times in these protocols, which is very inconvenient for buyer. To overcome these drawbacks, in this paper we proposed dual watermarking scheme in encrypted domain. Since neither of watermark has been generated by buyer so a general layman buyer can use the protocol.

Relativistic quantum cryptography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Molotkov, S. N., E-mail: molotkov@issp.ac.ru

2011-03-15

A new protocol of quantum key distribution is proposed to transmit keys through free space. Along with quantum-mechanical restrictions on the discernibility of nonorthogonal quantum states, the protocol uses additional restrictions imposed by special relativity theory. Unlike all existing quantum key distribution protocols, this protocol ensures key secrecy for a not strictly one-photon source of quantum states and an arbitrary length of a quantum communication channel.

A reference protocol for comparing the biocidal properties of gas plasma generating devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, A.; Seri, P.; Borghi, C. A.; Shama, G.; Iza, F.

2015-12-01

Growing interest in the use of non-thermal, atmospheric pressure gas plasmas for decontamination purposes has resulted in a multiplicity of plasma-generating devices. There is currently no universally approved method of comparing the biocidal performance of such devices and in the work described here spores of the Gram positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633) are proposed as a suitable reference biological agent. In order to achieve consistency in the form in which the biological agent in question is presented to the plasma, a polycarbonate membrane loaded with a monolayer of spores is proposed. The advantages of the proposed protocol are evaluated by comparing inactivation tests in which an alternative microorganism (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus—MRSA) and the widely-used sample preparation technique of directly pipetting cell suspensions onto membranes are employed. In all cases, inactivation tests with either UV irradiation or plasma exposure were more reproducible when the proposed protocol was followed.

Surveillance of individuals at intermediate risk of colorectal cancer--the impact of new guidelines.

PubMed

Clark, S K; Carpenter, S; Broughton, C I M; Marks, C G

2003-11-01

Individuals with two first degree relatives, or one diagnosed at age < 45 years, with colorectal cancer are at sufficient risk to merit surveillance. Most undergo colonoscopy four to five yearly, starting 10 years before the youngest case. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a proposed new surveillance protocol. We identified individuals with these risk criteria seen in our clinic from 1989 to 2001 and reviewed their notes with respect to colonoscopy. Colonoscopy (n = 295) was performed on 186 patients in accordance with current recommendations. Cancer was detected in three and adenoma in 21 individuals. Applying the proposed protocol, 123 (42%) fewer colonoscopies would have been performed. No cancers would have been missed, but in five cases a small adenoma would not have been detected. Proposed new guidelines for surveillance of those at intermediate risk reduce the burden of colonoscopy without compromising identification of significant neoplasia.

Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prinn, Ronald G.; Kurylo, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2004-01-01

We seek funding from NASA for the third year (2005) of the four-year period January 1, 2003 - December 31, 2006 for continued support of the MIT contributions to the multi-national global atmospheric trace species measurement program entitled Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE). The case for real-time high-frequency measurement networks like AGAGE is very strong and the observations and their interpretation are widely recognized for their importance to ozone depletion and climate change studies and to verification issues arising from the Montreal Protocol (ozone) and Kyoto Protocol (climate). The proposed AGAGE program is distinguished by its capability to measure over the globe at high frequency almost all of the important species in the Montreal Protocol and almost all of the significant non-CO2 gases in the Kyoto Protocol.

A Secure Three-Factor User Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol for TMIS With User Anonymity.

PubMed

Amin, Ruhul; Biswas, G P

2015-08-01

Telecare medical information system (TMIS) makes an efficient and convenient connection between patient(s)/user(s) and doctor(s) over the insecure internet. Therefore, data security, privacy and user authentication are enormously important for accessing important medical data over insecure communication. Recently, many user authentication protocols for TMIS have been proposed in the literature and it has been observed that most of the protocols cannot achieve complete security requirements. In this paper, we have scrutinized two (Mishra et al., Xu et al.) remote user authentication protocols using smart card and explained that both the protocols are suffering against several security weaknesses. We have then presented three-factor user authentication and key agreement protocol usable for TMIS, which fix the security pitfalls of the above mentioned schemes. The informal cryptanalysis makes certain that the proposed protocol provides well security protection on the relevant security attacks. Furthermore, the simulator AVISPA tool confirms that the protocol is secure against active and passive attacks including replay and man-in-the-middle attacks. The security functionalities and performance comparison analysis confirm that our protocol not only provide strong protection on security attacks, but it also achieves better complexities along with efficient login and password change phase as well as session key verification property.

Proactive Byzantine Quorum Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alchieri, Eduardo A. P.; Bessani, Alysson Neves; Pereira, Fernando Carlos; da Silva Fraga, Joni

Byzantine Quorum Systems is a replication technique used to ensure availability and consistency of replicates data even in presence of arbitrary faults. This paper presents a Byzantine Quorum Systems protocol that provides atomic semantics despite the existence of Byzantine clients and servers. Moreover, this protocol is integrated with a protocol for proactive recovery of servers. In that way, the system tolerates any number of failures during its lifetime, since no more than f out of n servers fail during a small interval of time between recoveries. All solutions proposed in this paper can be used on asynchronous systems, which requires no time assumptions. The proposed quorum system read and write protocols have been implemented and their efficiency is demonstrated through some experiments carried out in the Emulab platform.

Authenticated multi-user quantum key distribution with single particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Song; Wang, Hui; Guo, Gong-De; Ye, Guo-Hua; Du, Hong-Zhen; Liu, Xiao-Fen

2016-03-01

Quantum key distribution (QKD) has been growing rapidly in recent years and becomes one of the hottest issues in quantum information science. During the implementation of QKD on a network, identity authentication has been one main problem. In this paper, an efficient authenticated multi-user quantum key distribution (MQKD) protocol with single particles is proposed. In this protocol, any two users on a quantum network can perform mutual authentication and share a secure session key with the assistance of a semi-honest center. Meanwhile, the particles, which are used as quantum information carriers, are not required to be stored, therefore the proposed protocol is feasible with current technology. Finally, security analysis shows that this protocol is secure in theory.

Towards an improved LAI collection protocol via simulated field-based PAR sensing

DOE PAGES

Yao, Wei; Van Leeuwen, Martin; Romanczyk, Paul; ...

2016-07-14

In support of NASA’s next-generation spectrometer—the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI)—we are working towards assessing sub-pixel vegetation structure from imaging spectroscopy data. Of particular interest is Leaf Area Index (LAI), which is an informative, yet notoriously challenging parameter to efficiently measure in situ. While photosynthetically-active radiation (PAR) sensors have been validated for measuring crop LAI, there is limited literature on the efficacy of PAR-based LAI measurement in the forest environment. This study (i) validates PAR-based LAI measurement in forest environments, and (ii) proposes a suitable collection protocol, which balances efficiency with measurement variation, e.g., due to sun flecks and various-sized canopymore » gaps. A synthetic PAR sensor model was developed in the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Image Generation (DIRSIG) model and used to validate LAI measurement based on first-principles and explicitly-known leaf geometry. Simulated collection parameters were adjusted to empirically identify optimal collection protocols. Furthermore, these collection protocols were then validated in the field by correlating PAR-based LAI measurement to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) extracted from the “classic” Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS-C) data (R 2 was 0.61). The results indicate that our proposed collecting protocol is suitable for measuring the LAI of sparse forest (LAI < 3–5 ( m 2/m 2)).« less

In situ Compressive Loading and Correlative Noninvasive Imaging of the Bone-periodontal Ligament-tooth Fibrous Joint

PubMed Central

Jang, Andrew T.; Lin, Jeremy D.; Seo, Youngho; Etchin, Sergey; Merkle, Arno; Fahey, Kevin; Ho, Sunita P.

2014-01-01

This study demonstrates a novel biomechanics testing protocol. The advantage of this protocol includes the use of an in situ loading device coupled to a high resolution X-ray microscope, thus enabling visualization of internal structural elements under simulated physiological loads and wet conditions. Experimental specimens will include intact bone-periodontal ligament (PDL)-tooth fibrous joints. Results will illustrate three important features of the protocol as they can be applied to organ level biomechanics: 1) reactionary force vs. displacement: tooth displacement within the alveolar socket and its reactionary response to loading, 2) three-dimensional (3D) spatial configuration and morphometrics: geometric relationship of the tooth with the alveolar socket, and 3) changes in readouts 1 and 2 due to a change in loading axis, i.e. from concentric to eccentric loads. Efficacy of the proposed protocol will be evaluated by coupling mechanical testing readouts to 3D morphometrics and overall biomechanics of the joint. In addition, this technique will emphasize on the need to equilibrate experimental conditions, specifically reactionary loads prior to acquiring tomograms of fibrous joints. It should be noted that the proposed protocol is limited to testing specimens under ex vivo conditions, and that use of contrast agents to visualize soft tissue mechanical response could lead to erroneous conclusions about tissue and organ-level biomechanics. PMID:24638035

A smart checkpointing scheme for improving the reliability of clustering routing protocols.

PubMed

Min, Hong; Jung, Jinman; Kim, Bongjae; Cho, Yookun; Heo, Junyoung; Yi, Sangho; Hong, Jiman

2010-01-01

In wireless sensor networks, system architectures and applications are designed to consider both resource constraints and scalability, because such networks are composed of numerous sensor nodes with various sensors and actuators, small memories, low-power microprocessors, radio modules, and batteries. Clustering routing protocols based on data aggregation schemes aimed at minimizing packet numbers have been proposed to meet these requirements. In clustering routing protocols, the cluster head plays an important role. The cluster head collects data from its member nodes and aggregates the collected data. To improve reliability and reduce recovery latency, we propose a checkpointing scheme for the cluster head. In the proposed scheme, backup nodes monitor and checkpoint the current state of the cluster head periodically. We also derive the checkpointing interval that maximizes reliability while using the same amount of energy consumed by clustering routing protocols that operate without checkpointing. Experimental comparisons with existing non-checkpointing schemes show that our scheme reduces both energy consumption and recovery latency.

A Smart Checkpointing Scheme for Improving the Reliability of Clustering Routing Protocols

PubMed Central

Min, Hong; Jung, Jinman; Kim, Bongjae; Cho, Yookun; Heo, Junyoung; Yi, Sangho; Hong, Jiman

2010-01-01

In wireless sensor networks, system architectures and applications are designed to consider both resource constraints and scalability, because such networks are composed of numerous sensor nodes with various sensors and actuators, small memories, low-power microprocessors, radio modules, and batteries. Clustering routing protocols based on data aggregation schemes aimed at minimizing packet numbers have been proposed to meet these requirements. In clustering routing protocols, the cluster head plays an important role. The cluster head collects data from its member nodes and aggregates the collected data. To improve reliability and reduce recovery latency, we propose a checkpointing scheme for the cluster head. In the proposed scheme, backup nodes monitor and checkpoint the current state of the cluster head periodically. We also derive the checkpointing interval that maximizes reliability while using the same amount of energy consumed by clustering routing protocols that operate without checkpointing. Experimental comparisons with existing non-checkpointing schemes show that our scheme reduces both energy consumption and recovery latency. PMID:22163389

[Study protocol of a prevention of recurrent suicidal behaviour program based on case management (PSyMAC)].

PubMed

Sáiz, Pilar A; Rodríguez-Revuelta, Julia; González-Blanco, Leticia; Burón, Patricia; Al-Halabí, Susana; Garrido, Marlen; García-Alvarez, Leticia; García-Portilla, Paz; Bobes, Julio

2014-01-01

Prevention of suicidal behaviour is a public health priority in the European Union. A previous suicide attempt is the best risk predictor for future attempts, as well as completed suicides. The primary aim of this article is to describe a controlled study protocol designed for prevention of recurrent suicidal behaviour that proposes case management, and includes a psychoeducation program, as compared with the standard intervention (PSyMAC). Patients admitted from January 2011 to June 2013 to the emergency room of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias were evaluated using a protocol including sociodemographic, psychiatric, and psychosocial assessment. Patients were randomly assigned to either a group receiving continuous case management including participation in a psychoeducation program (experimental group), or a control group receiving standard care. The primary objective is to examine whether or not the period of time until recurrent suicidal behaviour in the experimental group is significantly different from that of the control group. PSyMAC proposes low cost and easily adaptable interventions to the usual clinical setting that can help to compensate the shortcoming of specific action protocols and suicidal behaviour prevention programs in our country. The evaluation of PSyMAC results will determine their real effectivity as a case-magament program to reduce suicidal risk. Copyright © 2013 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

A protocol for evaluating video trackers under real-world conditions.

PubMed

Nawaz, Tahir; Cavallaro, Andrea

2013-04-01

The absence of a commonly adopted performance evaluation framework is hampering advances in the design of effective video trackers. In this paper, we present a single-score evaluation measure and a protocol to objectively compare trackers. The proposed measure evaluates tracking accuracy and failure, and combines them for both summative and formative performance assessment. The proposed protocol is composed of a set of trials that evaluate the robustness of trackers on a range of test scenarios representing several real-world conditions. The protocol is validated on a set of sequences with a diversity of targets (head, vehicle and person) and challenges (occlusions, background clutter, pose changes and scale changes) using six state-of-the-art trackers, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses on more than 187000 frames. The software implementing the protocol and the evaluation results are made available online and new results can be included, thus facilitating the comparison of trackers.

A harmonized segmentation protocol for hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions: why do we need one and what are the key goals?

PubMed Central

Olsen, Rosanna K.; Berron, David; Carr, Valerie A.; Stark, Craig E.L.; Amaral, Robert S.C.; Amunts, Katrin; Augustinack, Jean C.; Bender, Andrew R.; Bernstein, Jeffrey D.; Boccardi, Marina; Bocchetta, Martina; Burggren, Alison; Chakravarty, M. Mallar; Chupin, Marie; Ekstrom, Arne; de Flores, Robin; Insausti, Ricardo; Kanel, Prabesh; Kedo, Olga; Kennedy, Kristen M.; Kerchner, Geoffrey A.; LaRocque, Karen F.; Liu, Xiuwen; Maass, Anne; Malykhin, Nicolai; Mueller, Susanne G.; Ofen, Noa; Palombo, Daniela J.; Parekh, Mansi B.; Pluta, John B.; Pruessner, Jens C.; Raz, Naftali; Rodrigue, Karen M.; Schoemaker, Dorothee; Shafer, Andrea T.; Steve, Trevor A.; Suthana, Nanthia; Wang, Lei; Winterburn, Julie L.; Yassa, Michael A.; Yushkevich, Paul A.; la Joie, Renaud

2016-01-01

The advent of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled in vivo research in a variety of populations and diseases on the structure and function of hippocampal subfields and subdivisions of the parahippocampal gyrus. Due to the many extant and highly discrepant segmentation protocols, comparing results across studies is difficult. To overcome this barrier, the Hippocampal Subfields Group was formed as an international collaboration with the aim of developing a harmonized protocol for manual segmentation of hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions on high-resolution MRI. In this commentary we discuss the goals for this protocol and the associated key challenges involved in its development. These include differences among existing anatomical reference materials, striking the right balance between reliability of measurements and anatomical validity, and the development of a versatile protocol that can be adopted for the study of populations varying in age and health. The commentary outlines these key challenges, as well as the proposed solution of each, with concrete examples from our working plan. Finally, with two examples, we illustrate how the harmonized protocol, once completed, is expected to impact the field by producing measurements that are quantitatively comparable across labs and by facilitating the synthesis of findings across different studies. PMID:27862600

New Regional and Global HFC Projections and Effects of National Regulations and Montreal Protocol Amendment Proposals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velders, G. J. M.

2015-12-01

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances that are being phased out globally under Montreal Protocol regulations. New global scenarios of HFC emissions reach 4.0-5.3 GtCO2-eq yr-1 in 2050, which corresponds to a projected growth from 2015 to 2050 which is 9% to 29% of that for CO2 over the same time period. New baseline scenarios are formulated for 10 HFC compounds, 11 geographic regions, and 13 use categories. These projections are the first to comprehensively assess production and consumption of individual HFCs in multiple use sectors and geographic regions with emission estimates constrained by atmospheric observations. In 2050, in percent of global HFC emissions, China (~30%), India and the rest of Asia (~25%), Middle East and northern Africa (~10%), and USA (~10%) are the principal source regions; and refrigeration and stationary air conditioning are the major use sectors. National regulations to limit HFC use have been adopted recently in the European Union, Japan and USA, and four proposals have been submitted in 2015 to amend the Montreal Protocol to substantially reduce growth in HFC use. Calculated baseline emissions are reduced by 90% in 2050 by implementing the North America Montreal Protocol amendment proposal. Global adoption of technologies required to meet national regulations would be sufficient to reduce 2050 baseline HFC consumption by more than 50% of that achieved with the North America proposal for most developed and developing countries. The new HFC scenarios and effects of national regulations and Montreal Protocol amendment proposals will be presented.

Interface and protocol development for STS read-out ASIC in the CBM experiment at FAIR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasinski, Krzysztof; Zabolotny, Wojciech; Szczygiel, Robert

2014-11-01

This paper presents a proposal of a protocol for communication between the read-out integrated circuit for the STS (Silicon Tracking System) and the Data Processing Board (DPB) at CBM (Compressed Baryonic Matter) experiment at FAIR, GSI (Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH) in Germany. The application background, objectives and proposed solution is presented.

Design and performance evaluation of a distributed OFDMA-based MAC protocol for MANETs.

PubMed

Park, Jaesung; Chung, Jiyoung; Lee, Hyungyu; Lee, Jung-Ryun

2014-01-01

In this paper, we propose a distributed MAC protocol for OFDMA-based wireless mobile ad hoc multihop networks, in which the resource reservation and data transmission procedures are operated in a distributed manner. A frame format is designed considering the characteristics of OFDMA that each node can transmit or receive data to or from multiple nodes simultaneously. Under this frame structure, we propose a distributed resource management method including network state estimation and resource reservation processes. We categorize five types of logical errors according to their root causes and show that two of the logical errors are inevitable while three of them are avoided under the proposed distributed MAC protocol. In addition, we provide a systematic method to determine the advertisement period of each node by presenting a clear relation between the accuracy of estimated network states and the signaling overhead. We evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol in respect of the reservation success rate and the success rate of data transmission. Since our method focuses on avoiding logical errors, it could be easily placed on top of the other resource allocation methods focusing on the physical layer issues of the resource management problem and interworked with them.

75 FR 23775 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Experimental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-04

... for research entitled ``Experimental Study of Patient Information Prototypes.'' This study is designed..., the working group refined several prototypes and designed a study to investigate the usefulness of... Design and Protocol The study is experimental and will have two independent variables in a 3 x 2 design...

A Novel Quantum Solution to Privacy-Preserving Nearest Neighbor Query in Location-Based Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Zhen-yu; Shi, Run-hua; Xu, Min; Zhang, Shun

2018-04-01

We present a cheating-sensitive quantum protocol for Privacy-Preserving Nearest Neighbor Query based on Oblivious Quantum Key Distribution and Quantum Encryption. Compared with the classical related protocols, our proposed protocol has higher security, because the security of our protocol is based on basic physical principles of quantum mechanics, instead of difficulty assumptions. Especially, our protocol takes single photons as quantum resources and only needs to perform single-photon projective measurement. Therefore, it is feasible to implement this protocol with the present technologies.

Families of quantum fingerprinting protocols

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lovitz, Benjamin; Lütkenhaus, Norbert

2018-03-01

We introduce several families of quantum fingerprinting protocols to evaluate the equality function on two n -bit strings in the simultaneous message passing model. The original quantum fingerprinting protocol uses a tensor product of a small number of O (logn ) -qubit high-dimensional signals [H. Buhrman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 167902 (2001), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.87.167902], whereas a recently proposed optical protocol uses a tensor product of O (n ) single-qubit signals, while maintaining the O (logn ) information leakage of the original protocol [J. M. Arazola and N. Lütkenhaus, Phys. Rev. A 89, 062305 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevA.89.062305]. We find a family of protocols which interpolate between the original and optical protocols while maintaining the O (logn ) information leakage, thus demonstrating a tradeoff between the number of signals sent and the dimension of each signal. There has been interest in experimental realization of the recently proposed optical protocol using coherent states [F. Xu et al., Nat. Commun. 6, 8735 (2015), 10.1038/ncomms9735; J.-Y. Guan et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 240502 (2016), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.240502], but as the required number of laser pulses grows linearly with the input size n , eventual challenges for the long-time stability of experimental setups arise. We find a coherent state protocol which reduces the number of signals by a factor 1/2 while also reducing the information leakage. Our reduction makes use of a simple modulation scheme in optical phase space, and we find that more complex modulation schemes are not advantageous. Using a similar technique, we improve a recently proposed coherent state protocol for evaluating the Euclidean distance between two real unit vectors [N. Kumar et al., Phys. Rev. A 95, 032337 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevA.95.032337] by reducing the number of signals by a factor 1/2 and also reducing the information leakage.

Bidirectional teleportation of a pure EPR state by using GHZ states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanpour, Shima; Houshmand, Monireh

2016-02-01

In the present paper, a novel bidirectional quantum teleportation protocol is proposed. By using entanglement swapping technique, two GHZ states are shared as a quantum channel between Alice and Bob as legitimate users. In this scheme, based on controlled-not operation, single-qubit measurement, and appropriate unitary operations, two users can simultaneously transmit a pure EPR state to each other, While, in the previous protocols, the users can just teleport a single-qubit state to each other via more than four-qubit state. Therefore, the proposed scheme is economical compared with previous protocols.

Squeezed-state quantum key distribution with a Rindler observer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jian; Shi, Ronghua; Guo, Ying

2018-03-01

Lengthening the maximum transmission distance of quantum key distribution plays a vital role in quantum information processing. In this paper, we propose a directional squeezed-state protocol with signals detected by a Rindler observer in the relativistic quantum field framework. We derive an analytical solution to the transmission problem of squeezed states from the inertial sender to the accelerated receiver. The variance of the involved signal mode is closer to optimality than that of the coherent-state-based protocol. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol has better performance than the coherent-state counterpart especially in terms of the maximal transmission distance.

Deterministic and efficient quantum cryptography based on Bell's theorem

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen Zengbing; Pan Jianwei; Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120 Heidelberg

2006-05-15

We propose a double-entanglement-based quantum cryptography protocol that is both efficient and deterministic. The proposal uses photon pairs with entanglement both in polarization and in time degrees of freedom; each measurement in which both of the two communicating parties register a photon can establish one and only one perfect correlation, and thus deterministically create a key bit. Eavesdropping can be detected by violation of local realism. A variation of the protocol shows a higher security, similar to the six-state protocol, under individual attacks. Our scheme allows a robust implementation under the current technology.

NASA SpaceWire Activities/Comments/Recommendations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rakow, Glenn

2006-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews NASA's activities, and proposes recommendations for the further use of the SpaceWire (SpW). The areas covered in this presentation are: (1) Protocol ID assignment, (2) Protocol development, (3) Plug & Play (PnP), (4) Recommended additions t o SpW protocol and (5) SpaceFibre trade.

The Strong-Inference Protocol: Not Just for Grant Proposals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hiebert, Sara M.

2007-01-01

The strong-inference protocol puts into action the important concepts in Platt's often-assigned, classic paper on the strong-inference method (10). Yet, perhaps because students are frequently performing experiments with known outcomes, the protocols they write as undergraduates are usually little more than step-by-step instructions for performing…

Secure multi-party quantum summation based on quantum Fourier transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Hui-Yi; Ye, Tian-Yu

2018-06-01

In this paper, we propose a novel secure multi-party quantum summation protocol based on quantum Fourier transform, where the traveling particles are transmitted in a tree-type mode. The party who prepares the initial quantum states is assumed to be semi-honest, which means that she may misbehave on her own but will not conspire with anyone. The proposed protocol can resist both the outside attacks and the participant attacks. Especially, one party cannot obtain other parties' private integer strings; and it is secure for the colluding attack performed by at most n - 2 parties, where n is the number of parties. In addition, the proposed protocol calculates the addition of modulo d and implements the calculation of addition in a secret-by-secret way rather than a bit-by-bit way.

L2-LBMT: A Layered Load Balance Routing Protocol for underwater multimedia data transmission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Ze; Tang, Ruichun; Tao, Ye; Sun, Xin; Xu, Xiaowei

2017-12-01

Providing highly efficient underwater transmission of mass multimedia data is challenging due to the particularities of the underwater environment. Although there are many schemes proposed to optimize the underwater acoustic network communication protocols, from physical layer, data link layer, network layer to transport layer, the existing routing protocols for underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN) still cannot well deal with the problems in transmitting multimedia data because of the difficulties involved in high energy consumption, low transmission reliability or high transmission delay. It prevents us from applying underwater multimedia data to real-time monitoring of marine environment in practical application, especially in emergency search, rescue operation and military field. Therefore, the inefficient transmission of marine multimedia data has become a serious problem that needs to be solved urgently. In this paper, A Layered Load Balance Routing Protocol (L2-LBMT) is proposed for underwater multimedia data transmission. In L2-LBMT, we use layered and load-balance Ad Hoc Network to transmit data, and adopt segmented data reliable transfer (SDRT) protocol to improve the data transport reliability. And a 3-node variant of tornado (3-VT) code is also combined with the Ad Hoc Network to transmit little emergency data more quickly. The simulation results show that the proposed protocol can balance energy consumption of each node, effectively prolong the network lifetime and reduce transmission delay of marine multimedia data.

Hiding the Source Based on Limited Flooding for Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Chen, Juan; Lin, Zhengkui; Hu, Ying; Wang, Bailing

2015-11-17

Wireless sensor networks are widely used to monitor valuable objects such as rare animals or armies. Once an object is detected, the source, i.e., the sensor nearest to the object, generates and periodically sends a packet about the object to the base station. Since attackers can capture the object by localizing the source, many protocols have been proposed to protect source location. Instead of transmitting the packet to the base station directly, typical source location protection protocols first transmit packets randomly for a few hops to a phantom location, and then forward the packets to the base station. The problem with these protocols is that the generated phantom locations are usually not only near the true source but also close to each other. As a result, attackers can easily trace a route back to the source from the phantom locations. To address the above problem, we propose a new protocol for source location protection based on limited flooding, named SLP. Compared with existing protocols, SLP can generate phantom locations that are not only far away from the source, but also widely distributed. It improves source location security significantly with low communication cost. We further propose a protocol, namely SLP-E, to protect source location against more powerful attackers with wider fields of vision. The performance of our SLP and SLP-E are validated by both theoretical analysis and simulation results.

Description and Evaluation of the Research Ethics Review Process in Japan: Proposed Measures for Improvement.

PubMed

Suzuki, Mika; Sato, Keiko

2016-07-01

Research Ethics Committees (RECs) are designed to protect human subjects in research. It is essential to recognize whether the RECs are achieving this goal. Several studies have reported on RECs; however, detailed data regarding the quality of research protocols and the review process of RECs have not been reported in Japan. We examine research protocols reviewed by RECs and the review processes at three institutions using a novel checklist we developed. The data show that approximately half of all examined protocols lacked a clearly written "Background" section that defines the study rationale and design. These results reiterate suggestions made in previous research regarding educational programs and support departments that could enhance responsible conduct in clinical research to protect human subjects in Japan. © The Author(s) 2016.

Assisted closed-loop optimization of SSVEP-BCI efficiency

PubMed Central

Fernandez-Vargas, Jacobo; Pfaff, Hanns U.; Rodríguez, Francisco B.; Varona, Pablo

2012-01-01

We designed a novel assisted closed-loop optimization protocol to improve the efficiency of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) based on steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP). In traditional paradigms, the control over the BCI-performance completely depends on the subjects' ability to learn from the given feedback cues. By contrast, in the proposed protocol both the subject and the machine share information and control over the BCI goal. Generally, the innovative assistance consists in the delivery of online information together with the online adaptation of BCI stimuli properties. In our case, this adaptive optimization process is realized by (1) a closed-loop search for the best set of SSVEP flicker frequencies and (2) feedback of actual SSVEP magnitudes to both the subject and the machine. These closed-loop interactions between subject and machine are evaluated in real-time by continuous measurement of their efficiencies, which are used as online criteria to adapt the BCI control parameters. The proposed protocol aims to compensate for variability in possibly unknown subjects' state and trait dimensions. In a study with N = 18 subjects, we found significant evidence that our protocol outperformed classic SSVEP-BCI control paradigms. Evidence is presented that it takes indeed into account interindividual variabilities: e.g., under the new protocol, baseline resting state EEG measures predict subjects' BCI performances. This paper illustrates the promising potential of assisted closed-loop protocols in BCI systems. Probably their applicability might be expanded to innovative uses, e.g., as possible new diagnostic/therapeutic tools for clinical contexts and as new paradigms for basic research. PMID:23443214

Assisted closed-loop optimization of SSVEP-BCI efficiency.

PubMed

Fernandez-Vargas, Jacobo; Pfaff, Hanns U; Rodríguez, Francisco B; Varona, Pablo

2013-01-01

We designed a novel assisted closed-loop optimization protocol to improve the efficiency of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) based on steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP). In traditional paradigms, the control over the BCI-performance completely depends on the subjects' ability to learn from the given feedback cues. By contrast, in the proposed protocol both the subject and the machine share information and control over the BCI goal. Generally, the innovative assistance consists in the delivery of online information together with the online adaptation of BCI stimuli properties. In our case, this adaptive optimization process is realized by (1) a closed-loop search for the best set of SSVEP flicker frequencies and (2) feedback of actual SSVEP magnitudes to both the subject and the machine. These closed-loop interactions between subject and machine are evaluated in real-time by continuous measurement of their efficiencies, which are used as online criteria to adapt the BCI control parameters. The proposed protocol aims to compensate for variability in possibly unknown subjects' state and trait dimensions. In a study with N = 18 subjects, we found significant evidence that our protocol outperformed classic SSVEP-BCI control paradigms. Evidence is presented that it takes indeed into account interindividual variabilities: e.g., under the new protocol, baseline resting state EEG measures predict subjects' BCI performances. This paper illustrates the promising potential of assisted closed-loop protocols in BCI systems. Probably their applicability might be expanded to innovative uses, e.g., as possible new diagnostic/therapeutic tools for clinical contexts and as new paradigms for basic research.

A Model Based Security Testing Method for Protocol Implementation

PubMed Central

Fu, Yu Long; Xin, Xiao Long

2014-01-01

The security of protocol implementation is important and hard to be verified. Since the penetration testing is usually based on the experience of the security tester and the specific protocol specifications, a formal and automatic verification method is always required. In this paper, we propose an extended model of IOLTS to describe the legal roles and intruders of security protocol implementations, and then combine them together to generate the suitable test cases to verify the security of protocol implementation. PMID:25105163

A model based security testing method for protocol implementation.

PubMed

Fu, Yu Long; Xin, Xiao Long

2014-01-01

The security of protocol implementation is important and hard to be verified. Since the penetration testing is usually based on the experience of the security tester and the specific protocol specifications, a formal and automatic verification method is always required. In this paper, we propose an extended model of IOLTS to describe the legal roles and intruders of security protocol implementations, and then combine them together to generate the suitable test cases to verify the security of protocol implementation.

Secure Skyline Queries on Cloud Platform.

PubMed

Liu, Jinfei; Yang, Juncheng; Xiong, Li; Pei, Jian

2017-04-01

Outsourcing data and computation to cloud server provides a cost-effective way to support large scale data storage and query processing. However, due to security and privacy concerns, sensitive data (e.g., medical records) need to be protected from the cloud server and other unauthorized users. One approach is to outsource encrypted data to the cloud server and have the cloud server perform query processing on the encrypted data only. It remains a challenging task to support various queries over encrypted data in a secure and efficient way such that the cloud server does not gain any knowledge about the data, query, and query result. In this paper, we study the problem of secure skyline queries over encrypted data. The skyline query is particularly important for multi-criteria decision making but also presents significant challenges due to its complex computations. We propose a fully secure skyline query protocol on data encrypted using semantically-secure encryption. As a key subroutine, we present a new secure dominance protocol, which can be also used as a building block for other queries. Finally, we provide both serial and parallelized implementations and empirically study the protocols in terms of efficiency and scalability under different parameter settings, verifying the feasibility of our proposed solutions.

An Adaptive Jitter Mechanism for Reactive Route Discovery in Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Cordero, Juan Antonio; Yi, Jiazi; Clausen, Thomas

2014-01-01

This paper analyses the impact of jitter when applied to route discovery in reactive (on-demand) routing protocols. In multi-hop non-synchronized wireless networks, jitter—a small, random variation in the timing of message emission—is commonly employed, as a means to avoid collisions of simultaneous transmissions by adjacent routers over the same channel. In a reactive routing protocol for sensor and ad hoc networks, jitter is recommended during the route discovery process, specifically, during the network-wide flooding of route request messages, in order to avoid collisions. Commonly, a simple uniform jitter is recommended. Alas, this is not without drawbacks: when applying uniform jitter to the route discovery process, an effect called delay inversion is observed. This paper, first, studies and quantifies this delay inversion effect. Second, this paper proposes an adaptive jitter mechanism, designed to alleviate the delay inversion effect and thereby to reduce the route discovery overhead and (ultimately) allow the routing protocol to find more optimal paths, as compared to uniform jitter. This paper presents both analytical and simulation studies, showing that the proposed adaptive jitter can effectively decrease the cost of route discovery and increase the path quality. PMID:25111238

Robust QKD-based private database queries based on alternative sequences of single-qubit measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, YuGuang; Liu, ZhiChao; Chen, XiuBo; Zhou, YiHua; Shi, WeiMin

2017-12-01

Quantum channel noise may cause the user to obtain a wrong answer and thus misunderstand the database holder for existing QKD-based quantum private query (QPQ) protocols. In addition, an outside attacker may conceal his attack by exploiting the channel noise. We propose a new, robust QPQ protocol based on four-qubit decoherence-free (DF) states. In contrast to existing QPQ protocols against channel noise, only an alternative fixed sequence of single-qubit measurements is needed by the user (Alice) to measure the received DF states. This property makes it easy to implement the proposed protocol by exploiting current technologies. Moreover, to retain the advantage of flexible database queries, we reconstruct Alice's measurement operators so that Alice needs only conditioned sequences of single-qubit measurements.

An Ultra-low-power Medium Access Control Protocol for Body Sensor Network.

PubMed

Li, Huaming; Tan, Jindong

2005-01-01

In this paper, a medium access control (MAC) protocol designed for Body Sensor Network (BSN-MAC) is proposed. BSN-MAC is an adaptive, feedback-based and IEEE 802.15.4-compatible MAC protocol. Due to the traffic coupling and sensor diversity characteristics of BSNs, common MAC protocols can not satisfy the unique requirements of the biomedical sensors in BSN. BSN-MAC exploits the feedback information from the deployed sensors to form a closed-loop control of the MAC parameters. A control algorithm is proposed to enable the BSN coordinator to adjust parameters of the IEEE 802.15.4 superframe to achieve both energy efficiency and low latency on energy critical nodes. We evaluate the performance of BSN-MAC using energy efficiency as the primary metric.

One Minute Ultraviolet Exposure Inhibits Toxoplasma gondii Tachyzoite Replication and Cyst Conversion without Diminishing Host Humoral-Mediated Immune Response

PubMed Central

Kannan, Geetha; Prandovszky, Emese; Steinfeldt, Curtis B.; Gressitt, Kristin L.; Yang, ChunXia; Yolken, Robert H.; Severance, Emily G.; Jones-Brando, Lorraine; Pletnikov, Mikhail V.

2015-01-01

We developed a protocol to inactivate Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) tachyzoites employing 1 minute of ultraviolet (UV) exposure. We show that this treatment completely inhibited parasite replication and cyst formation in vitro and in vivo but did not affect the induction of a robust IgG response in mice. We propose that our protocol can be used to study the contribution of the humoral immune response to rodent behavioral alterations following T. gondii infection. PMID:25131777

75 FR 44181 - Mevinphos; Proposed Data Call-in Order for Pesticide Tolerance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-28

... are most often collected in a study called the comparative cholinesterase assay (CCA). Since that time....1520 Processing studies Not Required 24 months (tomatoes) 870.6300 Comparative 6 months 12 months... mevinphos including: 1. A developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) study in rats (with expanded protocol to extend...

Secure authentication protocol for Internet applications over CATV network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Le-Pond

1998-02-01

An authentication protocol is proposed in this paper to implement secure functions which include two way authentication and key management between end users and head-end. The protocol can protect transmission from frauds, attacks such as reply and wiretap. Location privacy is also achieved. A rest protocol is designed to restore the system once when systems fail. The security is verified by taking several security and privacy requirements into consideration.

A neural networks-based hybrid routing protocol for wireless mesh networks.

PubMed

Kojić, Nenad; Reljin, Irini; Reljin, Branimir

2012-01-01

The networking infrastructure of wireless mesh networks (WMNs) is decentralized and relatively simple, but they can display reliable functioning performance while having good redundancy. WMNs provide Internet access for fixed and mobile wireless devices. Both in urban and rural areas they provide users with high-bandwidth networks over a specific coverage area. The main problems affecting these networks are changes in network topology and link quality. In order to provide regular functioning, the routing protocol has the main influence in WMN implementations. In this paper we suggest a new routing protocol for WMN, based on good results of a proactive and reactive routing protocol, and for that reason it can be classified as a hybrid routing protocol. The proposed solution should avoid flooding and creating the new routing metric. We suggest the use of artificial logic-i.e., neural networks (NNs). This protocol is based on mobile agent technologies controlled by a Hopfield neural network. In addition to this, our new routing metric is based on multicriteria optimization in order to minimize delay and blocking probability (rejected packets or their retransmission). The routing protocol observes real network parameters and real network environments. As a result of artificial logic intelligence, the proposed routing protocol should maximize usage of network resources and optimize network performance.

Quantum Private Comparison of Equality Based on Five-Particle Cluster State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yan; Zhang, Wen-Bo; Zhang, Shi-Bin; Wang, Hai-Chun; Yan, Li-Li; Han, Gui-Hua; Sheng, Zhi-Wei; Huang, Yuan-Yuan; Suo, Wang; Xiong, Jin-Xin

2016-12-01

A protocol for quantum private comparison of equality (QPCE) is proposed based on five-particle cluster state with the help of a semi-honest third party (TP). In our protocol, TP is allowed to misbehave on its own but can not conspire with either of two parties. Compared with most two-user QPCE protocols, our protocol not only can compare two groups of private information (each group has two users) in one execution, but also compare just two private information. Compared with the multi-user QPCE protocol proposed, our protocol is safer with more reasonable assumptions of TP. The qubit efficiency is computed and analyzed. Our protocol can also be generalized to the case of 2N participants with one TP. The 2N-participant protocol can compare two groups (each group has N private information) in one execution or just N private information. Supported by NSFC under Grant Nos. 61402058, 61572086, the Fund for Middle and Young Academic Leaders of CUIT under Grant No. J201511, the Science and Technology Support Project of Sichuan Province of China under Grant No. 2013GZX0137, the Fund for Young Persons Project of Sichuan Province of China under Grant No. 12ZB017, and the Foundation of Cyberspace Security Key Laboratory of Sichuan Higher Education Institutions under Grant No. szjj2014-074

A Neural Networks-Based Hybrid Routing Protocol for Wireless Mesh Networks

PubMed Central

Kojić, Nenad; Reljin, Irini; Reljin, Branimir

2012-01-01

The networking infrastructure of wireless mesh networks (WMNs) is decentralized and relatively simple, but they can display reliable functioning performance while having good redundancy. WMNs provide Internet access for fixed and mobile wireless devices. Both in urban and rural areas they provide users with high-bandwidth networks over a specific coverage area. The main problems affecting these networks are changes in network topology and link quality. In order to provide regular functioning, the routing protocol has the main influence in WMN implementations. In this paper we suggest a new routing protocol for WMN, based on good results of a proactive and reactive routing protocol, and for that reason it can be classified as a hybrid routing protocol. The proposed solution should avoid flooding and creating the new routing metric. We suggest the use of artificial logic—i.e., neural networks (NNs). This protocol is based on mobile agent technologies controlled by a Hopfield neural network. In addition to this, our new routing metric is based on multicriteria optimization in order to minimize delay and blocking probability (rejected packets or their retransmission). The routing protocol observes real network parameters and real network environments. As a result of artificial logic intelligence, the proposed routing protocol should maximize usage of network resources and optimize network performance. PMID:22969360

Security of modified Ping-Pong protocol in noisy and lossy channel

PubMed Central

Han, Yun-Guang; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Li, Hong-Wei; Chen, Wei; Wang, Shuang; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2014-01-01

The “Ping-Pong” (PP) protocol is a two-way quantum key protocol based on entanglement. In this protocol, Bob prepares one maximally entangled pair of qubits, and sends one qubit to Alice. Then, Alice performs some necessary operations on this qubit and sends it back to Bob. Although this protocol was proposed in 2002, its security in the noisy and lossy channel has not been proven. In this report, we add a simple and experimentally feasible modification to the original PP protocol, and prove the security of this modified PP protocol against collective attacks when the noisy and lossy channel is taken into account. Simulation results show that our protocol is practical. PMID:24816899

Security of modified Ping-Pong protocol in noisy and lossy channel.

PubMed

Han, Yun-Guang; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Li, Hong-Wei; Chen, Wei; Wang, Shuang; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2014-05-12

The "Ping-Pong" (PP) protocol is a two-way quantum key protocol based on entanglement. In this protocol, Bob prepares one maximally entangled pair of qubits, and sends one qubit to Alice. Then, Alice performs some necessary operations on this qubit and sends it back to Bob. Although this protocol was proposed in 2002, its security in the noisy and lossy channel has not been proven. In this report, we add a simple and experimentally feasible modification to the original PP protocol, and prove the security of this modified PP protocol against collective attacks when the noisy and lossy channel is taken into account. Simulation results show that our protocol is practical.

Energy Consumption Research of Mobile Data Collection Protocol for Underwater Nodes Using an USV.

PubMed

Lv, Zhichao; Zhang, Jie; Jin, Jiucai; Li, Qi; Gao, Baoru

2018-04-16

The Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) integrated with an acoustic modem is a novel mobile vehicle for data collection, which has an advantage in terms of mobility, efficiency, and collection cost. In the scenario of data collection, the USV is controlled autonomously along the planning trajectory and the data of underwater nodes are dynamically collected. In order to improve the efficiency of data collection and extend the life of the underwater nodes, a mobile data collection protocol for underwater nodes using the USV was proposed. In the protocol, the stop-and-wait ARQ transmission mechanism is adopted, where the duty cycle is designed considering the ratio between the sleep mode and the detection mode, and the transmission ratio is defined by the duty cycle, wake-up signal cycles, and USV’s speed. According to protocol, the evaluation index for energy consumption is constructed based on the duty cycle and the transmission ratio. The energy consumption of the protocol is simulated and analyzed using the mobile communication experiment data of USV, taking into consideration USV’s speed, data sequence length, and duty cycle. Optimized protocol parameters are identified, which in turn denotes the proposed protocol’s feasibility and effectiveness.

Modifications in trypsin digestion protocol for increasing the efficiency and coverage.

PubMed

Syal, Kirtimaan; Tadala, Raghu

2015-01-01

Standard trypsin digestion protocol of proteins followed by MALDI-MS analysis has been realized as an important tool for the identification and characterization of proteins. In this article, we proposed the elimination of the step of 'staining/de-staining of gel pieces' in in-gel digestion protocol in order to improve the efficiency of trypsin digestion. Coomassie dye is known to interfere with digestion of proteins by trypsin and the procedure of staining-de-staining could result in loss of photoaffinity probe, post translational modifications and catalytic activities of enzymes. Further, we studied parameters like hydrophobicity and isoelectric point, and attempted to quantitatively relate it to the efficiency of trypsin digestion. We suggest that properties of proteins should be considered and trypsin digestion protocol should be appropriately modified as per sequence and other information.

Modelling and regulating of cardio-respiratory response for the enhancement of interval training

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The interval training method has been a well known exercise protocol which helps strengthen and improve one’s cardiovascular fitness. Purpose To develop an effective training protocol to improve cardiovascular fitness based on modelling and analysis of Heart Rate (HR) and Oxygen Uptake (VO2) dynamics. Methods In order to model the cardiorespiratory response to the onset and offset exercises, the (K4b2, Cosmed) gas analyzer was used to monitor and record the heart rate and oxygen uptake for ten healthy male subjects. An interval training protocol was developed for young health users and was simulated using a proposed RC switching model which was presented to accommodate the variations of the cardiorespiratory dynamics to running exercises. A hybrid system model was presented to describe the adaptation process and a multi-loop PI control scheme was designed for the tuning of interval training regime. Results By observing the original data for each subject, we can clearly identify that all subjects have similar HR and VO2 profiles. The proposed model is capable to simulate the exercise responses during onset and offset exercises; it ensures the continuity of the outputs within the interval training protocol. Under some mild assumptions, a hybrid system model can describe the adaption process and accordingly a multi-loop PI controller can be designed for the tuning of interval training protocol. The self-adaption feature of the proposed controller gives the exerciser the opportunity to reach his desired setpoints after a certain number of training sessions. Conclusions The established interval training protocol targets a range of 70-80% of HRmax which is mainly a training zone for the purpose of cardiovascular system development and improvement. Furthermore, the proposed multi-loop feedback controller has the potential to tune the interval training protocol according to the feedback from an individual exerciser. PMID:24499131

Faked state attacks on realistic round robin DPS quantum key distribution systems and countermeasure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwakoshi, T.

2015-05-01

In May 2014, a new quantum key distribution protocol named "Round Robin Differential-Phase-Shift Quantum Key Distribution (RR DPS QKD)" was proposed. It has a special feature that the key consumption via privacy amplification is a small constant because RR DPS QKD guarantees its security by information causality, not by information-disturbance trade-off. Therefore, the authors claimed that RR DPS QKD systems does not need to monitor the disturbance by an attacker in the quantum channel. However, this study shows that a modified Faked-State Attack (or so-called bright illumination attack) can hack a RR DPS QKD system almost perfectly if it is implemented with realistic detectors even information-causality guarantees the security of RR DPS QKD protocol. Therefore, this study also proposes a possible Measurement-Device-Independent RR DPS QKD system to avoid the modified Faked-State Attack.

Fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning skills among medical students through a research protocol writing activity in the curriculum.

PubMed

Sahoo, Soumendra; Mohammed, Ciraj Ali

2018-06-01

This intervention was aimed to analyse the effect of academic writing and journal critiquing as educational approaches in improving critical thinking and collaborative learning among undergraduate medical students. A research proposal writing format was created for the 4th year medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia during their ophthalmology clinical postings. The students worked in small groups and developed research protocols through an evidence based approach. This was followed by writing reflective summaries in academic portfolios about the activity undertaken. A mixed methods study was designed to explore the possible role of collaborative research proposal writing in enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. Analysis of reflections submitted by 188 medical students after the intervention indicate that majority of them found an improvement in their skills of critical thinking and collaborative learning as a result of research protocol writing. All participants agreed that the model helped in applying concepts to new situations in the form of designing their own study, which reflected in enhanced higher order cognitive skills. This study shows that the introduction of a structured module in the core medical curriculum that focuses on research writing skills embedded with collaborative and reflective practices can enhance collaborative learning, critical thinking, and reasoning among medical students.

Oocyte-triggering day progesterone levels and endometrial appearance in normoresponders undergoing IVF/ICSI cycles: a hypothesis and a study protocol.

PubMed

Siristatidis, Charalampos; Drakopoulos, Panagiotis; Vogiatzi, Paraskevi; Karageorgiou, Vasilios; Daskalakis, George

2018-05-16

In this report, we propose a study protocol capable of improving IVF outcomes in subfertile women with expected normal ovarian response. This proposal derives from conflicting published data and observations in our daily practice, concerning the negative impact of progesterone (P4) elevation at the day of oocyte triggering on pregnancy outcomes. Our hypothesis points to the combination of two previous "suspects" of reduced success after assisted reproduction techniques (ART) - the endometrium ultrasonographic parameters and P4 elevation at the day of oocyte triggering on their impact on pregnancy outcomes. Up-to-the minute data show that, there is a different impact of elevated P4 in fresh, frozen and donor cycles, whereas there are plenty of reports pointing to a different endometrial gene expression on different P4 measurements. Gaps in the literature are linked with a variation of the measurements of P4, its cycle-to-cycle reproducibility, the different cut-off levels used, the impact of various protocols of ovarian stimulation and the limitations of systematic reviews originating from the initial studies. Our hypothesis states that the combination of P4 values and endometrial ultrasound parameters at the day of oocyte triggering can affect clinical pregnancy rates in normal responders undergoing ART.

Multi-Party Privacy-Preserving Set Intersection with Quasi-Linear Complexity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheon, Jung Hee; Jarecki, Stanislaw; Seo, Jae Hong

Secure computation of the set intersection functionality allows n parties to find the intersection between their datasets without revealing anything else about them. An efficient protocol for such a task could have multiple potential applications in commerce, health care, and security. However, all currently known secure set intersection protocols for n>2 parties have computational costs that are quadratic in the (maximum) number of entries in the dataset contributed by each party, making secure computation of the set intersection only practical for small datasets. In this paper, we describe the first multi-party protocol for securely computing the set intersection functionality with both the communication and the computation costs that are quasi-linear in the size of the datasets. For a fixed security parameter, our protocols require O(n2k) bits of communication and Õ(n2k) group multiplications per player in the malicious adversary setting, where k is the size of each dataset. Our protocol follows the basic idea of the protocol proposed by Kissner and Song, but we gain efficiency by using different representations of the polynomials associated with users' datasets and careful employment of algorithms that interpolate or evaluate polynomials on multiple points more efficiently. Moreover, the proposed protocol is robust. This means that the protocol outputs the desired result even if some corrupted players leave during the execution of the protocol.

Quantum cryptography as a retrodiction problem.

PubMed

Werner, A H; Franz, T; Werner, R F

2009-11-27

We propose a quantum key distribution protocol based on a quantum retrodiction protocol, known as the Mean King problem. The protocol uses a two way quantum channel. We show security against coherent attacks in a transmission-error free scenario, even if Eve is allowed to attack both transmissions. This establishes a connection between retrodiction and key distribution.

75 FR 7277 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Guidance for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-02-18

... How to Submit a Protocol Without Data in Electronic Format to the Center for Veterinary Medicine... a Protocol Without Data in Electronic Format to the Center for Veterinary Medicine''--21 CFR 58.120... the animal drug sponsors, the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) reviews protocols for safety and...

The citation of relevant systematic reviews and randomised trials in published reports of trial protocols.

PubMed

Pandis, Nikolaos; Fleming, Padhraig S; Koletsi, Despina; Hopewell, Sally

2016-12-07

It is important that planned randomised trials are justified and placed in the context of the available evidence. The SPIRIT guidelines for reporting clinical trial protocols recommend that a recent and relevant systematic review should be included. The aim of this study was to assess the use of the existing evidence in order to justify trial conduct. Protocols of randomised trials published over a 1-month period (December 2015) indexed in PubMed were obtained. Data on trial characteristics relating to location, design, funding, conflict of interest and type of evidence included for trial justification was extracted in duplicate and independently by two investigators. The frequency of citation of previous research including relevant systematic reviews and randomised trials was assessed. Overall, 101 protocols for RCTs were identified. Most proposed trials were parallel-group (n = 74; 73.3%). Reference to an earlier systematic review with additional randomised trials was found in 9.9% (n = 10) of protocols and without additional trials in 30.7% (n = 31), while reference was made to randomised trials in isolation in 21.8% (n = 22). Explicit justification for the proposed randomised trial on the basis of being the first to address the research question was made in 17.8% (n = 18) of protocols. A randomised controlled trial was not cited in 10.9% (95% CI: 5.6, 18.7) (n = 11), while in 8.9% (95% CI: 4.2, 16.2) (n = 9) of the protocols a systematic review was cited but did not inform trial design. A relatively high percentage of protocols of randomised trials involves prior citation of randomised trials, systematic reviews or both. However, improvements are required to ensure that it is explicit that clinical trials are justified and shaped by contemporary best evidence.

Peer Review and Publication of Research Protocols and Proposals: A Role for Open Access Journals

PubMed Central

2004-01-01

Peer-review and publication of research protocols offer several advantages to all parties involved. Among these are the following opportunities for authors: external expert opinion on the methods, demonstration to funding agencies of prior expert review of the protocol, proof of priority of ideas and methods, and solicitation of potential collaborators. We think that review and publication of protocols is an important role for Open Access journals. Because of their electronic form, openness for readers, and author-pays business model, they are better suited than traditional journals to ensure the sustainability and quality of protocol reviews and publications. In this editorial, we describe the workflow for investigators in eHealth research, from protocol submission to a funding agency, to protocol review and (optionally) publication at JMIR, to registration of trials at the International eHealth Study Registry (IESR), and to publication of the report. One innovation at JMIR is that protocol peer reviewers will be paid a honorarium, which will be drawn partly from a new submission fee for protocol reviews. Separating the article processing fee into a submission and a publishing fee will allow authors to opt for “peer-review only” (without subsequent publication) at reduced costs, if they wish to await a funding decision or for other reasons decide not to make the protocol public. PMID:15471763

Peer-review and publication of research protocols and proposals: a role for open access journals.

PubMed

Eysenbach, Gunther

2004-09-30

Peer-review and publication of research protocols offer several advantages to all parties involved. Among these are the following opportunities for authors: external expert opinion on the methods, demonstration to funding agencies of prior expert review of the protocol, proof of priority of ideas and methods, and solicitation of potential collaborators. We think that review and publication of protocols is an important role for Open Access journals. Because of their electronic form, openness for readers, and author-pays business model, they are better suited than traditional journals to ensure the sustainability and quality of protocol reviews and publications. In this editorial, we describe the workflow for investigators in eHealth research, from protocol submission to a funding agency, to protocol review and (optionally) publication at JMIR, to registration of trials at the International eHealth Study Registry (IESR), and to publication of the report. One innovation at JMIR is that protocol peer reviewers will be paid a honorarium, which will be drawn partly from a new submission fee for protocol reviews. Separating the article processing fee into a submission and a publishing fee will allow authors to opt for "peer-review only" (without subsequent publication) at reduced costs, if they wish to await a funding decision or for other reasons decide not to make the protocol public.

A Systematic Review on Immediate Loading of Implants Used to Support Overdentures Opposed by Conventional Prostheses: Factors That Might Influence Clinical Outcomes.

PubMed

Zygogiannis, Kostas; Wismeijer, Daniel; Aartman, Irene Ha; Osman, Reham B

2016-01-01

Different treatment protocols in terms of number, diameter, and suprastructure design have been proposed for immediately loaded implants that are used to support mandibular overdentures opposed by maxillary conventional dentures. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of these protocols on survival rates as well as clinical and prosthodontic outcomes. Several electronic databases were searched for all relevant articles published from 1966 to June 2014. Only randomized controlled trials and prospective studies with a minimum follow-up of 12 months were selected. The primary outcomes of interest were the success and survival rates of the implants. Prosthodontic complications were also evaluated. Fourteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Of the studies identified, nine were randomized controlled trials and five were prospective studies. The mean follow-up period was 3 years or less for the vast majority of the studies. The reported survival and success rates were comparable to that of conventional loading for most of the included studies. No specific immediate loading protocol seemed to perform better in terms of clinical and prosthodontic outcomes. Immediate loading protocols of mandibular overdentures seem to be a viable alternative to conventional loading. It was not possible to recommend a specific treatment protocol related to the number, diameter of the implants, and attachment system used. Long-term, well-designed studies comparing different immediate loading modalities could help to establish a protocol that delivers the most clinically predictable, efficient, and cost-effective outcome for edentulous patients in need of implant overdentures.

A round-robin gamma stereotactic radiosurgery dosimetry interinstitution comparison of calibration protocols

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drzymala, R. E., E-mail: drzymala@wustl.edu; Alvarez, P. E.; Bednarz, G.

2015-11-15

Purpose: Absorbed dose calibration for gamma stereotactic radiosurgery is challenging due to the unique geometric conditions, dosimetry characteristics, and nonstandard field size of these devices. Members of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group 178 on Gamma Stereotactic Radiosurgery Dosimetry and Quality Assurance have participated in a round-robin exchange of calibrated measurement instrumentation and phantoms exploring two approved and two proposed calibration protocols or formalisms on ten gamma radiosurgery units. The objectives of this study were to benchmark and compare new formalisms to existing calibration methods, while maintaining traceability to U.S. primary dosimetry calibration laboratory standards. Methods:more » Nine institutions made measurements using ten gamma stereotactic radiosurgery units in three different 160 mm diameter spherical phantoms [acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, Solid Water, and liquid water] and in air using a positioning jig. Two calibrated miniature ionization chambers and one calibrated electrometer were circulated for all measurements. Reference dose-rates at the phantom center were determined using the well-established AAPM TG-21 or TG-51 dose calibration protocols and using two proposed dose calibration protocols/formalisms: an in-air protocol and a formalism proposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) working group for small and nonstandard radiation fields. Each institution’s results were normalized to the dose-rate determined at that institution using the TG-21 protocol in the ABS phantom. Results: Percentages of dose-rates within 1.5% of the reference dose-rate (TG-21 + ABS phantom) for the eight chamber-protocol-phantom combinations were the following: 88% for TG-21, 70% for TG-51, 93% for the new IAEA nonstandard-field formalism, and 65% for the new in-air protocol. Averages and standard deviations for dose-rates over all measurements relative to the TG-21 + ABS dose-rate were 0.999 ± 0.009 (TG-21), 0.991 ± 0.013 (TG-51), 1.000 ± 0.009 (IAEA), and 1.009 ± 0.012 (in-air). There were no statistically significant differences (i.e., p > 0.05) between the two ionization chambers for the TG-21 protocol applied to all dosimetry phantoms. The mean results using the TG-51 protocol were notably lower than those for the other dosimetry protocols, with a standard deviation 2–3 times larger. The in-air protocol was not statistically different from TG-21 for the A16 chamber in the liquid water or ABS phantoms (p = 0.300 and p = 0.135) but was statistically different from TG-21 for the PTW chamber in all phantoms (p = 0.006 for Solid Water, 0.014 for liquid water, and 0.020 for ABS). Results of IAEA formalism were statistically different from TG-21 results only for the combination of the A16 chamber with the liquid water phantom (p = 0.017). In the latter case, dose-rates measured with the two protocols differed by only 0.4%. For other phantom-ionization-chamber combinations, the new IAEA formalism was not statistically different from TG-21. Conclusions: Although further investigation is needed to validate the new protocols for other ionization chambers, these results can serve as a reference to quantitatively compare different calibration protocols and ionization chambers if a particular method is chosen by a professional society to serve as a standardized calibration protocol.« less

Non-Orthogonal Random Access in MIMO Cognitive Radio Networks: Beamforming, Power Allocation, and Opportunistic Transmission

PubMed Central

Lin, Huifa; Shin, Won-Yong

2017-01-01

We study secondary random access in multi-input multi-output cognitive radio networks, where a slotted ALOHA-type protocol and successive interference cancellation are used. We first introduce three types of transmit beamforming performed by secondary users, where multiple antennas are used to suppress the interference at the primary base station and/or to increase the received signal power at the secondary base station. Then, we show a simple decentralized power allocation along with the equivalent single-antenna conversion. To exploit the multiuser diversity gain, an opportunistic transmission protocol is proposed, where the secondary users generating less interference are opportunistically selected, resulting in a further reduction of the interference temperature. The proposed methods are validated via computer simulations. Numerical results show that increasing the number of transmit antennas can greatly reduce the interference temperature, while increasing the number of receive antennas leads to a reduction of the total transmit power. Optimal parameter values of the opportunistic transmission protocol are examined according to three types of beamforming and different antenna configurations, in terms of maximizing the cognitive transmission capacity. All the beamforming, decentralized power allocation, and opportunistic transmission protocol are performed by the secondary users in a decentralized manner, thus resulting in an easy implementation in practice. PMID:28076402

Non-Orthogonal Random Access in MIMO Cognitive Radio Networks: Beamforming, Power Allocation, and Opportunistic Transmission.

PubMed

Lin, Huifa; Shin, Won-Yong

2017-01-01

We study secondary random access in multi-input multi-output cognitive radio networks, where a slotted ALOHA-type protocol and successive interference cancellation are used. We first introduce three types of transmit beamforming performed by secondary users, where multiple antennas are used to suppress the interference at the primary base station and/or to increase the received signal power at the secondary base station. Then, we show a simple decentralized power allocation along with the equivalent single-antenna conversion. To exploit the multiuser diversity gain, an opportunistic transmission protocol is proposed, where the secondary users generating less interference are opportunistically selected, resulting in a further reduction of the interference temperature. The proposed methods are validated via computer simulations. Numerical results show that increasing the number of transmit antennas can greatly reduce the interference temperature, while increasing the number of receive antennas leads to a reduction of the total transmit power. Optimal parameter values of the opportunistic transmission protocol are examined according to three types of beamforming and different antenna configurations, in terms of maximizing the cognitive transmission capacity. All the beamforming, decentralized power allocation, and opportunistic transmission protocol are performed by the secondary users in a decentralized manner, thus resulting in an easy implementation in practice.

High-capacity quantum secure direct communication with two-photon six-qubit hyperentangled states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, FangZhou; Yang, GuoJian; Wang, HaiBo; Xiong, Jun; Alzahrani, Faris; Hobiny, Aatef; Deng, FuGuo

2017-12-01

This study proposes the first high-capacity quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) with two-photon six-qubit hyper-entangled Bell states in two longitudinal momentum and polarization degrees of freedom (DOFs) of photon pairs, which can be generated using two 0.5 mm-thick type-I β barium borate crystal slabs aligned one behind the other and an eight-hole screen. The secret message can be independently encoded on the photon pairs with 64 unitary operations in all three DOFs. This protocol has a higher capacity than previous QSDC protocols because each photon pair can carry 6 bits of information, not just 2 or 4 bits. Our QSDC protocol decreases the influence of decoherence from environment noise by exploiting the decoy photons to check the security of the transmission of the first photon sequence. Compared with two-way QSDC protocols, our QSDC protocol is immune to an attack by an eavesdropper using Trojan horse attack strategies because it is a one-way quantum communication. The QSDC protocol has good applications in the future quantum communication because of all these features.

Performance Analysis of the IEEE 802.11p Multichannel MAC Protocol in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The safety applications require timely and reliable transmissions, while the non-safety applications require efficient and high throughput. In the IEEE 1609.4 protocol, operating interval is divided into alternating Control Channel (CCH) interval and Service Channel (SCH) interval with an identical length. During the CCH interval, nodes transmit safety-related messages and control messages, and Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism is employed to allow four Access Categories (ACs) within a station with different priorities according to their criticality for the vehicle’s safety. During the SCH interval, the non-safety massages are transmitted. An analytical model is proposed in this paper to evaluate performance, reliability and efficiency of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The proposed model improves the existing work by taking serval aspects and the character of multichannel switching into design consideration. Extensive performance evaluations based on analysis and simulation help to validate the accuracy of the proposed model and analyze the capabilities and limitations of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols, and enhancement suggestions are given. PMID:29231882

Performance Analysis of the IEEE 802.11p Multichannel MAC Protocol in Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks.

PubMed

Song, Caixia

2017-12-12

Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs) employ multichannel to provide a variety of safety and non-safety applications, based on the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The safety applications require timely and reliable transmissions, while the non-safety applications require efficient and high throughput. In the IEEE 1609.4 protocol, operating interval is divided into alternating Control Channel (CCH) interval and Service Channel (SCH) interval with an identical length. During the CCH interval, nodes transmit safety-related messages and control messages, and Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) mechanism is employed to allow four Access Categories (ACs) within a station with different priorities according to their criticality for the vehicle's safety. During the SCH interval, the non-safety massages are transmitted. An analytical model is proposed in this paper to evaluate performance, reliability and efficiency of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols. The proposed model improves the existing work by taking serval aspects and the character of multichannel switching into design consideration. Extensive performance evaluations based on analysis and simulation help to validate the accuracy of the proposed model and analyze the capabilities and limitations of the IEEE 802.11p and IEEE 1609.4 protocols, and enhancement suggestions are given.

A simple liquid extraction protocol for overcoming the ion suppression of triacylglycerols by phospholipids in liquid chromatography mass spectrometry studies.

PubMed

Araujo, Pedro; Tilahun, Ephrem; Breivik, Joar Fjørtoft; Abdulkader, Bashir M; Frøyland, Livar; Zeng, Yingxu

2016-02-01

It is well-known that triacylglycerol (TAG) ions are suppressed by phospholipid (PL) ions in regiospecific analysis of TAG by mass spectrometry (MS). Hence, it is essential to remove the PL during sample preparation prior to MS analysis. The present article proposes a cost-effective liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method to remove PL from TAG in different kinds of biological samples by using methanol, hexane and water. High performance thin layer chromatography confirmed the lack of PL in krill oil and salmon liver samples, submitted to the proposed LLE protocol, and liquid chromatography tandem MS confirmed that the identified TAG ions were highly enhanced after implementing the LLE procedure. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Survey of Authentication Schemes in Telecare Medicine Information Systems.

PubMed

Aslam, Muhammad Umair; Derhab, Abdelouahid; Saleem, Kashif; Abbas, Haider; Orgun, Mehmet; Iqbal, Waseem; Aslam, Baber

2017-01-01

E-Healthcare is an emerging field that provides mobility to its users. The protected health information of the users are stored at a remote server (Telecare Medical Information System) and can be accessed by the users at anytime. Many authentication protocols have been proposed to ensure the secure authenticated access to the Telecare Medical Information System. These protocols are designed to provide certain properties such as: anonymity, untraceability, unlinkability, privacy, confidentiality, availability and integrity. They also aim to build a key exchange mechanism, which provides security against some attacks such as: identity theft, password guessing, denial of service, impersonation and insider attacks. This paper reviews these proposed authentication protocols and discusses their strengths and weaknesses in terms of ensured security and privacy properties, and computation cost. The schemes are divided in three broad categories of one-factor, two-factor and three-factor authentication schemes. Inter-category and intra-category comparison has been performed for these schemes and based on the derived results we propose future directions and recommendations that can be very helpful to the researchers who work on the design and implementation of authentication protocols.

Loss-tolerant quantum secure positioning with weak laser sources

DOE PAGES

Lim, Charles Ci Wen; Xu, Feihu; Siopsis, George; ...

2016-09-14

Quantum position verification (QPV) is the art of verifying the geographical location of an untrusted party. It has recently been shown that the widely studied Bennett & Brassard 1984 (BB84) QPV protocol is insecure after the 3 dB loss point assuming local operations and classical communication (LOCC) adversaries. Here in this paper, we propose a time-reversed entanglement swapping QPV protocol (based on measurement-device-independent quantum cryptography) that is highly robust against quantum channel loss. First, assuming ideal qubit sources, we show that the protocol is secure against LOCC adversaries for any quantum channel loss, thereby overcoming the 3 dB loss limit.more » Then, we analyze the security of the protocol in a more practical setting involving weak laser sources and linear optics. Lastly, in this setting, we find that the security only degrades by an additive constant and the protocol is able to verify positions up to 47 dB channel loss.« less

An economic and feasible Quantum Sealed-bid Auction protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Rui; Shi, Run-hua; Qin, Jia-qi; Peng, Zhen-wan

2018-02-01

We present an economic and feasible Quantum Sealed-bid Auction protocol using quantum secure direct communication based on single photons in both the polarization and the spatial-mode degrees of freedom, where each single photon can carry two bits of classical information. Compared with previous protocols, our protocol has higher efficiency. In addition, we propose a secure post-confirmation mechanism without quantum entanglement to guarantee the security and the fairness of the auction.

Application of EARL (ResEARch 4 Life®) protocols for [18F]FDG-PET/CT clinical and research studies. A roadmap towards exact recovery coefficient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balcerzyk, Marcin; Fernández-López, Rosa; Parrado-Gallego, Ángel; Pachón-Garrudo, Víctor Manuel; Chavero-Royan, José; Hevilla, Juan; Jiménez-Ortega, Elisa; Leal, Antonio

2017-11-01

Tumour uptake value is a critical result in [18F]FDG-PET/CT ([18F]fluorodeoxyglucose) quantitative scans such as the dose prescription for radiotherapy and oncology. The quantification is highly dependent on the protocol of acquisition and reconstruction of the image, especially in low activity tumours. During adjusting acquisition and reconstruction protocols available in our Siemens Biograph mCT scanner for EARL (ResEARch 4 Life®) [18F]FDG-PET/CT accreditation requirements, we developed reconstruction protocols which will be used in PET based radiotherapy planning able to reduce inter-/intra-institute variability in Standard Uptake Value (SUV) results, and to bring Recovery Coefficient to 1 as close as possible for Image Quality NEMA 2007 phantom. Primary and secondary tumours from two patients were assessed by four independent evaluators. The influence of reconstruction protocols on tumour clinical assessment was presented. We proposed the improvement route for EARL accredited protocols so that they may be developed in classes to take advantage of scanner possibilities. The application of optimized reconstruction protocol eliminates the need of partial volume corrections.

Modelling the protocol stack in NCS with deterministic and stochastic petri net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hui, Chen; Chunjie, Zhou; Weifeng, Zhu

2011-06-01

Protocol stack is the basis of the networked control systems (NCS). Full or partial reconfiguration of protocol stack offers both optimised communication service and system performance. Nowadays, field testing is unrealistic to determine the performance of reconfigurable protocol stack; and the Petri net formal description technique offers the best combination of intuitive representation, tool support and analytical capabilities. Traditionally, separation between the different layers of the OSI model has been a common practice. Nevertheless, such a layered modelling analysis framework of protocol stack leads to the lack of global optimisation for protocol reconfiguration. In this article, we proposed a general modelling analysis framework for NCS based on the cross-layer concept, which is to establish an efficiency system scheduling model through abstracting the time constraint, the task interrelation, the processor and the bus sub-models from upper and lower layers (application, data link and physical layer). Cross-layer design can help to overcome the inadequacy of global optimisation based on information sharing between protocol layers. To illustrate the framework, we take controller area network (CAN) as a case study. The simulation results of deterministic and stochastic Petri-net (DSPN) model can help us adjust the message scheduling scheme and obtain better system performance.

Imaging of cardiac perfusion of free-breathing small animals using dynamic phase-correlated micro-CT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sawall, Stefan; Kuntz, Jan; Socher, Michaela

Purpose:Mouse models of cardiac diseases have proven to be a valuable tool in preclinical research. The high cardiac and respiratory rates of free breathing mice prohibit conventional in vivo cardiac perfusion studies using computed tomography even if gating methods are applied. This makes a sacrification of the animals unavoidable and only allows for the application of ex vivo methods. Methods: To overcome this issue the authors propose a low dose scan protocol and an associated reconstruction algorithm that allows for in vivo imaging of cardiac perfusion and associated processes that are retrospectively synchronized to the respiratory and cardiac motion ofmore » the animal. The scan protocol consists of repetitive injections of contrast media within several consecutive scans while the ECG, respiratory motion, and timestamp of contrast injection are recorded and synchronized to the acquired projections. The iterative reconstruction algorithm employs a six-dimensional edge-preserving filter to provide low-noise, motion artifact-free images of the animal examined using the authors' low dose scan protocol. Results: The reconstructions obtained show that the complete temporal bolus evolution can be visualized and quantified in any desired combination of cardiac and respiratory phase including reperfusion phases. The proposed reconstruction method thereby keeps the administered radiation dose at a minimum and thus reduces metabolic inference to the animal allowing for longitudinal studies. Conclusions: The authors' low dose scan protocol and phase-correlated dynamic reconstruction algorithm allow for an easy and effective way to visualize phase-correlated perfusion processes in routine laboratory studies using free-breathing mice.« less

A Secure, Intelligent, and Smart-Sensing Approach for Industrial System Automation and Transmission over Unsecured Wireless Networks

PubMed Central

Shahzad, Aamir; Lee, Malrey; Xiong, Neal Naixue; Jeong, Gisung; Lee, Young-Keun; Choi, Jae-Young; Mahesar, Abdul Wheed; Ahmad, Iftikhar

2016-01-01

In Industrial systems, Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, the pseudo-transport layer of the distributed network protocol (DNP3) performs the functions of the transport layer and network layer of the open systems interconnection (OSI) model. This study used a simulation design of water pumping system, in-which the network nodes are directly and wirelessly connected with sensors, and are monitored by the main controller, as part of the wireless SCADA system. This study also intends to focus on the security issues inherent in the pseudo-transport layer of the DNP3 protocol. During disassembly and reassembling processes, the pseudo-transport layer keeps track of the bytes sequence. However, no mechanism is available that can verify the message or maintain the integrity of the bytes in the bytes received/transmitted from/to the data link layer or in the send/respond from the main controller/sensors. To properly and sequentially keep track of the bytes, a mechanism is required that can perform verification while bytes are received/transmitted from/to the lower layer of the DNP3 protocol or the send/respond to/from field sensors. For security and byte verification purposes, a mechanism needs to be proposed for the pseudo-transport layer, by employing cryptography algorithm. A dynamic choice security buffer (SB) is designed and employed during the security development. To achieve the desired goals of the proposed study, a pseudo-transport layer stack model is designed using the DNP3 protocol open library and the security is deployed and tested, without changing the original design. PMID:26950129

A Secure, Intelligent, and Smart-Sensing Approach for Industrial System Automation and Transmission over Unsecured Wireless Networks.

PubMed

Shahzad, Aamir; Lee, Malrey; Xiong, Neal Naixue; Jeong, Gisung; Lee, Young-Keun; Choi, Jae-Young; Mahesar, Abdul Wheed; Ahmad, Iftikhar

2016-03-03

In Industrial systems, Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, the pseudo-transport layer of the distributed network protocol (DNP3) performs the functions of the transport layer and network layer of the open systems interconnection (OSI) model. This study used a simulation design of water pumping system, in-which the network nodes are directly and wirelessly connected with sensors, and are monitored by the main controller, as part of the wireless SCADA system. This study also intends to focus on the security issues inherent in the pseudo-transport layer of the DNP3 protocol. During disassembly and reassembling processes, the pseudo-transport layer keeps track of the bytes sequence. However, no mechanism is available that can verify the message or maintain the integrity of the bytes in the bytes received/transmitted from/to the data link layer or in the send/respond from the main controller/sensors. To properly and sequentially keep track of the bytes, a mechanism is required that can perform verification while bytes are received/transmitted from/to the lower layer of the DNP3 protocol or the send/respond to/from field sensors. For security and byte verification purposes, a mechanism needs to be proposed for the pseudo-transport layer, by employing cryptography algorithm. A dynamic choice security buffer (SB) is designed and employed during the security development. To achieve the desired goals of the proposed study, a pseudo-transport layer stack model is designed using the DNP3 protocol open library and the security is deployed and tested, without changing the original design.

A harmonized segmentation protocol for hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions: Why do we need one and what are the key goals?

PubMed

Wisse, Laura E M; Daugherty, Ana M; Olsen, Rosanna K; Berron, David; Carr, Valerie A; Stark, Craig E L; Amaral, Robert S C; Amunts, Katrin; Augustinack, Jean C; Bender, Andrew R; Bernstein, Jeffrey D; Boccardi, Marina; Bocchetta, Martina; Burggren, Alison; Chakravarty, M Mallar; Chupin, Marie; Ekstrom, Arne; de Flores, Robin; Insausti, Ricardo; Kanel, Prabesh; Kedo, Olga; Kennedy, Kristen M; Kerchner, Geoffrey A; LaRocque, Karen F; Liu, Xiuwen; Maass, Anne; Malykhin, Nicolai; Mueller, Susanne G; Ofen, Noa; Palombo, Daniela J; Parekh, Mansi B; Pluta, John B; Pruessner, Jens C; Raz, Naftali; Rodrigue, Karen M; Schoemaker, Dorothee; Shafer, Andrea T; Steve, Trevor A; Suthana, Nanthia; Wang, Lei; Winterburn, Julie L; Yassa, Michael A; Yushkevich, Paul A; la Joie, Renaud

2017-01-01

The advent of high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has enabled in vivo research in a variety of populations and diseases on the structure and function of hippocampal subfields and subdivisions of the parahippocampal gyrus. Because of the many extant and highly discrepant segmentation protocols, comparing results across studies is difficult. To overcome this barrier, the Hippocampal Subfields Group was formed as an international collaboration with the aim of developing a harmonized protocol for manual segmentation of hippocampal and parahippocampal subregions on high-resolution MRI. In this commentary we discuss the goals for this protocol and the associated key challenges involved in its development. These include differences among existing anatomical reference materials, striking the right balance between reliability of measurements and anatomical validity, and the development of a versatile protocol that can be adopted for the study of populations varying in age and health. The commentary outlines these key challenges, as well as the proposed solution of each, with concrete examples from our working plan. Finally, with two examples, we illustrate how the harmonized protocol, once completed, is expected to impact the field by producing measurements that are quantitatively comparable across labs and by facilitating the synthesis of findings across different studies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Establishing an effective TMS protocol for craving in substance addiction: Is it possible?

PubMed

Enokibara, Mailu; Trevizol, Alisson; Shiozawa, Pedro; Cordeiro, Quirino

2016-01-01

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive tool with known therapeutic efficacy in various neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia, mania, and anxiety disorders. We hereby, briefly present a brief review and meta-analysis on the use of TMS for craving in substance addiction. We present our brief review and meta-analysis following the recommendations of the Cochrane group. A total of eight randomized controlled trials fulfilled eligibility criteria and were selected. A total of 199 patients were studied. We found active stimulation to be superior than sham protocols only for trials focused on right DLPFC (with Hedge's g = 1.48; ES (95%CI: 0.126-2.834), p = 0.032. Main meta-analysis limitations include small number of studies, high heterogeneity among studies, and high publication bias. However challenging, our exploratory analysis underscored the amelioration of craving in substance addiction for trials using high frequency TMS protocols over the right DLPFC. We hereby, propose the use of this particular TMS protocol as a promising tool in clinical research. © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

A Robust and Energy-Efficient Transport Protocol for Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Salim, Shelly; Moh, Sangman

2014-01-01

A cognitive radio sensor network (CRSN) is a wireless sensor network in which sensor nodes are equipped with cognitive radio. CRSNs benefit from cognitive radio capabilities such as dynamic spectrum access and transmission parameters reconfigurability; but cognitive radio also brings additional challenges and leads to higher energy consumption. Motivated to improve the energy efficiency in CRSNs, we propose a robust and energy-efficient transport protocol (RETP). The novelties of RETP are two-fold: (I) it combines distributed channel sensing and channel decision with centralized schedule-based data transmission; and (II) it differentiates the types of data transmission on the basis of data content and adopts different acknowledgment methods for different transmission types. To the best of our knowledge, no transport layer protocols have yet been designed for CRSNs. Simulation results show that the proposed protocol achieves remarkably longer network lifetime and shorter event-detection delay compared to those achieved with a conventional transport protocol, while simultaneously preserving event-detection reliability. PMID:25333288

AIB-OR: improving onion routing circuit construction using anonymous identity-based cryptosystems.

PubMed

Wang, Changji; Shi, Dongyuan; Xu, Xilei

2015-01-01

The rapid growth of Internet applications has made communication anonymity an increasingly important or even indispensable security requirement. Onion routing has been employed as an infrastructure for anonymous communication over a public network, which provides anonymous connections that are strongly resistant to both eavesdropping and traffic analysis. However, existing onion routing protocols usually exhibit poor performance due to repeated encryption operations. In this paper, we first present an improved anonymous multi-receiver identity-based encryption (AMRIBE) scheme, and an improved identity-based one-way anonymous key agreement (IBOWAKE) protocol. We then propose an efficient onion routing protocol named AIB-OR that provides provable security and strong anonymity. Our main approach is to use our improved AMRIBE scheme and improved IBOWAKE protocol in onion routing circuit construction. Compared with other onion routing protocols, AIB-OR provides high efficiency, scalability, strong anonymity and fault tolerance. Performance measurements from a prototype implementation show that our proposed AIB-OR can achieve high bandwidths and low latencies when deployed over the Internet.

AIB-OR: Improving Onion Routing Circuit Construction Using Anonymous Identity-Based Cryptosystems

PubMed Central

Wang, Changji; Shi, Dongyuan; Xu, Xilei

2015-01-01

The rapid growth of Internet applications has made communication anonymity an increasingly important or even indispensable security requirement. Onion routing has been employed as an infrastructure for anonymous communication over a public network, which provides anonymous connections that are strongly resistant to both eavesdropping and traffic analysis. However, existing onion routing protocols usually exhibit poor performance due to repeated encryption operations. In this paper, we first present an improved anonymous multi-receiver identity-based encryption (AMRIBE) scheme, and an improved identity-based one-way anonymous key agreement (IBOWAKE) protocol. We then propose an efficient onion routing protocol named AIB-OR that provides provable security and strong anonymity. Our main approach is to use our improved AMRIBE scheme and improved IBOWAKE protocol in onion routing circuit construction. Compared with other onion routing protocols, AIB-OR provides high efficiency, scalability, strong anonymity and fault tolerance. Performance measurements from a prototype implementation show that our proposed AIB-OR can achieve high bandwidths and low latencies when deployed over the Internet. PMID:25815879

Symmetrically private information retrieval based on blind quantum computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Zhiwei; Yu, Jianping; Wang, Ping; Xu, Lingling

2015-05-01

Universal blind quantum computation (UBQC) is a new secure quantum computing protocol which allows a user Alice who does not have any sophisticated quantum technology to delegate her computing to a server Bob without leaking any privacy. Using the features of UBQC, we propose a protocol to achieve symmetrically private information retrieval, which allows a quantum limited Alice to query an item from Bob with a fully fledged quantum computer; meanwhile, the privacy of both parties is preserved. The security of our protocol is based on the assumption that malicious Alice has no quantum computer, which avoids the impossibility proof of Lo. For the honest Alice, she is almost classical and only requires minimal quantum resources to carry out the proposed protocol. Therefore, she does not need any expensive laboratory which can maintain the coherence of complicated quantum experimental setups.

An efficient and secure certificateless authentication protocol for healthcare system on wireless medical sensor networks.

PubMed

Guo, Rui; Wen, Qiaoyan; Jin, Zhengping; Zhang, Hua

2013-01-01

Sensor networks have opened up new opportunities in healthcare systems, which can transmit patient's condition to health professional's hand-held devices in time. The patient's physiological signals are very sensitive and the networks are extremely vulnerable to many attacks. It must be ensured that patient's privacy is not exposed to unauthorized entities. Therefore, the control of access to healthcare systems has become a crucial challenge. An efficient and secure authentication protocol will thus be needed in wireless medical sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a certificateless authentication scheme without bilinear pairing while providing patient anonymity. Compared with other related protocols, the proposed scheme needs less computation and communication cost and preserves stronger security. Our performance evaluations show that this protocol is more practical for healthcare system in wireless medical sensor networks.

A hop count based heuristic routing protocol for mobile delay tolerant networks.

PubMed

You, Lei; Li, Jianbo; Wei, Changjiang; Dai, Chenqu; Xu, Jixing; Hu, Lejuan

2014-01-01

Routing in delay tolerant networks (DTNs) is a challenge since it must handle network partitioning, long delays, and dynamic topology. Meanwhile, routing protocols of the traditional mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) cannot work well due to the failure of its assumption that most network connections are available. In this paper, we propose a hop count based heuristic routing protocol by utilizing the information carried by the peripatetic packets in the network. A heuristic function is defined to help in making the routing decision. We formally define a custom operation for square matrices so as to transform the heuristic value calculation into matrix manipulation. Finally, the performance of our proposed algorithm is evaluated by the simulation results, which show the advantage of such self-adaptive routing protocol in the diverse circumstance of DTNs.

An Efficient and Secure Certificateless Authentication Protocol for Healthcare System on Wireless Medical Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Guo, Rui; Wen, Qiaoyan; Jin, Zhengping; Zhang, Hua

2013-01-01

Sensor networks have opened up new opportunities in healthcare systems, which can transmit patient's condition to health professional's hand-held devices in time. The patient's physiological signals are very sensitive and the networks are extremely vulnerable to many attacks. It must be ensured that patient's privacy is not exposed to unauthorized entities. Therefore, the control of access to healthcare systems has become a crucial challenge. An efficient and secure authentication protocol will thus be needed in wireless medical sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a certificateless authentication scheme without bilinear pairing while providing patient anonymity. Compared with other related protocols, the proposed scheme needs less computation and communication cost and preserves stronger security. Our performance evaluations show that this protocol is more practical for healthcare system in wireless medical sensor networks. PMID:23710147

A Hop Count Based Heuristic Routing Protocol for Mobile Delay Tolerant Networks

PubMed Central

Wei, Changjiang; Dai, Chenqu; Xu, Jixing; Hu, Lejuan

2014-01-01

Routing in delay tolerant networks (DTNs) is a challenge since it must handle network partitioning, long delays, and dynamic topology. Meanwhile, routing protocols of the traditional mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) cannot work well due to the failure of its assumption that most network connections are available. In this paper, we propose a hop count based heuristic routing protocol by utilizing the information carried by the peripatetic packets in the network. A heuristic function is defined to help in making the routing decision. We formally define a custom operation for square matrices so as to transform the heuristic value calculation into matrix manipulation. Finally, the performance of our proposed algorithm is evaluated by the simulation results, which show the advantage of such self-adaptive routing protocol in the diverse circumstance of DTNs. PMID:25110736

Insecurity of position-based quantum-cryptography protocols against entanglement attacks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, Hoi-Kwan; Lo, Hoi-Kwong

2011-01-15

Recently, position-based quantum cryptography has been claimed to be unconditionally secure. On the contrary, here we show that the existing proposals for position-based quantum cryptography are, in fact, insecure if entanglement is shared among two adversaries. Specifically, we demonstrate how the adversaries can incorporate ideas of quantum teleportation and quantum secret sharing to compromise the security with certainty. The common flaw to all current protocols is that the Pauli operators always map a codeword to a codeword (up to an irrelevant overall phase). We propose a modified scheme lacking this property in which the same cheating strategy used to underminemore » the previous protocols can succeed with a rate of at most 85%. We prove the modified protocol is secure when the shared quantum resource between the adversaries is a two- or three-level system.« less

W-MAC: A Workload-Aware MAC Protocol for Heterogeneous Convergecast in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Xia, Ming; Dong, Yabo; Lu, Dongming

2011-01-01

The power consumption and latency of existing MAC protocols for wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are high in heterogeneous convergecast, where each sensor node generates different amounts of data in one convergecast operation. To solve this problem, we present W-MAC, a workload-aware MAC protocol for heterogeneous convergecast in WSNs. A subtree-based iterative cascading scheduling mechanism and a workload-aware time slice allocation mechanism are proposed to minimize the power consumption of nodes, while offering a low data latency. In addition, an efficient schedule adjustment mechanism is provided for adapting to data traffic variation and network topology change. Analytical and simulation results show that the proposed protocol provides a significant energy saving and latency reduction in heterogeneous convergecast, and can effectively support data aggregation to further improve the performance. PMID:22163753

Measurement device-independent quantum dialogue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maitra, Arpita

2017-12-01

Very recently, the experimental demonstration of quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) with state-of-the-art atomic quantum memory has been reported (Zhang et al. in Phys Rev Lett 118:220501, 2017). Quantum dialogue (QD) falls under QSDC where the secrete messages are communicated simultaneously between two legitimate parties. The successful experimental demonstration of QSDC opens up the possibilities for practical implementation of QD protocols. Thus, it is necessary to analyze the practical security issues of QD protocols for future implementation. Since the very first proposal for QD by Nguyen (Phys Lett A 328:6-10, 2004), a large number of variants and extensions have been presented till date. However, all of those leak half of the secret bits to the adversary through classical communications of the measurement results. In this direction, motivated by the idea of Lo et al. (Phys Rev Lett 108:130503, 2012), we propose a measurement device-independent quantum dialogue scheme which is resistant to such information leakage as well as side-channel attacks. In the proposed protocol, Alice and Bob, two legitimate parties, are allowed to prepare the states only. The states are measured by an untrusted third party who may himself behave as an adversary. We show that our protocol is secure under this adversarial model. The current protocol does not require any quantum memory, and thus, it is inherently robust against memory attacks. Such robustness might not be guaranteed in the QSDC protocol with quantum memory (Zhang et al. 2017).

Counterfactual Quantum Deterministic Key Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Sheng; Wang, Jian; Tang, Chao-Jing

2013-01-01

We propose a new counterfactual quantum cryptography protocol concerning about distributing a deterministic key. By adding a controlled blocking operation module to the original protocol [T.G. Noh, Phys. Rev. Lett. 103 (2009) 230501], the correlation between the polarizations of the two parties, Alice and Bob, is extended, therefore, one can distribute both deterministic keys and random ones using our protocol. We have also given a simple proof of the security of our protocol using the technique we ever applied to the original protocol. Most importantly, our analysis produces a bound tighter than the existing ones.

Multiparty quantum key agreement protocol based on locally indistinguishable orthogonal product states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Dong-Huan; Xu, Guang-Bao

2018-07-01

Based on locally indistinguishable orthogonal product states, we propose a novel multiparty quantum key agreement (QKA) protocol. In this protocol, the private key information of each party is encoded as some orthogonal product states that cannot be perfectly distinguished by local operations and classical communications. To ensure the security of the protocol with small amount of decoy particles, the different particles of each product state are transmitted separately. This protocol not only can make each participant fairly negotiate a shared key, but also can avoid information leakage in the maximum extent. We give a detailed security proof of this protocol. From comparison result with the existing QKA protocols, we can know that the new protocol is more efficient.

A semi-nested real-time PCR method to detect low chimerism percentage in small quantity of hematopoietic stem cell transplant DNA samples.

PubMed

Aloisio, Michelangelo; Bortot, Barbara; Gandin, Ilaria; Severini, Giovanni Maria; Athanasakis, Emmanouil

2017-02-01

Chimerism status evaluation of post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation samples is essential to predict post-transplant relapse. The most commonly used technique capable of detecting small increments of chimerism is quantitative real-time PCR. Although this method is already used in several laboratories, previously described protocols often lack sensitivity and the amount of the DNA required for each chimerism analysis is too high. In the present study, we compared a novel semi-nested allele-specific real-time PCR (sNAS-qPCR) protocol with our in-house standard allele-specific real-time PCR (gAS-qPCR) protocol. We selected two genetic markers and analyzed technical parameters (slope, y-intercept, R2, and standard deviation) useful to determine the performances of the two protocols. The sNAS-qPCR protocol showed better sensitivity and precision. Moreover, the sNAS-qPCR protocol requires, as input, only 10 ng of DNA, which is at least 10-fold less than the gAS-qPCR protocols described in the literature. Finally, the proposed sNAS-qPCR protocol could prove very useful for performing chimerism analysis with a small amount of DNA, as in the case of blood cell subsets.

A distance limited method for sampling downed coarse woody debris

Treesearch

Jeffrey H. Gove; Mark J. Ducey; Harry T. Valentine; Michael S. Williams

2012-01-01

A new sampling method for down coarse woody debris is proposed based on limiting the perpendicular distance from individual pieces to a randomly chosen sample point. Two approaches are presented that allow different protocols to be used to determine field measurements; estimators for each protocol are also developed. Both protocols are compared via simulation against...

Security Services Discovery by ATM Endsystems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sholander, Peter; Tarman, Thomas

This contribution proposes strawman techniques for Security Service Discovery by ATM endsystems in ATM networks. Candidate techniques include ILMI extensions, ANS extensions and new ATM anycast addresses. Another option is a new protocol based on an IETF service discovery protocol, such as Service Location Protocol (SLP). Finally, this contribution provides strawman requirements for Security-Based Routing in ATM networks.

Efficient multiuser quantum cryptography network based on entanglement.

PubMed

Xue, Peng; Wang, Kunkun; Wang, Xiaoping

2017-04-04

We present an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with a certain entangled state to solve a special cryptographic task. Also, we provide a proof of security of this protocol by generalizing the proof of modified of Lo-Chau scheme. Based on this two-user scheme, a quantum cryptography network protocol is proposed without any quantum memory.

Efficient multiuser quantum cryptography network based on entanglement

PubMed Central

Xue, Peng; Wang, Kunkun; Wang, Xiaoping

2017-01-01

We present an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with a certain entangled state to solve a special cryptographic task. Also, we provide a proof of security of this protocol by generalizing the proof of modified of Lo-Chau scheme. Based on this two-user scheme, a quantum cryptography network protocol is proposed without any quantum memory. PMID:28374854

Quantum cryptography without switching.

PubMed

Weedbrook, Christian; Lance, Andrew M; Bowen, Warwick P; Symul, Thomas; Ralph, Timothy C; Lam, Ping Koy

2004-10-22

We propose a new coherent state quantum key distribution protocol that eliminates the need to randomly switch between measurement bases. This protocol provides significantly higher secret key rates with increased bandwidths than previous schemes that only make single quadrature measurements. It also offers the further advantage of simplicity compared to all previous protocols which, to date, have relied on switching.

Efficient multiuser quantum cryptography network based on entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Peng; Wang, Kunkun; Wang, Xiaoping

2017-04-01

We present an efficient quantum key distribution protocol with a certain entangled state to solve a special cryptographic task. Also, we provide a proof of security of this protocol by generalizing the proof of modified of Lo-Chau scheme. Based on this two-user scheme, a quantum cryptography network protocol is proposed without any quantum memory.

Current and Future Applications of Photoactivated Chromophore for Keratitis-Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking (PACK-CXL): An Overview of the Different Treatments Proposed.

PubMed

Abbouda, A; Abicca, I; Alió, J L

2018-01-01

To review the application of the PACK-CXL and to identify different treatment protocols according to the pathogens associated with keratitis. A systematic review of 21 articles. The primary outcome was the healing of a corneal ulcer, defined as epithelization, blocking corneal melting. The secondary end-point was the recovery of visual acuity. We studied a total of 145 eyes. Infectious keratitis was associated with bacteria in 80 eyes (55.55%), fungus in 24 eyes (16.67%), and protozoa in 13 (8.97%). In 26 (18%), the microbiological culture was negative or not performed. The mean time of re-epithelization was 25.70±29.83days (1-180). A total of 27 patients needed corneal transplantation. The overall probability of blocking corneal melting was 84.13%. Three different protocols for each group of pathogens have been proposed. PACK-CXL still has a limit in its spread. In the future, we hope that each pathogen will be treated with the most efficient and least invasive protocols available.

Comparison of in vivo 3D cone-beam computed tomography tooth volume measurement protocols.

PubMed

Forst, Darren; Nijjar, Simrit; Flores-Mir, Carlos; Carey, Jason; Secanell, Marc; Lagravere, Manuel

2014-12-23

The objective of this study is to analyze a set of previously developed and proposed image segmentation protocols for precision in both intra- and inter-rater reliability for in vivo tooth volume measurements using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Six 3D volume segmentation procedures were proposed and tested for intra- and inter-rater reliability to quantify maxillary first molar volumes. Ten randomly selected maxillary first molars were measured in vivo in random order three times with 10 days separation between measurements. Intra- and inter-rater agreement for all segmentation procedures was attained using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The highest precision was for automated thresholding with manual refinements. A tooth volume measurement protocol for CBCT images employing automated segmentation with manual human refinement on a 2D slice-by-slice basis in all three planes of space possessed excellent intra- and inter-rater reliability. Three-dimensional volume measurements of the entire tooth structure are more precise than 3D volume measurements of only the dental roots apical to the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ).

A Simple XML Producer-Consumer Protocol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Warren; Gunter, Dan; Quesnel, Darcy

2000-01-01

This document describes a simple XML-based protocol that can be used for producers of events to communicate with consumers of events. The protocol described here is not meant to be the most efficient protocol, the most logical protocol, or the best protocol in any way. This protocol was defined quickly and it's intent is to give us a reasonable protocol that we can implement relatively easily and then use to gain experience in distributed event services. This experience will help us evaluate proposals for event representations, XML-based encoding of information, and communication protocols. The next section of this document describes how we represent events in this protocol and then defines the two events that we choose to use for our initial experiments. These definitions are made by example so that they are informal and easy to understand. The following section then proceeds to define the producer-consumer protocol we have agreed upon for our initial experiments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, Bing; Lougovski, Pavel; Pooser, Raphael C.

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocols based on coherent detection have been studied extensively in both theory and experiment. In all the existing implementations of CV-QKD, both the quantum signal and the local oscillator (LO) are generated from the same laser and propagate through the insecure quantum channel. This arrangement may open security loopholes and limit the potential applications of CV-QKD. In our paper, we propose and demonstrate a pilot-aided feedforward data recovery scheme that enables reliable coherent detection using a “locally” generated LO. Using two independent commercial laser sources and a spool of 25-km optical fiber, we construct amore » coherent communication system. The variance of the phase noise introduced by the proposed scheme is measured to be 0.04 (rad 2), which is small enough to enable secure key distribution. This technology opens the door for other quantum communication protocols, such as the recently proposed measurement-device-independent CV-QKD, where independent light sources are employed by different users.« less

Detecting many-body-localization lengths with cold atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xuefei; Li, Xiaopeng

2018-03-01

Considering ultracold atoms in optical lattices, we propose experimental protocols to study many-body-localization (MBL) length and criticality in quench dynamics. Through numerical simulations with exact diagonalization, we show that in the MBL phase the perturbed density profile following a local quench remains exponentially localized in postquench dynamics. The size of this density profile after long-time-dynamics defines a localization length, which tends to diverge at the MBL-to-ergodic transition as we increase the system size. The determined localization transition point agrees with previous exact diagonalization calculations using other diagnostics. Our numerical results provide evidence for violation of the Harris-Chayes bound for the MBL criticality. The critical exponent ν can be extracted from our proposed dynamical procedure, which can then be used directly in experiments to determine whether the Harris-Chayes-bound holds for the MBL transition. These proposed protocols to detect localization criticality are justified by benchmarking to the well-established results for the noninteracting three-dimensional Anderson localization.

Generating the Local Oscillator "Locally" in Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution Based on Coherent Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Bing; Lougovski, Pavel; Pooser, Raphael; Grice, Warren; Bobrek, Miljko

2015-10-01

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocols based on coherent detection have been studied extensively in both theory and experiment. In all the existing implementations of CV-QKD, both the quantum signal and the local oscillator (LO) are generated from the same laser and propagate through the insecure quantum channel. This arrangement may open security loopholes and limit the potential applications of CV-QKD. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a pilot-aided feedforward data recovery scheme that enables reliable coherent detection using a "locally" generated LO. Using two independent commercial laser sources and a spool of 25-km optical fiber, we construct a coherent communication system. The variance of the phase noise introduced by the proposed scheme is measured to be 0.04 (rad2 ), which is small enough to enable secure key distribution. This technology also opens the door for other quantum communication protocols, such as the recently proposed measurement-device-independent CV-QKD, where independent light sources are employed by different users.

Transcranial Electric Stimulation for Precision Medicine: A Spatiomechanistic Framework

PubMed Central

Yavari, Fatemeh; Nitsche, Michael A.; Ekhtiari, Hamed

2017-01-01

During recent years, non-invasive brain stimulation, including transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) in general, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in particular, have created new hopes for treatment of neurological and psychiatric diseases. Despite promising primary results in some brain disorders, a more widespread application of tES is hindered by the unsolved question of determining optimum stimulation protocols to receive meaningful therapeutic effects. tES has a large parameter space including various montages and stimulation parameters. Moreover, inter- and intra-individual differences in responding to stimulation protocols have to be taken into account. These factors contribute to the complexity of selecting potentially effective protocols for each disorder, different clusters of each disorder, and even each single patient. Expanding knowledge in different dimensions of basic and clinical neuroscience could help researchers and clinicians to select potentially effective protocols based on tES modulatory mechanisms for future clinical studies. In this article, we propose a heuristic spatiomechanistic framework which contains nine levels to address tES effects on brain functions. Three levels refer to the spatial resolution (local, small-scale networks and large-scale networks) and three levels of tES modulatory effects based on its mechanisms of action (neurochemical, neuroelectrical and oscillatory modulations). At the group level, this framework could be helpful to enable an informed and systematic exploration of various possible protocols for targeting a brain disorder or its neuroscience-based clusters. Considering recent advances in exploration of neurodiversity at the individual level with different brain mapping technologies, the proposed framework might also be used in combination with personal data to design individualized protocols for tES in the context of precision medicine in the future. PMID:28450832

Adaptive tracking of a time-varying field with a quantum sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonato, Cristian; Berry, Dominic W.

2017-05-01

Sensors based on single spins can enable magnetic-field detection with very high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Previous work has concentrated on sensing of a constant magnetic field or a periodic signal. Here, we instead investigate the problem of estimating a field with nonperiodic variation described by a Wiener process. We propose and study, by numerical simulations, an adaptive tracking protocol based on Bayesian estimation. The tracking protocol updates the probability distribution for the magnetic field based on measurement outcomes and adapts the choice of sensing time and phase in real time. By taking the statistical properties of the signal into account, our protocol strongly reduces the required measurement time. This leads to a reduction of the error in the estimation of a time-varying signal by up to a factor of four compare with protocols that do not take this information into account.

Investigation of Interference Models for RFID Systems.

PubMed

Zhang, Linchao; Ferrero, Renato; Gandino, Filippo; Rebaudengo, Maurizio

2016-02-04

The reader-to-reader collision in an RFID system is a challenging problem for communications technology. In order to model the interference between RFID readers, different interference models have been proposed, mainly based on two approaches: single and additive interference. The former only considers the interference from one reader within a certain range, whereas the latter takes into account the sum of all of the simultaneous interferences in order to emulate a more realistic behavior. Although the difference between the two approaches has been theoretically analyzed in previous research, their effects on the estimated performance of the reader-to-reader anti-collision protocols have not yet been investigated. In this paper, the influence of the interference model on the anti-collision protocols is studied by simulating a representative state-of-the-art protocol. The results presented in this paper highlight that the use of additive models, although more computationally intensive, is mandatory to improve the performance of anti-collision protocols.

Traffic placement policies for a multi-band network

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maly, Kurt J.; Foudriat, E. C.; Game, David; Mukkamala, R.; Overstreet, C. Michael

1990-01-01

Recently protocols were introduced that enable the integration of synchronous traffic (voice or video) and asynchronous traffic (data) and extend the size of local area networks without loss in speed or capacity. One of these is DRAMA, a multiband protocol based on broadband technology. It provides dynamic allocation of bandwidth among clusters of nodes in the total network. A number of traffic placement policies for such networks are proposed and evaluated. Metrics used for performance evaluation include average network access delay, degree of fairness of access among the nodes, and network throughput. The feasibility of the DRAMA protocol is established through simulation studies. DRAMA provides effective integration of synchronous and asychronous traffic due to its ability to separate traffic types. Under the suggested traffic placement policies, the DRAMA protocol is shown to handle diverse loads, mixes of traffic types, and numbers of nodes, as well as modifications to the network structure and momentary traffic overloads.

A GIS-based protocol for the simulation and evaluation of realistic 3-D thinning scenarios in recreational forest management.

PubMed

Lin, Chinsu; Thomson, Gavin; Hung, Shih-Hsiang; Lin, Yu-Dung

2012-12-30

This study introduces a GIS-based protocol for the simulation and evaluation of thinning treatments in recreational forest management. The protocol was implemented in a research study based on an area of recreational forest in Alishan National Scenic Area, Taiwan. Ground survey data were mapped to a GIS database, to create a precise, yet flexible, GIS-based digital forest. The digital forest model was used to generate 18 different thinning scenario images and one image of the existing unthinned forest. A questionnaire was completed by 456 participants while simultaneously viewing the scenario images. The questionnaire was used to determine the scenic beauty preferences of the respondents. Statistical analysis of the data revealed that the respondents preferred low density, upper-storey thinning treatments and a dispersed retention pattern of the remaining trees. High density upper-storey treatments evoked a strongly negative reaction in the observers. The experiment demonstrated that the proposed protocol is suitable for selecting an appropriate thinning strategy for recreational forest and that the protocol has practical value in recreational forest management. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-stage treatment protocol for recalcitrant distal femoral nonunion.

PubMed

Ma, Ching-Hou; Chiu, Yen-Chun; Tu, Yuan-Kun; Yen, Cheng-Yo; Wu, Chin-Hsien

2017-04-01

In this study, we proposed a three-stage treatment protocol for recalcitrant distal femoral nonunion and aimed to analyze the clinical results. We retrospective reviewed 12 consecutive patients with recalcitrant distal femoral nonunion undergoing our three-stage treatment protocol from January 2010 to December 2014 in our institute. The three-stage treatment protocol comprised debridement of the nonunion site, lengthening to eliminate leg length discrepancy, deformity correction, stabilization with a locked plate, filling of the defect with cement spacer for inducing membrane formation, and bone reconstruction using a cancellous bone autograft (Masquelet technique) or free vascularized fibular bone graft. The bone union time, wound complication, lower limbs alignment, amount of lengthening, knee range of motion, and functional outcomes were evaluated. Osseous union with angular deformity <5° and leg length discrepancy <1 cm were achieved in all the patients. The average amount of lengthening was 5.88 cm (range 3.5-12 cm). Excellent or good outcomes were obtained in 9 patients. Although the current study involved only a small number of patients and the intervention comprised three stages, we believe that such a protocol may be a valuable alternative for the treatment of recalcitrant distal femoral nonunion.

Multi-party Quantum Key Agreement without Entanglement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Bin-Bin; Guo, Gong-De; Lin, Song

2017-04-01

A new efficient quantum key agreement protocol without entanglement is proposed. In this protocol, each user encodes his secret key into the traveling particles by performing one of four rotation operations that one cannot perfectly distinguish. In the end, all users can simultaneously obtain the final shared key. The security of the presented protocol against some common attacks is discussed. It is shown that this protocol can effectively protect the privacy of each user and satisfy the requirement of fairness in theory. Moreover, the quantum carriers and the encoding operations used in the protocol can be achieved in realistic physical devices. Therefore, the presented protocol is feasible with current technology.

Pharmaceutical trials in general practice: the first 100 protocols. An audit by the clinical research ethics committee of the Royal College of General Practitioners.

PubMed Central

Wise, P.; Drury, M.

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the outcome of 100 general practice based, multicentre research projects submitted to the ethics committee of the Royal College of General Practitioners by pharmaceutical companies or their agents between 1984 and 1989. DESIGN: Analysis of consecutive submitted protocols for stated objectives, study design, and outcomes; detailed review of committee minutes and correspondence in relation to amendment and approval; assessment of final reports submitted at conclusion of studies. SUBJECTS: 82 finally approved protocols, embracing 34,523 proposed trial subjects and 1195 proposed general practice investigators. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Success at enrolling subjects and investigators; commencement and completion data; validity of final report's assessment of efficacy, safety, tolerability, and acceptability; and method of use and dissemination of findings. RESULTS: 18 studies were not approved and 45 had to be amended. Randomised controlled trials comprised 46 of the original submissions. Remuneration considerations, inadequate information or consent sheets, pregnancy safety, the need to discontinue existing therapy, and suboptimal scientific content were major reasons for rejecting studies or asking for amendments. Of the 82 approved studies 8 were not started. Shortfalls of investigators (of 39%) and trial subjects (of 37%) and an overall 23% withdrawal rate were responsible for a significant incidence of inconclusive results. Within the six year follow up interval, only 19 of the studies had been formally published. CONCLUSIONS: This audit identified substantial ethical concerns in the process of approving multicentre general practice pharmaceutical research. PMID:8939118

A Secure Region-Based Geographic Routing Protocol (SRBGR) for Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Adnan, Ali Idarous; Hanapi, Zurina Mohd; Othman, Mohamed; Zukarnain, Zuriati Ahmad

2017-01-01

Due to the lack of dependency for routing initiation and an inadequate allocated sextant on responding messages, the secure geographic routing protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have attracted considerable attention. However, the existing protocols are more likely to drop packets when legitimate nodes fail to respond to the routing initiation messages while attackers in the allocated sextant manage to respond. Furthermore, these protocols are designed with inefficient collection window and inadequate verification criteria which may lead to a high number of attacker selections. To prevent the failure to find an appropriate relay node and undesirable packet retransmission, this paper presents Secure Region-Based Geographic Routing Protocol (SRBGR) to increase the probability of selecting the appropriate relay node. By extending the allocated sextant and applying different message contention priorities more legitimate nodes can be admitted in the routing process. Moreover, the paper also proposed the bound collection window for a sufficient collection time and verification cost for both attacker identification and isolation. Extensive simulation experiments have been performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol in comparison with other existing protocols. The results demonstrate that SRBGR increases network performance in terms of the packet delivery ratio and isolates attacks such as Sybil and Black hole. PMID:28121992

Chaotic maps and biometrics-based anonymous three-party authenticated key exchange protocol without using passwords

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Qi; Hu, Bin; Chen, Ke-Fei; Liu, Wen-Hao; Tan, Xiao

2015-11-01

In three-party password authenticated key exchange (AKE) protocol, since two users use their passwords to establish a secure session key over an insecure communication channel with the help of the trusted server, such a protocol may suffer the password guessing attacks and the server has to maintain the password table. To eliminate the shortages of password-based AKE protocol, very recently, according to chaotic maps, Lee et al. [2015 Nonlinear Dyn. 79 2485] proposed a first three-party-authenticated key exchange scheme without using passwords, and claimed its security by providing a well-organized BAN logic test. Unfortunately, their protocol cannot resist impersonation attack, which is demonstrated in the present paper. To overcome their security weakness, by using chaotic maps, we propose a biometrics-based anonymous three-party AKE protocol with the same advantages. Further, we use the pi calculus-based formal verification tool ProVerif to show that our AKE protocol achieves authentication, security and anonymity, and an acceptable efficiency. Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, China (Grant No. LZ12F02005), the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2013CB834205), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61070153).

A Secure Region-Based Geographic Routing Protocol (SRBGR) for Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Adnan, Ali Idarous; Hanapi, Zurina Mohd; Othman, Mohamed; Zukarnain, Zuriati Ahmad

2017-01-01

Due to the lack of dependency for routing initiation and an inadequate allocated sextant on responding messages, the secure geographic routing protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have attracted considerable attention. However, the existing protocols are more likely to drop packets when legitimate nodes fail to respond to the routing initiation messages while attackers in the allocated sextant manage to respond. Furthermore, these protocols are designed with inefficient collection window and inadequate verification criteria which may lead to a high number of attacker selections. To prevent the failure to find an appropriate relay node and undesirable packet retransmission, this paper presents Secure Region-Based Geographic Routing Protocol (SRBGR) to increase the probability of selecting the appropriate relay node. By extending the allocated sextant and applying different message contention priorities more legitimate nodes can be admitted in the routing process. Moreover, the paper also proposed the bound collection window for a sufficient collection time and verification cost for both attacker identification and isolation. Extensive simulation experiments have been performed to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocol in comparison with other existing protocols. The results demonstrate that SRBGR increases network performance in terms of the packet delivery ratio and isolates attacks such as Sybil and Black hole.

Loss-tolerant measurement-device-independent quantum private queries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Liang-Yuan; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Chen, Wei; Qian, Yong-Jun; Zhang, Chun-Mei; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2017-01-01

Quantum private queries (QPQ) is an important cryptography protocol aiming to protect both the user’s and database’s privacy when the database is queried privately. Recently, a variety of practical QPQ protocols based on quantum key distribution (QKD) have been proposed. However, for QKD-based QPQ the user’s imperfect detectors can be subjected to some detector- side-channel attacks launched by the dishonest owner of the database. Here, we present a simple example that shows how the detector-blinding attack can damage the security of QKD-based QPQ completely. To remove all the known and unknown detector side channels, we propose a solution of measurement-device-independent QPQ (MDI-QPQ) with single- photon sources. The security of the proposed protocol has been analyzed under some typical attacks. Moreover, we prove that its security is completely loss independent. The results show that practical QPQ will remain the same degree of privacy as before even with seriously uncharacterized detectors.

Loss-tolerant measurement-device-independent quantum private queries.

PubMed

Zhao, Liang-Yuan; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Chen, Wei; Qian, Yong-Jun; Zhang, Chun-Mei; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2017-01-04

Quantum private queries (QPQ) is an important cryptography protocol aiming to protect both the user's and database's privacy when the database is queried privately. Recently, a variety of practical QPQ protocols based on quantum key distribution (QKD) have been proposed. However, for QKD-based QPQ the user's imperfect detectors can be subjected to some detector- side-channel attacks launched by the dishonest owner of the database. Here, we present a simple example that shows how the detector-blinding attack can damage the security of QKD-based QPQ completely. To remove all the known and unknown detector side channels, we propose a solution of measurement-device-independent QPQ (MDI-QPQ) with single- photon sources. The security of the proposed protocol has been analyzed under some typical attacks. Moreover, we prove that its security is completely loss independent. The results show that practical QPQ will remain the same degree of privacy as before even with seriously uncharacterized detectors.

Traffic Adaptive Energy Efficient and Low Latency Medium Access Control for Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Rajesh; Varma, Shirshu; Malaviya, N.

2008-05-01

Medium access control for wireless sensor networks has been a very active research area in the recent years. The traditional wireless medium access control protocol such as IEEE 802.11 is not suitable for the sensor network application because these are battery powered. The recharging of these sensor nodes is expensive and also not possible. The most of the literature in the medium access for the sensor network focuses on the energy efficiency. The proposed MAC protocol solves the energy inefficiency caused by idle listening, control packet overhead and overhearing taking nodes latency into consideration based on the network traffic. Simulation experiments have been performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The validation of the simulation results of the proposed MAC has been done by comparing it with the analytical model. This protocol has been simulated in Network Simulator ns-2.

BFT replication resistant to MAC attacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zbierski, Maciej

2016-09-01

Over the last decade numerous Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) replication protocols have been proposed in the literature. However, the vast majority of these solutions reuse the same authentication scheme, which makes them susceptible to a so called MAC attack. Such vulnerability enables malicious clients to undetectably prevent the replicated service from processing incoming client requests, and consequently making it permanently unavailable. While some BFT protocols attempted to address this issue by using different authentication mechanisms, they at the same time significantly degraded the performance achieved in correct environments. This article presents a novel adaptive authentication mechanism which can be combined with practically any Byzantine fault-tolerant replication protocol. Unlike previous solutions, the proposed scheme dynamically switches between two operation modes to combine high performance in correct environments and liveness during MAC attacks. The experiment results presented in the article demonstrate that the proposed mechanism can sufficiently tolerate MAC attacks without introducing any observable overhead whenever no faults are present.

Risk of bias and confounding of observational studies of Zika virus infection: A scoping review of research protocols.

PubMed

Reveiz, Ludovic; Haby, Michelle M; Martínez-Vega, Ruth; Pinzón-Flores, Carlos E; Elias, Vanessa; Smith, Emma; Pinart, Mariona; Broutet, Nathalie; Becerra-Posada, Francisco; Aldighieri, Sylvain; Van Kerkhove, Maria D

2017-01-01

Given the severity and impact of the current Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas, numerous countries have rushed to develop research studies to assess ZIKV and its potential health consequences. In an effort to ensure that studies are comprehensive, both internally and externally valid, and with reliable results, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, Institut Pasteur, the networks of Fiocruz, the Consortia for the Standardization of Influenza Seroepidemiology (CONSISE) and the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) have generated six standardized clinical and epidemiological research protocols and questionnaires to address key public health questions on ZIKV. We conducted a systematic search of ongoing study protocols related to ZIKV research. We analyzed the content of protocols of 32 cohort studies and 13 case control studies for systematic bias that could produce erroneous results. Additionally we aimed to characterize the risks of bias and confounding in observational studies related to ZIKV and to propose ways to minimize them, including the use of six newly standardized research protocols. Observational studies of ZIKV face an array of challenges, including measurement of exposure and outcomes (microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome). Potential confounders need to be measured where known and controlled for in the analysis. Selection bias due to non-random selection is a significant issue, particularly in the case-control design, and losses to follow-up is equally important for the cohort design. Observational research seeking to answer key questions on the ZIKV should consider these restrictions and take precautions to minimize bias in an effort to provide reliable and valid results. Utilization of the standardized research protocols developed by the WHO, PAHO, Institut Pasteur, and CONSISE will harmonize the key methodological aspects of each study design to minimize bias at different stages of the study. Biases need to be considered by researchers implementing the standardized protocols as well as by users of observational epidemiological studies of ZIKV.

Controlled mutual quantum entity authentication with an untrusted third party

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Min-Sung; Heo, Jino; Hong, Chang-Ho; Yang, Hyung-Jin; Han, Sang-Wook; Moon, Sung

2018-07-01

We propose a quantum control entity mutual authentication protocol that can be executed in environments involving an untrusted third party. In general, the third party, referred to as Charlie, can be an entity such as a telephone company, server, financial company, or login webpage for a portal service. Most communication protocols controlled by third parties are vulnerable to internal attacks. In this study, we present two solutions that make use of an entanglement correlation checking method and random numbers against an internal attack by an untrusted third party.

Exercise-training protocols for astronauts in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenleaf, J. E.; Bulbulian, R.; Bernauer, E. M.; Haskell, W. L.; Moore, T.

1989-01-01

Based on physical working requirements for astronauts during intra- and extravehicular activity and on the findings from bed-rest studies that utilized exercise training as a countermeasure for the reduction of aerobic power, deterioration of muscular strength and endurance, decrements in mood and cognitive performance, and possibly for bone loss, two exercise protocols are proposed. One assumes that, during microgravity, astronaut exercise physiological functions should be maintained at 100 percent of ground-based levels. The other assumes that maximal aerobic power in flight can be reduced by 10 percent of the ground-based level.

Enhanced Weight based DSR for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verma, Samant; Jain, Sweta

2011-12-01

Routing in ad hoc network is a great problematic, since a good routing protocol must ensure fast and efficient packet forwarding, which isn't evident in ad hoc networks. In literature there exists lot of routing protocols however they don't include all the aspects of ad hoc networks as mobility, device and medium constraints which make these protocols not efficient for some configuration and categories of ad hoc networks. Thus in this paper we propose an improvement of Weight Based DSR in order to include some of the aspects of ad hoc networks as stability, remaining battery power, load and trust factor and proposing a new approach Enhanced Weight Based DSR.

A protocol of rope skipping exercise for primary school children: A pilot test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radzi, A. N. M.; Rambely, A. S.; Chellapan, K.

2014-06-01

This paper aims to investigate the methods and sample used in rope skipping as an exercise approach. A systematic literature review was approached in identifying skipping performance in the related researches. The methods were compared to determine the best methodological approach for the targeted skipping based research measure. A pilot test was performed among seven students below 12 years old. As the outcome of the review, a skipping protocol design has been proposed for 10 years old primary school students. The proposed protocol design is to be submitted to PPUKM Ethical Committee for approval prior to its implementation in investigation memory enhancement in relation to designed skipping activities.

A sessional blind signature based on quantum cryptography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khodambashi, Siavash; Zakerolhosseini, Ali

2014-01-01

In this paper, we present a sessional blind signature protocol whose security is guaranteed by fundamental principles of quantum physics. It allows a message owner to get his message signed by an authorized signatory. However, the signatory is not capable of reading the message contents and everyone can verify authenticity of the message. For this purpose, we took advantage of a sessional signature as well as quantum entangled pairs which are generated with respect to it in our proposed protocol. We describe our proposed blind signature through an example and briefly discuss about its unconditional security. Due to the feasibility of the protocol, it can be widely employed for e-payment, e-government, e-business and etc.

Quantum dense key distribution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Degiovanni, I.P.; Ruo Berchera, I.; Castelletto, S.

2004-03-01

This paper proposes a protocol for quantum dense key distribution. This protocol embeds the benefits of a quantum dense coding and a quantum key distribution and is able to generate shared secret keys four times more efficiently than the Bennet-Brassard 1984 protocol. We hereinafter prove the security of this scheme against individual eavesdropping attacks, and we present preliminary experimental results, showing its feasibility.

WDM Network and Multicasting Protocol Strategies

PubMed Central

Zaim, Abdul Halim

2014-01-01

Optical technology gains extensive attention and ever increasing improvement because of the huge amount of network traffic caused by the growing number of internet users and their rising demands. However, with wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), it is easier to take the advantage of optical networks and optical burst switching (OBS) and to construct WDM networks with low delay rates and better data transparency these technologies are the best choices. Furthermore, multicasting in WDM is an urgent solution for bandwidth-intensive applications. In the paper, a new multicasting protocol with OBS is proposed. The protocol depends on a leaf initiated structure. The network is composed of source, ingress switches, intermediate switches, edge switches, and client nodes. The performance of the protocol is examined with Just Enough Time (JET) and Just In Time (JIT) reservation protocols. Also, the paper involves most of the recent advances about WDM multicasting in optical networks. WDM multicasting in optical networks is given as three common subtitles: Broadcast and-select networks, wavelength-routed networks, and OBS networks. Also, in the paper, multicast routing protocols are briefly summarized and optical burst switched WDM networks are investigated with the proposed multicast schemes. PMID:24744683

Proof-of-principle experimental realization of a qubit-like qudit-based quantum key distribution scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shuang; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Chau, H. F.; Chen, Wei; Wang, Chao; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2018-04-01

In comparison to qubit-based protocols, qudit-based quantum key distribution ones generally allow two cooperative parties to share unconditionally secure keys under a higher channel noise. However, it is very hard to prepare and measure the required quantum states in qudit-based protocols in general. One exception is the recently proposed highly error tolerant qudit-based protocol known as the Chau15 (Chau 2015 Phys. Rev. A 92 062324). Remarkably, the state preparation and measurement in this protocol can be done relatively easily since the required states are phase encoded almost like the diagonal basis states of a qubit. Here we report the first proof-of-principle demonstration of the Chau15 protocol. One highlight of our experiment is that its post-processing is based on practical one-way manner, while the original proposal in Chau (2015 Phys. Rev. A 92 062324) relies on complicated two-way post-processing, which is a great challenge in experiment. In addition, by manipulating time-bin qudit and measurement with a variable delay interferometer, our realization is extensible to qudit with high-dimensionality and confirms the experimental feasibility of the Chau15 protocol.

A General Self-Organized Tree-Based Energy-Balance Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Zhao; Wu, Jie; Zhang, Jie; Liu, Liefeng; Tian, Kaiyun

2014-04-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) is a system composed of a large number of low-cost micro-sensors. This network is used to collect and send various kinds of messages to a base station (BS). WSN consists of low-cost nodes with limited battery power, and the battery replacement is not easy for WSN with thousands of physically embedded nodes, which means energy efficient routing protocol should be employed to offer a long-life work time. To achieve the aim, we need not only to minimize total energy consumption but also to balance WSN load. Researchers have proposed many protocols such as LEACH, HEED, PEGASIS, TBC and PEDAP. In this paper, we propose a General Self-Organized Tree-Based Energy-Balance routing protocol (GSTEB) which builds a routing tree using a process where, for each round, BS assigns a root node and broadcasts this selection to all sensor nodes. Subsequently, each node selects its parent by considering only itself and its neighbors' information, thus making GSTEB a dynamic protocol. Simulation results show that GSTEB has a better performance than other protocols in balancing energy consumption, thus prolonging the lifetime of WSN.

Continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution with virtual photon subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yijia; Zhang, Yichen; Xu, Bingjie; Yu, Song; Guo, Hong

2018-04-01

The method of improving the performance of continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocols by postselection has been recently proposed and verified. In continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI QKD) protocols, the measurement results are obtained from untrusted third party Charlie. There is still not an effective method of improving CV-MDI QKD by the postselection with untrusted measurement. We propose a method to improve the performance of coherent-state CV-MDI QKD protocol by virtual photon subtraction via non-Gaussian postselection. The non-Gaussian postselection of transmitted data is equivalent to an ideal photon subtraction on the two-mode squeezed vacuum state, which is favorable to enhance the performance of CV-MDI QKD. In CV-MDI QKD protocol with non-Gaussian postselection, two users select their own data independently. We demonstrate that the optimal performance of the renovated CV-MDI QKD protocol is obtained with the transmitted data only selected by Alice. By setting appropriate parameters of the virtual photon subtraction, the secret key rate and tolerable excess noise are both improved at long transmission distance. The method provides an effective optimization scheme for the application of CV-MDI QKD protocols.

Lightweight and confidential data discovery and dissemination for wireless body area networks.

PubMed

He, Daojing; Chan, Sammy; Zhang, Yan; Yang, Haomiao

2014-03-01

As a special sensor network, a wireless body area network (WBAN) provides an economical solution to real-time monitoring and reporting of patients' physiological data. After a WBAN is deployed, it is sometimes necessary to disseminate data into the network through wireless links to adjust configuration parameters of body sensors or distribute management commands and queries to sensors. A number of such protocols have been proposed recently, but they all focus on how to ensure reliability and overlook security vulnerabilities. Taking into account the unique features and application requirements of a WBAN, this paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a secure, lightweight, confidential, and denial-of-service-resistant data discovery and dissemination protocol for WBANs to ensure the data items disseminated are not altered or tampered. Based on multiple one-way key hash chains, our protocol provides instantaneous authentication and can tolerate node compromise. Besides the theoretical analysis that demonstrates the security and performance of the proposed protocol, this paper also reports the experimental evaluation of our protocol in a network of resource-limited sensor nodes, which shows its efficiency in practice. In particular, extensive security analysis shows that our protocol is provably secure.

Data-centric multiobjective QoS-aware routing protocol for body sensor networks.

PubMed

Razzaque, Md Abdur; Hong, Choong Seon; Lee, Sungwon

2011-01-01

In this paper, we address Quality-of-Service (QoS)-aware routing issue for Body Sensor Networks (BSNs) in delay and reliability domains. We propose a data-centric multiobjective QoS-Aware routing protocol, called DMQoS, which facilitates the system to achieve customized QoS services for each traffic category differentiated according to the generated data types. It uses modular design architecture wherein different units operate in coordination to provide multiple QoS services. Their operation exploits geographic locations and QoS performance of the neighbor nodes and implements a localized hop-by-hop routing. Moreover, the protocol ensures (almost) a homogeneous energy dissipation rate for all routing nodes in the network through a multiobjective Lexicographic Optimization-based geographic forwarding. We have performed extensive simulations of the proposed protocol, and the results show that DMQoS has significant performance improvements over several state-of-the-art approaches.

A Fatigue Measuring Protocol for Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Akram, Sana; Javaid, Nadeem; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Imran, Muhammad; Guizani, Mohsen; Hayat, Amir; Ilahi, Manzoor

2015-12-01

As players and soldiers preform strenuous exercises and do difficult and tiring duties, they are usually the common victims of muscular fatigue. Keeping this in mind, we propose FAtigue MEasurement (FAME) protocol for soccer players and soldiers using in-vivo sensors for Wireless Body Area Sensor Networks (WBASNs). In FAME, we introduce a composite parameter for fatigue measurement by setting a threshold level for each sensor. Whenever, any sensed data exceeds its threshold level, the players or soldiers are declared to be in a state of fatigue. Moreover, we use a vibration pad for the relaxation of fatigued muscles, and then utilize the vibrational energy by means of vibration detection circuit to recharge the in-vivo sensors. The induction circuit achieves about 68 % link efficiency. Simulation results show better performance of the proposed FAME protocol, in the chosen scenarios, as compared to an existing Wireless Soccer Team Monitoring (WSTM) protocol in terms of the selected metrics.

Self-Configuration and Self-Optimization Process in Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

PubMed Central

Guardalben, Lucas; Villalba, Luis Javier García; Buiati, Fábio; Sobral, João Bosco Mangueira; Camponogara, Eduardo

2011-01-01

Self-organization in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) is an emergent research area, which is becoming important due to the increasing number of nodes in a network. Consequently, the manual configuration of nodes is either impossible or highly costly. So it is desirable for the nodes to be able to configure themselves. In this paper, we propose an alternative architecture for self-organization of WMN based on Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) and the ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocols as well as using the technology of software agents. We argue that the proposed self-optimization and self-configuration modules increase the throughput of network, reduces delay transmission and network load, decreases the traffic of HELLO messages according to network’s scalability. By simulation analysis, we conclude that the self-optimization and self-configuration mechanisms can significantly improve the performance of OLSR and AODV protocols in comparison to the baseline protocols analyzed. PMID:22346584

Self-configuration and self-optimization process in heterogeneous wireless networks.

PubMed

Guardalben, Lucas; Villalba, Luis Javier García; Buiati, Fábio; Sobral, João Bosco Mangueira; Camponogara, Eduardo

2011-01-01

Self-organization in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMN) is an emergent research area, which is becoming important due to the increasing number of nodes in a network. Consequently, the manual configuration of nodes is either impossible or highly costly. So it is desirable for the nodes to be able to configure themselves. In this paper, we propose an alternative architecture for self-organization of WMN based on Optimized Link State Routing Protocol (OLSR) and the ad hoc on demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocols as well as using the technology of software agents. We argue that the proposed self-optimization and self-configuration modules increase the throughput of network, reduces delay transmission and network load, decreases the traffic of HELLO messages according to network's scalability. By simulation analysis, we conclude that the self-optimization and self-configuration mechanisms can significantly improve the performance of OLSR and AODV protocols in comparison to the baseline protocols analyzed.

A MAC Protocol for Medical Monitoring Applications of Wireless Body Area Networks

PubMed Central

Shu, Minglei; Yuan, Dongfeng; Zhang, Chongqing; Wang, Yinglong; Chen, Changfang

2015-01-01

Targeting the medical monitoring applications of wireless body area networks (WBANs), a hybrid medium access control protocol using an interrupt mechanism (I-MAC) is proposed to improve the energy and time slot utilization efficiency and to meet the data delivery delay requirement at the same time. Unlike existing hybrid MAC protocols, a superframe structure with a longer length is adopted to avoid unnecessary beacons. The time slots are mostly allocated to nodes with periodic data sources. Short interruption slots are inserted into the superframe to convey the urgent data and to guarantee the real-time requirements of these data. During these interruption slots, the coordinator can break the running superframe and start a new superframe. A contention access period (CAP) is only activated when there are more data that need to be delivered. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed MAC protocol in WBANs with low urgent traffic. PMID:26046596

Multi-party Semi-quantum Key Agreement with Delegating Quantum Computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wen-Jie; Chen, Zhen-Yu; Ji, Sai; Wang, Hai-Bin; Zhang, Jun

2017-10-01

A multi-party semi-quantum key agreement (SQKA) protocol based on delegating quantum computation (DQC) model is proposed by taking Bell states as quantum resources. In the proposed protocol, the participants only need the ability of accessing quantum channel and preparing single photons {|0〉, |1〉, |+〉, |-〉}, while the complicated quantum operations, such as the unitary operations and Bell measurement, will be delegated to the remote quantum center. Compared with previous quantum key agreement protocols, this client-server model is more feasible in the early days of the emergence of quantum computers. In order to prevent the attacks from outside eavesdroppers, inner participants and quantum center, two single photon sequences are randomly inserted into Bell states: the first sequence is used to perform the quantum channel detection, while the second is applied to disorder the positions of message qubits, which guarantees the security of the protocol.

DTN routing in body sensor networks with dynamic postural partitioning.

PubMed

Quwaider, Muhannad; Biswas, Subir

2010-11-01

This paper presents novel store-and-forward packet routing algorithms for Wireless Body Area Networks ( WBAN ) with frequent postural partitioning. A prototype WBAN has been constructed for experimentally characterizing on-body topology disconnections in the presence of ultra short range radio links, unpredictable RF attenuation, and human postural mobility. On-body DTN routing protocols are then developed using a stochastic link cost formulation, capturing multi-scale topological localities in human postural movements. Performance of the proposed protocols are evaluated experimentally and via simulation, and are compared with a number of existing single-copy DTN routing protocols and an on-body packet flooding mechanism that serves as a performance benchmark with delay lower-bound. It is shown that via multi-scale modeling of the spatio-temporal locality of on-body link disconnection patterns, the proposed algorithms can provide better routing performance compared to a number of existing probabilistic, opportunistic, and utility-based DTN routing protocols in the literature.

Feasibility study for a numerical aerodynamic simulation facility. Volume 2: Hardware specifications/descriptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, F. M.; Resnick, D. R.

1979-01-01

An FMP (Flow Model Processor) was designed for use in the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Facility (NASF). The NASF was developed to simulate fluid flow over three-dimensional bodies in wind tunnel environments and in free space. The facility is applicable to studying aerodynamic and aircraft body designs. The following general topics are discussed in this volume: (1) FMP functional computer specifications; (2) FMP instruction specification; (3) standard product system components; (4) loosely coupled network (LCN) specifications/description; and (5) three appendices: performance of trunk allocation contention elimination (trace) method, LCN channel protocol and proposed LCN unified second level protocol.

Secure Skyline Queries on Cloud Platform

PubMed Central

Liu, Jinfei; Yang, Juncheng; Xiong, Li; Pei, Jian

2017-01-01

Outsourcing data and computation to cloud server provides a cost-effective way to support large scale data storage and query processing. However, due to security and privacy concerns, sensitive data (e.g., medical records) need to be protected from the cloud server and other unauthorized users. One approach is to outsource encrypted data to the cloud server and have the cloud server perform query processing on the encrypted data only. It remains a challenging task to support various queries over encrypted data in a secure and efficient way such that the cloud server does not gain any knowledge about the data, query, and query result. In this paper, we study the problem of secure skyline queries over encrypted data. The skyline query is particularly important for multi-criteria decision making but also presents significant challenges due to its complex computations. We propose a fully secure skyline query protocol on data encrypted using semantically-secure encryption. As a key subroutine, we present a new secure dominance protocol, which can be also used as a building block for other queries. Finally, we provide both serial and parallelized implementations and empirically study the protocols in terms of efficiency and scalability under different parameter settings, verifying the feasibility of our proposed solutions. PMID:28883710

Abbreviated MRI Protocols: Wave of the Future for Breast Cancer Screening.

PubMed

Chhor, Chloe M; Mercado, Cecilia L

2017-02-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the use of abbreviated breast MRI protocols for improving access to screening for women at intermediate risk. Breast MRI is not a cost-effective modality for screening women at intermediate risk, including those with dense breast tissue as the only risk. Abbreviated breast MRI protocols have been proposed as a way of achieving efficiency and rapid throughput. Use of these abbreviated protocols may increase availability and provide women with greater access to breast MRI.

Analysis of Proximity-1 Space Link Interleaved Time Synchronization (PITS) Protocol

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woo, Simon S.

2011-01-01

To synchronize clocks between spacecraft in proximity, the Proximity-1 Space Link Interleaved Time Synchronization (PITS) Protocol has been proposed. PITS is based on the NTP Interleaved On-Wire Protocol and is capable of being adapted and integrated into CCSDS Proximity-1 Space Link Protocol with minimal modifications. In this work, we will discuss the correctness and liveness of PITS. Further, we analyze and evaluate the performance of time synchronization latency with various channel error rates in different PITS operational modes.

Improving the multiparty quantum secret sharing over two collective-noise channels against insider attack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ying; Wen, Qiao-yan; Zhu, Fu-chen

2010-01-01

The security of the multiparty quantum secret sharing protocol presented by Zhang [Z.J. Zhang, Physica A, 361 (2006) 233] is analyzed. It is shown that this protocol is vulnerable to the insider attack since eavesdropping detection is performed only when all states arrive at the last agent. We propose an attack strategy and give an improved version of the original protocol. The improved protocol is robust and has the same traits with the original one.

Generation of concatenated Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger-type entangled coherent state based on linear optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Rui; Zhou, Lan; Gu, Shi-Pu; Wang, Xing-Fu; Sheng, Yu-Bo

2017-03-01

The concatenated Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (C-GHZ) state is a new type of multipartite entangled state, which has potential application in future quantum information. In this paper, we propose a protocol of constructing arbitrary C-GHZ entangled state approximatively. Different from previous protocols, each logic qubit is encoded in the coherent state. This protocol is based on the linear optics, which is feasible in experimental technology. This protocol may be useful in quantum information based on the C-GHZ state.

Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Assessment: Literature Review and Laboratory Protocol

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Butner, R. Scott; Reid, Douglas J.; Hoffman, Michael G.

2013-07-01

To evaluate the accuracy of NILM technologies, a literature review was conducted to identify any test protocols or standardized testing approaches currently in use. The literature review indicated that no consistent conventions were currently in place for measuring the accuracy of these technologies. Consequently, PNNL developed a testing protocol and metrics to provide the basis for quantifying and analyzing the accuracy of commercially available NILM technologies. This report discusses the results of the literature review and the proposed test protocol and metrics in more detail.

An Efficient Multiparty Quantum Secret Sharing Protocol Based on Bell States in the High Dimension Hilbert Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Gan; Wang, Li-Ping

2010-11-01

We propose a quantum secret sharing protocol, in which Bell states in the high dimension Hilbert space are employed. The biggest advantage of our protocol is the high source capacity. Compared with the previous secret sharing protocol, ours has the higher controlling efficiency. In addition, as decoy states in the high dimension Hilbert space are used, we needn’t destroy quantum entanglement for achieving the goal to check the channel security.

A Secure Authenticated Key Exchange Protocol for Credential Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Seonghan; Kobara, Kazukuni; Imai, Hideki

In this paper, we propose a leakage-resilient and proactive authenticated key exchange (called LRP-AKE) protocol for credential services which provides not only a higher level of security against leakage of stored secrets but also secrecy of private key with respect to the involving server. And we show that the LRP-AKE protocol is provably secure in the random oracle model with the reduction to the computational Difie-Hellman problem. In addition, we discuss about some possible applications of the LRP-AKE protocol.

Comment on 'Two-way protocols for quantum cryptography with a nonmaximally entangled qubit pair'

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qin Sujuan; Gao Fei; Wen Qiaoyan

2010-09-15

Three protocols of quantum cryptography with a nonmaximally entangled qubit pair [Phys. Rev. A 80, 022323 (2009)] were recently proposed by Shimizu, Tamaki, and Fukasaka. The security of these protocols is based on the quantum-mechanical constraint for a state transformation between nonmaximally entangled states. However, we find that the second protocol is vulnerable under the correlation-elicitation attack. An eavesdropper can obtain the encoded bit M although she has no knowledge about the random bit R.

Efficiency and security problems of anonymous key agreement protocol based on chaotic maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Eun-Jun

2012-07-01

In 2011, Niu-Wang proposed an anonymous key agreement protocol based on chaotic maps in [Niu Y, Wang X. An anonymous key agreement protocol based on chaotic maps. Commun Nonlinear Sci Simulat 2011;16(4):1986-92]. Niu-Wang's protocol not only achieves session key agreement between a server and a user, but also allows the user to anonymously interact with the server. Nevertheless, this paper points out that Niu-Wang's protocol has the following efficiency and security problems: (1) The protocol has computational efficiency problem when a trusted third party decrypts the user sending message. (2) The protocol is vulnerable to Denial of Service (DoS) attack based on illegal message modification by an attacker.

Multi-Hop Teleportation of an Unknown Qubit State Based on W States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Xiang-Zhen; Yu, Xu-Tao; Zhang, Zai-Chen

2018-04-01

Quantum teleportation is important in quantum communication networks. Considering that quantum state information is also transmitted between two distant nodes, intermediated nodes are employed and two multi-hop teleportation protocols based on W state are proposed. One is hop-by-hop teleportation protocol and the other is the improved multi-hop teleportation protocol with centralized unitary transformation. In hop-by-hop protocol, the transmitted quantum state needs to be recovered at every node on the route. In improved multi-hop teleportation protocol with centralized unitary transformation, intermediate nodes need not to recover the transmitted quantum state. Compared to the hop-by-hop protocol, the improved protocol can reduce the transmission delay and improve the transmission efficiency.

A Source Anonymity-Based Lightweight Secure AODV Protocol for Fog-Based MANET

PubMed Central

Fang, Weidong; Zhang, Wuxiong; Xiao, Jinchao; Yang, Yang; Chen, Wei

2017-01-01

Fog-based MANET (Mobile Ad hoc networks) is a novel paradigm of a mobile ad hoc network with the advantages of both mobility and fog computing. Meanwhile, as traditional routing protocol, ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocol has been applied widely in fog-based MANET. Currently, how to improve the transmission performance and enhance security are the two major aspects in AODV’s research field. However, the researches on joint energy efficiency and security seem to be seldom considered. In this paper, we propose a source anonymity-based lightweight secure AODV (SAL-SAODV) routing protocol to meet the above requirements. In SAL-SAODV protocol, source anonymous and secure transmitting schemes are proposed and applied. The scheme involves the following three parts: the source anonymity algorithm is employed to achieve the source node, without being tracked and located; the improved secure scheme based on the polynomial of CRC-4 is applied to substitute the RSA digital signature of SAODV and guarantee the data integrity, in addition to reducing the computation and energy consumption; the random delayed transmitting scheme (RDTM) is implemented to separate the check code and transmitted data, and achieve tamper-proof results. The simulation results show that the comprehensive performance of the proposed SAL-SAODV is a trade-off of the transmission performance, energy efficiency, and security, and better than AODV and SAODV. PMID:28629142

A Source Anonymity-Based Lightweight Secure AODV Protocol for Fog-Based MANET.

PubMed

Fang, Weidong; Zhang, Wuxiong; Xiao, Jinchao; Yang, Yang; Chen, Wei

2017-06-17

Fog-based MANET (Mobile Ad hoc networks) is a novel paradigm of a mobile ad hoc network with the advantages of both mobility and fog computing. Meanwhile, as traditional routing protocol, ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) routing protocol has been applied widely in fog-based MANET. Currently, how to improve the transmission performance and enhance security are the two major aspects in AODV's research field. However, the researches on joint energy efficiency and security seem to be seldom considered. In this paper, we propose a source anonymity-based lightweight secure AODV (SAL-SAODV) routing protocol to meet the above requirements. In SAL-SAODV protocol, source anonymous and secure transmitting schemes are proposed and applied. The scheme involves the following three parts: the source anonymity algorithm is employed to achieve the source node, without being tracked and located; the improved secure scheme based on the polynomial of CRC-4 is applied to substitute the RSA digital signature of SAODV and guarantee the data integrity, in addition to reducing the computation and energy consumption; the random delayed transmitting scheme (RDTM) is implemented to separate the check code and transmitted data, and achieve tamper-proof results. The simulation results show that the comprehensive performance of the proposed SAL-SAODV is a trade-off of the transmission performance, energy efficiency, and security, and better than AODV and SAODV.

Application of stochastic discrete event system framework for detection of induced low rate TCP attack.

PubMed

Barbhuiya, F A; Agarwal, Mayank; Purwar, Sanketh; Biswas, Santosh; Nandi, Sukumar

2015-09-01

TCP is the most widely accepted transport layer protocol. The major emphasis during the development of TCP was its functionality and efficiency. However, not much consideration was given on studying the possibility of attackers exploiting the protocol, which has lead to several attacks on TCP. This paper deals with the induced low rate TCP attack. Since the attack is relatively new, only a few schemes have been proposed to mitigate it. However, the main issues with these schemes are scalability, change in TCP header, lack of formal frameworks, etc. In this paper, we have adapted the stochastic DES framework for detecting the attack, which addresses most of these issues. We have successfully deployed and tested the proposed DES based IDS on a test bed. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two new Controlled not Gate Based Quantum Secret Sharing Protocols without Entanglement Attenuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhen-Chao; Hu, Ai-Qun; Fu, An-Min

2016-05-01

In this paper, we propose two new controlled not gate based quantum secret sharing protocols. In these two protocols, each photon only travels once, which guarantees the agents located in long distance can be able to derive the dealer's secret without suffering entanglement attenuation problem. The protocols are secure against trojan horse attack, intercept-resend attack, entangle-measure attack and entanglement-swapping attack. The theoretical efficiency for qubits of these two protocols can approach 100 %, except those used for eavesdropping checking, all entangled states can be used for final secret sharing.

Cryptographically supported NFC tags in medication for better inpatient safety.

PubMed

Özcanhan, Mehmet Hilal; Dalkılıç, Gökhan; Utku, Semih

2014-08-01

Reliable sources report that errors in drug administration are increasing the number of harmed or killed inpatients, during healthcare. This development is in contradiction to patient safety norms. A correctly designed hospital-wide ubiquitous system, using advanced inpatient identification and matching techniques, should provide correct medicine and dosage at the right time. Researchers are still making grouping proof protocol proposals based on the EPC Global Class 1 Generation 2 ver. 1.2 standard tags, for drug administration. Analyses show that such protocols make medication unsecure and hence fail to guarantee inpatient safety. Thus, the original goal of patient safety still remains. In this paper, a very recent proposal (EKATE) upgraded by a cryptographic function is shown to fall short of expectations. Then, an alternative proposal IMS-NFC which uses a more suitable and newer technology; namely Near Field Communication (NFC), is described. The proposed protocol has the additional support of stronger security primitives and it is compliant to ISO communication and security standards. Unlike previous works, the proposal is a complete ubiquitous system that guarantees full patient safety; and it is based on off-the-shelf, new technology products available in every corner of the world. To prove the claims the performance, cost, security and scope of IMS-NFC are compared with previous proposals. Evaluation shows that the proposed system has stronger security, increased patient safety and equal efficiency, at little extra cost.

Fostering critical thinking and collaborative learning skills among medical students through a research protocol writing activity in the curriculum

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Purpose This intervention was aimed to analyse the effect of academic writing and journal critiquing as educational approaches in improving critical thinking and collaborative learning among undergraduate medical students. Methods A research proposal writing format was created for the 4th year medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College, Malaysia during their ophthalmology clinical postings. The students worked in small groups and developed research protocols through an evidence based approach. This was followed by writing reflective summaries in academic portfolios about the activity undertaken.A mixed methods study was designed to explore the possible role of collaborative research proposal writing in enhancing critical thinking and collaborative learning. Results Analysis of reflections submitted by 188 medical students after the intervention indicate that majority of them found an improvement in their skills of critical thinking and collaborative learning as a result of research protocol writing. All participants agreed that the model helped in applying concepts to new situations in the form of designing their own study, which reflected in enhanced higher order cognitive skills. Conclusion This study shows that the introduction of a structured module in the core medical curriculum that focuses on research writing skills embedded with collaborative and reflective practices can enhance collaborative learning, critical thinking, and reasoning among medical students. PMID:29860777

Agreements between Industry and Academia on Publication Rights: A Retrospective Study of Protocols and Publications of Randomized Clinical Trials.

PubMed

Kasenda, Benjamin; von Elm, Erik; You, John J; Blümle, Anette; Tomonaga, Yuki; Saccilotto, Ramon; Amstutz, Alain; Bengough, Theresa; Meerpohl, Joerg J; Stegert, Mihaela; Olu, Kelechi K; Tikkinen, Kari A O; Neumann, Ignacio; Carrasco-Labra, Alonso; Faulhaber, Markus; Mulla, Sohail M; Mertz, Dominik; Akl, Elie A; Bassler, Dirk; Busse, Jason W; Ferreira-González, Ignacio; Lamontagne, Francois; Nordmann, Alain; Gloy, Viktoria; Raatz, Heike; Moja, Lorenzo; Ebrahim, Shanil; Schandelmaier, Stefan; Sun, Xin; Vandvik, Per O; Johnston, Bradley C; Walter, Martin A; Burnand, Bernard; Schwenkglenks, Matthias; Hemkens, Lars G; Bucher, Heiner C; Guyatt, Gordon H; Briel, Matthias

2016-06-01

Little is known about publication agreements between industry and academic investigators in trial protocols and the consistency of these agreements with corresponding statements in publications. We aimed to investigate (i) the existence and types of publication agreements in trial protocols, (ii) the completeness and consistency of the reporting of these agreements in subsequent publications, and (iii) the frequency of co-authorship by industry employees. We used a retrospective cohort of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) based on archived protocols approved by six research ethics committees between 13 January 2000 and 25 November 2003. Only RCTs with industry involvement were eligible. We investigated the documentation of publication agreements in RCT protocols and statements in corresponding journal publications. Of 647 eligible RCT protocols, 456 (70.5%) mentioned an agreement regarding publication of results. Of these 456, 393 (86.2%) documented an industry partner's right to disapprove or at least review proposed manuscripts; 39 (8.6%) agreements were without constraints of publication. The remaining 24 (5.3%) protocols referred to separate agreement documents not accessible to us. Of those 432 protocols with an accessible publication agreement, 268 (62.0%) trials were published. Most agreements documented in the protocol were not reported in the subsequent publication (197/268 [73.5%]). Of 71 agreements reported in publications, 52 (73.2%) were concordant with those documented in the protocol. In 14 of 37 (37.8%) publications in which statements suggested unrestricted publication rights, at least one co-author was an industry employee. In 25 protocol-publication pairs, author statements in publications suggested no constraints, but 18 corresponding protocols documented restricting agreements. Publication agreements constraining academic authors' independence are common. Journal articles seldom report on publication agreements, and, if they do, statements can be discrepant with the trial protocol.

SEnviro: a sensorized platform proposal using open hardware and open standards.

PubMed

Trilles, Sergio; Luján, Alejandro; Belmonte, Óscar; Montoliu, Raúl; Torres-Sospedra, Joaquín; Huerta, Joaquín

2015-03-06

The need for constant monitoring of environmental conditions has produced an increase in the development of wireless sensor networks (WSN). The drive towards smart cities has produced the need for smart sensors to be able to monitor what is happening in our cities. This, combined with the decrease in hardware component prices and the increase in the popularity of open hardware, has favored the deployment of sensor networks based on open hardware. The new trends in Internet Protocol (IP) communication between sensor nodes allow sensor access via the Internet, turning them into smart objects (Internet of Things and Web of Things). Currently, WSNs provide data in different formats. There is a lack of communication protocol standardization, which turns into interoperability issues when connecting different sensor networks or even when connecting different sensor nodes within the same network. This work presents a sensorized platform proposal that adheres to the principles of the Internet of Things and theWeb of Things. Wireless sensor nodes were built using open hardware solutions, and communications rely on the HTTP/IP Internet protocols. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) SensorThings API candidate standard was used as a neutral format to avoid interoperability issues. An environmental WSN developed following the proposed architecture was built as a proof of concept. Details on how to build each node and a study regarding energy concerns are presented.

SEnviro: A Sensorized Platform Proposal Using Open Hardware and Open Standards

PubMed Central

Trilles, Sergio; Luján, Alejandro; Belmonte, Óscar; Montoliu, Raúl; Torres-Sospedra, Joaquín; Huerta, Joaquín

2015-01-01

The need for constant monitoring of environmental conditions has produced an increase in the development of wireless sensor networks (WSN). The drive towards smart cities has produced the need for smart sensors to be able to monitor what is happening in our cities. This, combined with the decrease in hardware component prices and the increase in the popularity of open hardware, has favored the deployment of sensor networks based on open hardware. The new trends in Internet Protocol (IP) communication between sensor nodes allow sensor access via the Internet, turning them into smart objects (Internet of Things and Web of Things). Currently, WSNs provide data in different formats. There is a lack of communication protocol standardization, which turns into interoperability issues when connecting different sensor networks or even when connecting different sensor nodes within the same network. This work presents a sensorized platform proposal that adheres to the principles of the Internet of Things and the Web of Things. Wireless sensor nodes were built using open hardware solutions, and communications rely on the HTTP/IP Internet protocols. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) SensorThings API candidate standard was used as a neutral format to avoid interoperability issues. An environmental WSN developed following the proposed architecture was built as a proof of concept. Details on how to build each node and a study regarding energy concerns are presented. PMID:25756864

Two RFID standard-based security protocols for healthcare environments.

PubMed

Picazo-Sanchez, Pablo; Bagheri, Nasour; Peris-Lopez, Pedro; Tapiador, Juan E

2013-10-01

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems are widely used in access control, transportation, real-time inventory and asset management, automated payment systems, etc. Nevertheless, the use of this technology is almost unexplored in healthcare environments, where potential applications include patient monitoring, asset traceability and drug administration systems, to mention just a few. RFID technology can offer more intelligent systems and applications, but privacy and security issues have to be addressed before its adoption. This is even more dramatical in healthcare applications where very sensitive information is at stake and patient safety is paramount. In Wu et al. (J. Med. Syst. 37:19, 43) recently proposed a new RFID authentication protocol for healthcare environments. In this paper we show that this protocol puts location privacy of tag holders at risk, which is a matter of gravest concern and ruins the security of this proposal. To facilitate the implementation of secure RFID-based solutions in the medical sector, we suggest two new applications (authentication and secure messaging) and propose solutions that, in contrast to previous proposals in this field, are fully based on ISO Standards and NIST Security Recommendations.

Breakthrough reactions of iodinated and gadolinium contrast media after oral steroid premedication protocol.

PubMed

Jingu, Akiko; Fukuda, Junya; Taketomi-Takahashi, Ayako; Tsushima, Yoshito

2014-10-06

Adverse reactions to iodinated and gadolinium contrast media are an important clinical issue. Although some guidelines have proposed oral steroid premedication protocols to prevent adverse reactions, some patients may have reactions to contrast media in spite of premedication (breakthrough reaction; BTR).The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency, type and severity of BTR when following an oral steroid premedication protocol. All iodinated and gadolinium contrast-enhanced radiologic examinations between August 2011 and February 2013 for which the premedication protocol was applied in our institution were assessed for BTRs. The protocol was applied to a total of 252 examinations (153 patients, ages 15-87 years; 63 males, 90 females). Of these, 152 were for prior acute adverse reactions to contrast media, 85 were for a history of bronchial asthma, and 15 were for other reasons. There were 198 contrast enhanced CTs and 54 contrast enhanced MRIs. There were nine BTR (4.5%) for iodinated contrast media, and only one BTR (1.9%) for gadolinium contrast media: eight were mild and one was moderate. No patient who had a mild index reaction (IR) had a severe BTR. Incidence of BTRs when following the premedication protocol was low. This study by no means proves the efficacy of premedication, but provides some support for following a premedication protocol to improve safety of contrast-enhanced examinations when prior adverse reactions are mild, or when there is a history of asthma.

Breakthrough reactions of iodinated and gadolinium contrast media after oral steroid premedication protocol

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Adverse reactions to iodinated and gadolinium contrast media are an important clinical issue. Although some guidelines have proposed oral steroid premedication protocols to prevent adverse reactions, some patients may have reactions to contrast media in spite of premedication (breakthrough reaction; BTR). The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency, type and severity of BTR when following an oral steroid premedication protocol. Methods All iodinated and gadolinium contrast-enhanced radiologic examinations between August 2011 and February 2013 for which the premedication protocol was applied in our institution were assessed for BTRs. Results The protocol was applied to a total of 252 examinations (153 patients, ages 15–87 years; 63 males, 90 females). Of these, 152 were for prior acute adverse reactions to contrast media, 85 were for a history of bronchial asthma, and 15 were for other reasons. There were 198 contrast enhanced CTs and 54 contrast enhanced MRIs. There were nine BTR (4.5%) for iodinated contrast media, and only one BTR (1.9%) for gadolinium contrast media: eight were mild and one was moderate. No patient who had a mild index reaction (IR) had a severe BTR. Conclusion Incidence of BTRs when following the premedication protocol was low. This study by no means proves the efficacy of premedication, but provides some support for following a premedication protocol to improve safety of contrast-enhanced examinations when prior adverse reactions are mild, or when there is a history of asthma. PMID:25287952

Rapid DNA extraction protocol for detection of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency from dried blood spots by real-time PCR.

PubMed

Struniawski, R; Szpechcinski, A; Poplawska, B; Skronski, M; Chorostowska-Wynimko, J

2013-01-01

The dried blood spot (DBS) specimens have been successfully employed for the large-scale diagnostics of α1-antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency as an easy to collect and transport alternative to plasma/serum. In the present study we propose a fast, efficient, and cost effective protocol of DNA extraction from dried blood spot (DBS) samples that provides sufficient quantity and quality of DNA and effectively eliminates any natural PCR inhibitors, allowing for successful AAT genotyping by real-time PCR and direct sequencing. DNA extracted from 84 DBS samples from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients was genotyped for AAT deficiency variants by real-time PCR. The results of DBS AAT genotyping were validated by serum IEF phenotyping and AAT concentration measurement. The proposed protocol allowed successful DNA extraction from all analyzed DBS samples. Both quantity and quality of DNA were sufficient for further real-time PCR and, if necessary, for genetic sequence analysis. A 100% concordance between AAT DBS genotypes and serum phenotypes in positive detection of two major deficiency S- and Z- alleles was achieved. Both assays, DBS AAT genotyping by real-time PCR and serum AAT phenotyping by IEF, positively identified PI*S and PI*Z allele in 8 out of the 84 (9.5%) and 16 out of 84 (19.0%) patients, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed protocol noticeably reduces the costs and the hand-on-time of DBS samples preparation providing genomic DNA of sufficient quantity and quality for further real-time PCR or genetic sequence analysis. Consequently, it is ideally suited for large-scale AAT deficiency screening programs and should be method of choice.

Benefits of Addressing HFCs under the Montreal Protocol 2014

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The United States, Canada, and Mexico together submitted a proposal in April 2015 to phase-down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol. This paper presents an analysis of the potential benefits of such action.

Rationally optimized cryopreservation of multiple mouse embryonic stem cell lines: II—Mathematical prediction and experimental validation of optimal cryopreservation protocols☆

PubMed Central

Kashuba, Corinna M.; Benson, James D.; Critser, John K.

2014-01-01

In Part I, we documented differences in cryopreservation success measured by membrane integrity in four mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) lines from different genetic backgrounds (BALB/c, CBA, FVB, and 129R1), and we demonstrated a potential biophysical basis for these differences through a comparative study characterizing the membrane permeability characteristics and osmotic tolerance limits of each cell line. Here we use these values to predict optimal cryoprotectants, cooling rates, warming rates, and plunge temperatures. We subsequently verified these predictions experimentally for their effects on post-thaw recovery. From this study, we determined that a cryopreservation protocol utilizing 1 M propylene glycol, a cooling rate of 1 °C/minute, and plunging into liquid nitrogen at −41 °C, combined with subsequent warming in a 22 °C water bath with agitation, significantly improved post-thaw recovery for three of the four mESC lines, and did not diminish post-thaw recovery for our single exception. It is proposed that this protocol can be successfully applied to most mESC lines beyond those included within this study once the effect of propylene glycol on mESC gene expression, growth characteristics, and germ-line transmission has been determined. Mouse ESC lines with poor survival using current standard cryopreservation protocols or our proposed protocol can be optimized on a case-by-case basis using the method we have outlined over two papers. For our single exception, the CBA cell line, a cooling rate of 5 °C/minute in the presence of 1.0 M dimethyl sulfoxide or 1.0 M propylene glycol, combined with plunge temperature of −80 °C was optimal. PMID:24560712

Maternal antecedents of adiposity and studying the transgenerational role of hyperglycemia and insulin (MAASTHI): a prospective cohort study : Protocol of birth cohort at Bangalore, India.

PubMed

Babu, Giridhara R; Murthy, Gvs; Deepa, R; Yamuna; Prafulla; Kumar, H Kiran; Karthik, Maithili; Deshpande, Keerti; Benjamin Neelon, Sara E; Prabhakaran, D; Kurpad, Anura; Kinra, Sanjay

2016-10-14

India is experiencing an epidemic of obesity-hyperglycaemia, which coincides with child bearing age for women. The epidemic can be sustained and augmented through transgenerational transmission of adiposity and glucose intolerance in women. This presents an opportunity for exploring a clear strategy for the control of this epidemic in India. We conducted a study between November 2013 and May 2015 to inform the design of a large pregnancy cohort study. Based on the findings of this pilot, we developed the protocol for the proposed birth cohort of 5000 women, the recruitment for which will start in April 2016. The protocol of the study documents the processes which aim at advancing the available knowledge, linking several steps in the evolution of obesity led hyperglycemia. Maternal Antecedents of Adiposity and Studying the Transgenerational role of Hyperglycemia and Insulin (MAASTHI) is a cohort study in the public health facilities in Bangalore, India. The objective of MAASTHI is to prospectively assess the effects of glucose levels in pregnancy on the risk of adverse infant outcomes, especially in predicting the possible risk markers of later chronic diseases. The primary objective of the proposed study is to investigate the effect of glucose levels in pregnancy on skinfold thickness (adiposity) in infancy as a marker of future obesity and diabetes in offspring. The secondary objective is to assess the association between psychosocial environment of mothers and adverse neonatal outcomes including adiposity. The study aims to recruit 5000 pregnant women and follow them and their offspring for a period of 4 years. The institutional review board at The Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH)-H, Bangalore, Public Health Foundation of India has approved the protocol. All participants are required to provide written informed consent. The findings from this study may help to address important questions on screening and management of high blood sugar in pregnancy. It may provide critical information on the specific determinants driving the underweight-obesity-T2DM epidemic in India. The study can inform the policy regarding the potential impact of screening and management protocols in public healthcare facilities. The public health implications include prioritising issues of maternal glycemic control and weight management and better understanding of the lifecourse determinants in the development of T2DM.

Study of consensus-based time synchronization in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

He, Jianping; Li, Hao; Chen, Jiming; Cheng, Peng

2014-03-01

Recently, various consensus-based protocols have been developed for time synchronization in wireless sensor networks. However, due to the uncertainties lying in both the hardware fabrication and network communication processes, it is not clear how most of the protocols will perform in real implementations. In order to reduce such gap, this paper investigates whether and how the typical consensus-based time synchronization protocols can tolerate the uncertainties in practical sensor networks through extensive testbed experiments. For two typical protocols, i.e., Average Time Synchronization (ATS) and Maximum Time Synchronization (MTS), we first analyze how the time synchronization accuracy will be affected by various uncertainties in the system. Then, we implement both protocols on our sensor network testbed consisted of Micaz nodes, and investigate the time synchronization performance and robustness under various network settings. Noticing that the synchronized clocks under MTS may be slightly faster than the desirable clock, by adopting both maximum consensus and minimum consensus, we propose a modified protocol, MMTS, which is able to drive the synchronized clocks closer to the desirable clock while maintaining the convergence rate and synchronization accuracy of MTS. © 2013 ISA. Published by ISA. All rights reserved.

Estimated cost of a health visitor-led protocol for perinatal mental health.

PubMed

Oluboyede, Yemi; Lewis, Anne; Ilott, Irene; Lekka, Chrysanthi

2010-06-01

Anecdotally, protocols, care pathways and clinical guidelines are time consuming to develop and sustain, but there is little research about the actual costs of their development, use and audit.This is a notable gap considering the pervasiveness of such documents that are intended to reduce unacceptable variations in practice by standardising care processes. A case study research design was used to calculate the resource use costs of a protocol for perinatal mental health, part of the core programme for health visitors in a primary care trust in the west of England. The methods were in-depth interviews with the operational lead for the protocol (a health visitor) and documentary analysis. The total estimated cost of staff time over a five-year period (2004 to 2008) was Euro 73,598, comprising Euro 36,162 (49%) for development and Euro 37,436 (51%) for implementation. Although these are best estimates dependent upon retrospective data, they indicate the opportunity cost of staff time for a single protocol in one trust over five years. When new protocols, care pathways or clinical guidelines are proposed, the costs need to be considered and weighed against the benefits of engaging frontline staff in service improvements.

Soil examination for a forensic trace evidence laboratory-Part 3: A proposed protocol for the effective triage and management of soil examinations.

PubMed

Woods, Brenda; Lennard, Chris; Kirkbride, K Paul; Robertson, James

2016-05-01

In the past, forensic soil examination was a routine aspect of forensic trace evidence examinations. The apparent need for soil examinations then went through a period of decline and with it the capability of many forensic laboratories to carry out soil examinations. In more recent years, interest in soil examinations has been renewed due-at least in part-to soil examinations contributing to some high profile investigations. However, much of this renewed interest has been in organisations with a primary interest in soil and geology rather than forensic science. We argue the need to reinstate soil examinations as a trace evidence sub-discipline within forensic science laboratories and present a pathway to support this aim. An examination procedure is proposed that includes: (i) appropriate sample collection and storage by qualified crime scene examiners; (ii) exclusionary soil examinations by trace evidence scientists within a forensic science laboratory; (iii) inclusionary soil examinations by trace evidence scientists within a forensic science laboratory; and (iv) higher-level examination of soils by specialist soil scientists and palynologists. Soil examinations conducted by trace evidence scientists will be facilitated if the examinations are conducted using the instrumentation routinely used by these examiners. Hence, the proposed examination protocol incorporates instrumentation in routine use in a forensic trace evidence laboratory. Finally, we report on an Australian soil scene variability study and a blind trial that demonstrate the utility of the proposed protocol for the effective triage and management of soil samples by forensic laboratories. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A case for justified non-voluntary active euthanasia: exploring the ethics of the Groningen Protocol.

PubMed

Manninen, B A

2006-11-01

One of the most recent controversies to arise in the field of bioethics concerns the ethics for the Groningen Protocol: the guidelines proposed by the Groningen Academic Hospital in The Netherlands, which would permit doctors to actively euthanise terminally ill infants who are suffering. The Groningen Protocol has been met with an intense amount of criticism, some even calling it a relapse into a Hitleresque style of eugenics, where people with disabilities are killed solely because of their handicaps. The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, the paper will attempt to disabuse readers of this erroneous understanding of the Groningen Protocol by showing how such a policy does not aim at making quality-of-life judgements, given that it restricts euthanasia to suffering and terminally ill infants. Second, the paper illustrates that what the Groningen Protocol proposes to do is both ethical and also the most humane alternative for these suffering and dying infants. Lastly, responses are given to some of the worries expressed by ethicists on the practice of any type of non-voluntary active euthanasia.

An Energy Efficient MAC Protocol for Multi-Hop Swallowable Body Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Lin, Lin; Yang, Chengfeng; Wong, Kai Juan; Yan, Hao; Shen, Junwen; Phee, Soo Jay

2014-01-01

Swallowable body sensor networks (BSNs) are composed of sensors which are swallowed by patients and send the collected data to the outside coordinator. These sensors are energy constraint and the batteries are difficult to be replaced. The medium access control (MAC) protocol plays an important role in energy management. This paper investigates an energy efficient MAC protocol design for swallowable BSNs. Multi-hop communication is analyzed and proved more energy efficient than single-hop communication within the human body when the circuitry power is low. Based on this result, a centrally controlled time slotting schedule is proposed. The major workload is shifted from the sensors to the coordinator. The coordinator collects the path-loss map and calculates the schedules, including routing, slot assignment and transmission power. Sensor nodes follow the schedules to send data in a multi-hop way. The proposed protocol is compared with the IEEE 802.15.6 protocol in terms of energy consumption. The results show that it is more energy efficient than IEEE 802.15.6 for swallowable BSN scenarios. PMID:25330049

A Novel Cross-Layer Routing Protocol Based on Network Coding for Underwater Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Wang, Hao; Wang, Shilian; Bu, Renfei; Zhang, Eryang

2017-08-08

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) have attracted increasing attention in recent years because of their numerous applications in ocean monitoring, resource discovery and tactical surveillance. However, the design of reliable and efficient transmission and routing protocols is a challenge due to the low acoustic propagation speed and complex channel environment in UWSNs. In this paper, we propose a novel cross-layer routing protocol based on network coding (NCRP) for UWSNs, which utilizes network coding and cross-layer design to greedily forward data packets to sink nodes efficiently. The proposed NCRP takes full advantages of multicast transmission and decode packets jointly with encoded packets received from multiple potential nodes in the entire network. The transmission power is optimized in our design to extend the life cycle of the network. Moreover, we design a real-time routing maintenance protocol to update the route when detecting inefficient relay nodes. Substantial simulations in underwater environment by Network Simulator 3 (NS-3) show that NCRP significantly improves the network performance in terms of energy consumption, end-to-end delay and packet delivery ratio compared with other routing protocols for UWSNs.

Initial indication of treatment in 60 patients with sleep obstructive ventilatory disturbance.

PubMed

de Tarso Moura Borges, Paulo; Paschoal, Jorge Rizzato

2005-01-01

The author present a retrospective descriptive study of 60 patients with sleep obstructive ventilatory disturbance who have taken medical advice at the Centro Campinas de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço during a period of three years. All the patients have been examined after standardized protocol and decisions related to the treatment have been taken after systematic multidisciplinary discussion. clinical retrospective. The patients were distributed into two groups according to the proposal of surgical and non-surgical treatment. After so, they were studied according to the model of treatment proposed and the main propaedeutic findings: respiratory disturbance index (RDI), body mass index (BMI), cephalometric analysis and Müller maneuver. The main features were compared--isolated or in association--with the model of treatment proposed. Amongst several conclusions obtained, the most important were: surgical and non-surgical treatment were indicated almost in the same proportion for of snoring; surgical treatments were most indicated for snoring and Apnoea-Hipopnoea Syndrome, despite of its modality; RDI, BMI and cephalometric analysis and Müller maneuver had no influence at any therapeutic modality; the therapeutic decision was taken after standardized protocol and systematic multidisciplinary discussion, where each case was discussed individually.

Development of a calibration protocol and identification of the most sensitive parameters for the particulate biofilm models used in biological wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Eldyasti, Ahmed; Nakhla, George; Zhu, Jesse

2012-05-01

Biofilm models are valuable tools for process engineers to simulate biological wastewater treatment. In order to enhance the use of biofilm models implemented in contemporary simulation software, model calibration is both necessary and helpful. The aim of this work was to develop a calibration protocol of the particulate biofilm model with a help of the sensitivity analysis of the most important parameters in the biofilm model implemented in BioWin® and verify the predictability of the calibration protocol. A case study of a circulating fluidized bed bioreactor (CFBBR) system used for biological nutrient removal (BNR) with a fluidized bed respirometric study of the biofilm stoichiometry and kinetics was used to verify and validate the proposed calibration protocol. Applying the five stages of the biofilm calibration procedures enhanced the applicability of BioWin®, which was capable of predicting most of the performance parameters with an average percentage error (APE) of 0-20%. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study protocol of a randomized controlled trial comparing integrative body-mind-spirit intervention and cognitive behavioral therapy in fostering quality of life of patients with lung cancer and their family caregivers.

PubMed

Lau, Bobo Hi-Po; Chow, Amy Y M; Wong, Daniel F K; Chan, Jessie S M; Chan, Celia H Y; Ho, Rainbow T H; So, Tsz-Him; Lam, Tai-Chung; Lee, Victor Ho-Fun; Lee, Anne W M; Chow, Sau Fong; Chan, Cecilia L W

2018-01-01

Compared to cancers at other sites, lung cancer often results in greater psychosocial distress to both the patients and their caregivers, due to the poor prognosis and survival rate, as well as the heavy symptom burden. In recent years, making protocols of proposed or on-going studies publicly available via clinical trial registries and/or peer-reviewed journals has benefited health sciences with timely communication of the latest research trends and improved transparency in reporting. However, such practice is yet to be a common sight in evidence-informed social work. Hence, this paper discusses the value of publishing protocols in social work research and presents the protocol of a randomized controlled trial that compares the effectiveness of integrative body-mind-spirit intervention with cognitive behavioral therapy for enhancing quality of life of patients with lung cancer and their family caregivers. The data collection process was still on-going at the time of manuscript submission.

Cognitive Protocol Stack Design

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-30

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: In the ARO “ Cognitive Protocol Stack Design" project we proposed cognitive networking solutions published in international...areas related to cognitive networking, opening also new lines of research that was not possible to forecast at the beginning of the project. In a...Distribution Unlimited Final Report: Cognitive Protocol Stack Design The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the author(s

Receiver Statistics for Cognitive Radios in Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-02-28

SNR) are employed by many protocols and processes in direct-sequence ( DS ) spread-spectrum packet radio networks, including soft-decision decoding...adaptive modulation protocols, and power adjustment protocols. For DS spread spectrum, we have introduced and evaluated SNR estimators that employ...obtained during demodulation in a binary CDMA receiver. We investigated several methods to apply the proposed metric to the demodulator’s soft-decision

Bulk Data Dissemination in Low Power Sensor Networks: Present and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Xu, Zhirong; Hu, Tianlei; Song, Qianshu

2017-01-01

Wireless sensor network-based (WSN-based) applications need an efficient and reliable data dissemination service to facilitate maintenance, management and data distribution tasks. As WSNs nowadays are becoming pervasive and data intensive, bulk data dissemination protocols have been extensively studied recently. This paper provides a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art bulk data dissemination protocols. The large number of papers available in the literature propose various techniques to optimize the dissemination protocols. Different from the existing survey works which separately explores the building blocks of dissemination, our work categorizes the literature according to the optimization purposes: Reliability, Scalability and Transmission/Energy efficiency. By summarizing and reviewing the key insights and techniques, we further discuss on the future directions for each category. Our survey helps unveil three key findings for future direction: (1) The recent advances in wireless communications (e.g., study on cross-technology interference, error estimating codes, constructive interference, capture effect) can be potentially exploited to support further optimization on the reliability and energy efficiency of dissemination protocols; (2) Dissemination in multi-channel, multi-task and opportunistic networks requires more efforts to fully exploit the spatial-temporal network resources to enhance the data propagation; (3) Since many designs incur changes on MAC layer protocols, the co-existence of dissemination with other network protocols is another problem left to be addressed. PMID:28098830

Coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX systems based on PS-request protocols.

PubMed

Kim, Jongwoo; Park, Suwon; Rhee, Seung Hyong; Choi, Yong-Hoon; Chung, Young-uk; Hwang, Ho Young

2011-01-01

We introduce both the coexistence zone within the WiMAX frame structure and a PS-Request protocol for the coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX systems sharing a frequency band. Because we know that the PS-Request protocol has drawbacks, we propose a revised PS-Request protocol to improve the performance. Two PS-Request protocols are based on the time division operation (TDO) of WiFi system and WiMAX system to avoid the mutual interference, and use the vestigial power management (PwrMgt) bit within the Frame Control field of the frames transmitted by a WiFi AP. The performance of the revised PS-Request protocol is evaluated by computer simulation, and compared to those of the cases without a coexistence protocol and to the original PS-Request protocol.

Efficient model checking of network authentication protocol based on SPIN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Zhi-hua; Zhang, Da-fang; Miao, Li; Zhao, Dan

2013-03-01

Model checking is a very useful technique for verifying the network authentication protocols. In order to improve the efficiency of modeling and verification on the protocols with the model checking technology, this paper first proposes a universal formalization description method of the protocol. Combined with the model checker SPIN, the method can expediently verify the properties of the protocol. By some modeling simplified strategies, this paper can model several protocols efficiently, and reduce the states space of the model. Compared with the previous literature, this paper achieves higher degree of automation, and better efficiency of verification. Finally based on the method described in the paper, we model and verify the Privacy and Key Management (PKM) authentication protocol. The experimental results show that the method of model checking is effective, which is useful for the other authentication protocols.

Multi-party quantum key agreement protocol secure against collusion attacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ping; Sun, Zhiwei; Sun, Xiaoqiang

2017-07-01

The fairness of a secure multi-party quantum key agreement (MQKA) protocol requires that all involved parties are entirely peer entities and can equally influence the outcome of the protocol to establish a shared key wherein no one can decide the shared key alone. However, it is found that parts of the existing MQKA protocols are sensitive to collusion attacks, i.e., some of the dishonest participants can collaborate to predetermine the final key without being detected. In this paper, a multi-party QKA protocol resisting collusion attacks is proposed. Different from previous QKA protocol resisting N-1 coconspirators or resisting 1 coconspirators, we investigate the general circle-type MQKA protocol which can be secure against t dishonest participants' cooperation. Here, t < N. We hope the results of the presented paper will be helpful for further research on fair MQKA protocols.

Impersonation attack on a quantum secure direct communication and authentication protocol with improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amerimehr, Ali; Hadain Dehkordi, Massoud

2018-03-01

We analyze the security of a quantum secure direct communication and authentication protocol based on single photons. We first give an impersonation attack on the protocol. The cryptanalysis shows that there is a gap in the authentication procedure of the protocol so that an opponent can reveal the secret information by an undetectable attempt. We then propose an improvement for the protocol and show it closes the gap by applying a mutual authentication procedure. In the improved protocol single photons are transmitted once in a session, so it is easy to implement as the primary protocol. Furthermore, we use a novel technique for secret order rearrangement of photons by which not only quantum storage is eliminated also a secret key can be reused securely. So the new protocol is applicable in practical approaches like embedded system devices.

On the security of a simple three-party key exchange protocol without server's public keys.

PubMed

Nam, Junghyun; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Park, Minkyu; Paik, Juryon; Won, Dongho

2014-01-01

Authenticated key exchange protocols are of fundamental importance in securing communications and are now extensively deployed for use in various real-world network applications. In this work, we reveal major previously unpublished security vulnerabilities in the password-based authenticated three-party key exchange protocol according to Lee and Hwang (2010): (1) the Lee-Hwang protocol is susceptible to a man-in-the-middle attack and thus fails to achieve implicit key authentication; (2) the protocol cannot protect clients' passwords against an offline dictionary attack; and (3) the indistinguishability-based security of the protocol can be easily broken even in the presence of a passive adversary. We also propose an improved password-based authenticated three-party key exchange protocol that addresses the security vulnerabilities identified in the Lee-Hwang protocol.

On the Security of a Simple Three-Party Key Exchange Protocol without Server's Public Keys

PubMed Central

Nam, Junghyun; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Park, Minkyu; Paik, Juryon; Won, Dongho

2014-01-01

Authenticated key exchange protocols are of fundamental importance in securing communications and are now extensively deployed for use in various real-world network applications. In this work, we reveal major previously unpublished security vulnerabilities in the password-based authenticated three-party key exchange protocol according to Lee and Hwang (2010): (1) the Lee-Hwang protocol is susceptible to a man-in-the-middle attack and thus fails to achieve implicit key authentication; (2) the protocol cannot protect clients' passwords against an offline dictionary attack; and (3) the indistinguishability-based security of the protocol can be easily broken even in the presence of a passive adversary. We also propose an improved password-based authenticated three-party key exchange protocol that addresses the security vulnerabilities identified in the Lee-Hwang protocol. PMID:25258723

Association of physical activity with cognition, metacognition and academic performance in children and adolescents: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Álvarez-Bueno, Celia; Pesce, Caterina; Cavero-Redondo, Iván; Sánchez-López, Mairena; Pardo-Guijarro, María Jesús; Martínez-Vizcaíno, Vicente

2016-06-28

Schools provide a relevant context for improving children's and adolescents' physical and mental health by increasing physical activity during school hours and/or beyond. The interest in the relationship between physical activity programmes and cognition during development has recently increased, with evidence suggesting a positive association. We present a protocol of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of intervention studies that, by determining the effects of chronic physical exercise on children's and adolescents' cognitive and metacognitive functions, cognitive life skills, academic behaviours and achievement, aims to ensure procedural objectivity and transparency, and maximise the extraction of relevant information to inform policy development. This protocol is guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and by the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook. Databases to be utilised for a thorough selection of the pertinent literature are MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC. Selection is proposed to encompass an international and a national publication level, with inclusion of experimental studies written in English or in Spanish, respectively. Also, relevant references included in the selected studies will be considered suitable for review as supplemental sources.We present an integrated approach to the methodological quality assessment of the selected studies, including the Jadad Scale for the assessment of the quality of randomised controlled trials and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies for pre-post studies and non-randomised controlled trials. The pre-post interventions mean differences will be the primary indicator of the intervention outcome. A subgroup analysis is proposed based on cognitive functions and their neural correlates, metacognitive functions and cognitive life skills, academic achievement areas and academic behaviours. PROSPERO CRD42015029913. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

A review of tags anti-collision and localization protocols in RFID networks.

PubMed

Ullah, S; Alsalih, W; Alsehaim, A; Alsadhan, N

2012-12-01

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) has allowed the realization of ubiquitous tracking and monitoring of physical objects wirelessly with minimum human interactions. It plays a key role in a wide range of applications including asset tracking, contactless payment, access control, transportation and logistics, and other industrial applications. On the other side, RFID systems face several technical challenges that need to be overcome in order to achieve their potential benefits; tags collisions and localization of tagged objects are two important challenges. Numerous anti-collision and localization protocols have been proposed to address these challenges. This paper reviews the state-of-art tags' anti-collision and localization protocols, and provides a deep insight into technical issues of these protocols. The probabilistic and deterministic anti-collision protocols are critically studied and compared in terms of different parameters. We further review distance estimation, scene analysis, and proximity localization schemes and provide useful suggestions. We also introduce a new hybrid direction that utilizes power control to spatially partition the interrogation range of a reader for more efficient anti-collision and localization. Finally, we present the applications of RFID systems in healthcare sectors.

Non-adiabatic quantum state preparation and quantum state transport in chains of Rydberg atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostmann, Maike; Minář, Jiří; Marcuzzi, Matteo; Levi, Emanuele; Lesanovsky, Igor

2017-12-01

Motivated by recent progress in the experimental manipulation of cold atoms in optical lattices, we study three different protocols for non-adiabatic quantum state preparation and state transport in chains of Rydberg atoms. The protocols we discuss are based on the blockade mechanism between atoms which, when excited to a Rydberg state, interact through a van der Waals potential, and rely on single-site addressing. Specifically, we discuss protocols for efficient creation of an antiferromagnetic GHZ state, a class of matrix product states including a so-called Rydberg crystal and for the state transport of a single-qubit quantum state between two ends of a chain of atoms. We identify system parameters allowing for the operation of the protocols on timescales shorter than the lifetime of the Rydberg states while yielding high fidelity output states. We discuss the effect of positional disorder on the resulting states and comment on limitations due to other sources of noise such as radiative decay of the Rydberg states. The proposed protocols provide a testbed for benchmarking the performance of quantum information processing platforms based on Rydberg atoms.

Proposed test protocol for video imaging detection at intersection stop lines.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-08-01

Test protocols for non-loop detectors have often required comparing the performance : attributes of these detectors with those of loops or other point detectors, or to manual counts. : However, that comparison is not always appropriate for a variety ...

Teleportation of atomic and photonic states in low-Q cavity QED

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Zhao-Hui; Zou, Jian; Liu, Xiao-Juan; Kuang, Le-Man

2012-11-01

We propose two alternative teleportation protocols in low-Q cavity QED. Through the input-output process of photons, we can generate atom-photon entangled states as the quantum channel. Then we propose to teleport single-atom (two-atom entangled) state using coherent photonic states, and to teleport single photonic state with the assistance of three-level atom. The distinct feature of our protocols is that we can teleport both atomic and photonic states via the input-output process of photons in the low-Q cavity. Furthermore, as our protocols work in low-Q cavities and only involve virtual excitation of atoms, they are insensitive to both cavity decay and atomic spontaneous emission, and may be feasible with current technology.

Building a generalized distributed system model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mukkamala, R.

1992-01-01

The key elements in the second year (1991-92) of our project are: (1) implementation of the distributed system prototype; (2) successful passing of the candidacy examination and a PhD proposal acceptance by the funded student; (3) design of storage efficient schemes for replicated distributed systems; and (4) modeling of gracefully degrading reliable computing systems. In the third year of the project (1992-93), we propose to: (1) complete the testing of the prototype; (2) enhance the functionality of the modules by enabling the experimentation with more complex protocols; (3) use the prototype to verify the theoretically predicted performance of locking protocols, etc.; and (4) work on issues related to real-time distributed systems. This should result in efficient protocols for these systems.

Extended Password Recovery Attacks against APOP, SIP, and Digest Authentication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Yu; Wang, Lei; Ohta, Kazuo; Kunihiro, Noboru

In this paper, we propose password recovery attacks against challenge-response authentication protocols. Our attacks use a message difference for a MD5 collision attack proposed in IEICE 2008. First, we show how to efficiently find a message pair that collides with the above message difference. Second, we show that a password used in authenticated post office protocol (APOP) can be recovered practically. We also show that the password recovery attack can be applied to a session initiation protocol (SIP) and digest authentication. Our attack can recover up to the first 31 password characters in a short time and up to the first 60 characters faster than the naive search method. We have implemented our attack and confirmed that 31 characters can be successfully recovered.

A hybrid MAC protocol design for energy-efficient very-high-throughput millimeter wave, wireless sensor communication networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Wei; Estevez, Claudio; Chowdhury, Arshad; Jia, Zhensheng; Wang, Jianxin; Yu, Jianguo; Chang, Gee-Kung

2010-12-01

This paper presents an energy-efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for very-high-throughput millimeter-wave (mm-wave) wireless sensor communication networks (VHT-MSCNs) based on hybrid multiple access techniques of frequency division multiplexing access (FDMA) and time division multiplexing access (TDMA). An energy-efficient Superframe for wireless sensor communication network employing directional mm-wave wireless access technologies is proposed for systems that require very high throughput, such as high definition video signals, for sensing, processing, transmitting, and actuating functions. Energy consumption modeling for each network element and comparisons among various multi-access technologies in term of power and MAC layer operations are investigated for evaluating the energy-efficient improvement of proposed MAC protocol.

One-sided measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Wen-Fei; Zhen, Yi-Zheng; Zheng, Yu-Lin; Li, Li; Chen, Zeng-Bing; Liu, Nai-Le; Chen, Kai

2018-01-01

Measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) protocol was proposed to remove all the detector side channel attacks, while its security relies on the trusted encoding systems. Here we propose a one-sided MDI-QKD (1SMDI-QKD) protocol, which enjoys detection loophole-free advantage, and at the same time weakens the state preparation assumption in MDI-QKD. The 1SMDI-QKD can be regarded as a modified MDI-QKD, in which Bob's encoding system is trusted, while Alice's is uncharacterized. For the practical implementation, we also provide a scheme by utilizing coherent light source with an analytical two decoy state estimation method. Simulation with realistic experimental parameters shows that the protocol has a promising performance, and thus can be applied to practical QKD applications.

An agenda-based routing protocol in delay tolerant mobile sensor networks.

PubMed

Wang, Xiao-Min; Zhu, Jin-Qi; Liu, Ming; Gong, Hai-Gang

2010-01-01

Routing in delay tolerant mobile sensor networks (DTMSNs) is challenging due to the networks' intermittent connectivity. Most existing routing protocols for DTMSNs use simplistic random mobility models for algorithm design and performance evaluation. In the real world, however, due to the unique characteristics of human mobility, currently existing random mobility models may not work well in environments where mobile sensor units are carried (such as DTMSNs). Taking a person's social activities into consideration, in this paper, we seek to improve DTMSN routing in terms of social structure and propose an agenda based routing protocol (ARP). In ARP, humans are classified based on their agendas and data transmission is made according to sensor nodes' transmission rankings. The effectiveness of ARP is demonstrated through comprehensive simulation studies.

Optimal and secure measurement protocols for quantum sensor networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldredge, Zachary; Foss-Feig, Michael; Gross, Jonathan A.; Rolston, S. L.; Gorshkov, Alexey V.

2018-04-01

Studies of quantum metrology have shown that the use of many-body entangled states can lead to an enhancement in sensitivity when compared with unentangled states. In this paper, we quantify the metrological advantage of entanglement in a setting where the measured quantity is a linear function of parameters individually coupled to each qubit. We first generalize the Heisenberg limit to the measurement of nonlocal observables in a quantum network, deriving a bound based on the multiparameter quantum Fisher information. We then propose measurement protocols that can make use of Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states or spin-squeezed states and show that in the case of GHZ states the protocol is optimal, i.e., it saturates our bound. We also identify nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging as a promising setting for this technology.

A lightweight neighbor-info-based routing protocol for no-base-station taxi-call system.

PubMed

Zhu, Xudong; Wang, Jinhang; Chen, Yunchao

2014-01-01

Since the quick topology change and short connection duration, the VANET has had unstable routing and wireless signal quality. This paper proposes a kind of lightweight routing protocol-LNIB for call system without base station, which is applicable to the urban taxis. LNIB maintains and predicts neighbor information dynamically, thus finding the reliable path between the source and the target. This paper describes the protocol in detail and evaluates the performance of this protocol by simulating under different nodes density and speed. The result of evaluation shows that the performance of LNIB is better than AODV which is a classic protocol in taxi-call scene.

Counterfactuality of ‘counterfactual’ communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaidman, L.

2015-11-01

The counterfactuality of the recently proposed protocols for direct quantum communication is analyzed. It is argued that the protocols can be counterfactual only for one value of the transmitted bit. The protocols achieve a reduced probability of detection of the particle in the transmission channel by increasing the number of paths in the channel. However, this probability is not lower than the probability of detecting a particle actually passing through such a multi-path channel, which was found to be surprisingly small. The relation between security and counterfactuality of the protocols is discussed. An analysis of counterfactuality of the protocols in the framework of the Bohmian interpretation is performed.

General A Scheme to Share Information via Employing Discrete Algorithm to Quantum States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Guo-Dong; Fang, Mao-Fa

2011-02-01

We propose a protocol for information sharing between two legitimate parties (Bob and Alice) via public-key cryptography. In particular, we specialize the protocol by employing discrete algorithm under mod that maps integers to quantum states via photon rotations. Based on this algorithm, we find that the protocol is secure under various classes of attacks. Specially, owe to the algorithm, the security of the classical privacy contained in the quantum public-key and the corresponding ciphertext is guaranteed. And the protocol is robust against the impersonation attack and the active wiretapping attack by designing particular checking processing, thus the protocol is valid.

Evaluation of Protocol Uniformity Concerning Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in The Netherlands

PubMed Central

Goossens, Richard H. M.; van Eijk, Daan J.; Lange, Johan F.

2008-01-01

Background Iatrogenic bile duct injury remains a current complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. One uniform and standardized protocol, based on the “critical view of safety” concept of Strasberg, should reduce the incidence of this complication. Furthermore, owing to the rapid development of minimally invasive surgery, technicians are becoming more frequently involved. To improve communication between the operating team and technicians, standardized actions should also be defined. The aim of this study was to compare existing protocols for laparoscopic cholecystectomy from various Dutch hospitals. Methods Fifteen Dutch hospitals were contacted for evaluation of their protocols for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. All evaluated protocols were divided into six steps and were compared accordingly. Results In total, 13 hospitals responded—5 academic hospitals, 5 teaching hospitals, 3 community hospitals—of which 10 protocols were usable for comparison. Concerning the trocar positions, only minor differences were found. The concept of “critical view of safety” was represented in just one protocol. Furthermore, the order of clipping and cutting the cystic artery and duct differed. Descriptions of instruments and apparatus were also inconsistent. Conclusions Present protocols differ too much to define a universal procedure among surgeons in The Netherlands. The authors propose one (inter)national standardized protocol, including standardized actions. This uniform standardized protocol has to be officially released and recommended by national scientific associations (e.g., the Dutch Society of Surgery) or international societies (e.g., European Association for Endoscopic Surgery and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons). The aim is to improve patient safety and professional communication, which are necessary for new developments. PMID:18224485

A Seamless Ubiquitous Telehealthcare Tunnel

PubMed Central

Cheng, Po-Hsun; Lin, Bor-Shing; Yu, Chu; Hu, Shun-Hsiang; Chen, Sao-Jie

2013-01-01

Mobile handheld devices are rapidly using to implement healthcare services around the World. Fundamentally, these services utilize telemedicine technologies. A disconnection of a mobile telemedicine system usually results in an interruption, which is embarrassing, and reconnection is necessary during the communication session. In this study, the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is adopted to build a stable session tunnel to guarantee seamless switching among heterogeneous wireless communication standards, such as Wi-Fi and 3G. This arrangement means that the telemedicine devices will not be limited by a fixed wireless connection and can switch to a better wireless channel if necessary. The tunnel can transmit plain text, binary data, and video streams. According to the evaluation of the proposed software-based SCTP-Tunnel middleware shown, the performance is lower than anticipated and is slightly slower than a fixed connection. However, the transmission throughput is still acceptable for healthcare professionals in a healthcare enterprise or home care site. It is necessary to build more heterogeneous wireless protocols into the proposed tunnel-switching scheme to support all possible communication protocols. In addition, SCTP is another good choice for promoting communication in telemedicine and healthcare fields. PMID:23917812

Cheating and Anti-Cheating in Gossip-Based Protocol: An Experimental Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Xin; Shi, Yuanchun; Tang, Yun; Zhang, Nan

During recent years, there has been a rapid growth in deployment of gossip-based protocol in many multicast applications. In a typical gossip-based protocol, each node acts as dual roles of receiver and sender, independently exchanging data with its neighbors to facilitate scalability and resilience. However, most of previous work in this literature seldom considered cheating issue of end users, which is also very important in face of the fact that the mutual cooperation inherently determines overall system performance. In this paper, we investigate the dishonest behaviors in decentralized gossip-based protocol through extensive experimental study. Our original contributions come in two-fold: In the first part of cheating study, we analytically discuss two typical cheating strategies, that is, intentionally increasing subscription requests and untruthfully calculating forwarding probability, and further evaluate their negative impacts. The results indicate that more attention should be paid to defending cheating behaviors in gossip-based protocol. In the second part of anti-cheating study, we propose a receiver-driven measurement mechanism, which evaluates individual forwarding traffic from the perspective of receivers and thus identifies cheating nodes with high incoming/outgoing ratio. Furthermore, we extend our mechanism by introducing reliable factor to further improve its accuracy. The experiments under various conditions show that it performs quite well in case of serious cheating and achieves considerable performance in other cases.

Modeling Techniques for High Dependability Protocols and Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaValley, Brian; Ellis, Peter; Walter, Chris J.

2012-01-01

This report documents an investigation into modeling high dependability protocols and some specific challenges that were identified as a result of the experiments. The need for an approach was established and foundational concepts proposed for modeling different layers of a complex protocol and capturing the compositional properties that provide high dependability services for a system architecture. The approach centers around the definition of an architecture layer, its interfaces for composability with other layers and its bindings to a platform specific architecture model that implements the protocols required for the layer.

A Generalized Model of E-trading for GSR Fair Exchange Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konar, Debajyoti; Mazumdar, Chandan

In this paper we propose a generalized model of E-trading for the development of GSR Fair Exchange Protocols. Based on the model, a method is narrated to implement E-trading protocols that ensure fairness in true sense without using an additional trusted third party for which either party has to pay. The model provides the scope to include the correctness of the product, money atomicity and customer's anonymity properties within E-trading protocol. We conclude this paper by indicating the area of applicability for our model.

Variability of DKA Management Among Pediatric Emergency Room and Critical Care Providers: A Call for More Evidence-Based and Cost-Effective Care?

PubMed

Clark, Matthew G; Dalabih, Abdallah

2014-09-01

Management protocols have been shown to be effective in the pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) and pediatric critical care (PCC) settings. Treatment protocols define clear goals which are achieved with consistency in implementation. Over the last decade, many new recommendations have been proposed on managing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). Although no perfect set of guidelines exist, many institutions are developing DKA treatment protocols. We sought to determine the variability between institutions in implementation of these protocols.

Draft Plan to Develop Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Test Protocols

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mayhorn, Ebony T.; Sullivan, Greg P.; Petersen, Joseph M.

2015-09-29

This document presents a Draft Plan proposed to develop a common test protocol that can be used to evaluate the performance requirements of Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring. Development on the test protocol will be focused on providing a consistent method that can be used to quantify and compare the performance characteristics of NILM products. Elements of the protocols include specifications for appliances to be used, metrics, instrumentation, and a procedure to simulate appliance behavior during tests. In addition, three priority use cases for NILM will be identified and their performance requirements will specified.

A Novel Protocol to Analyze Short- and Long-Chain Fatty Acids Using Nonaqueous Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cable, M. L.; Stockton, A. M.; Mora, Maria F; Willis, P. A.

2013-01-01

We propose a new protocol to identify and quantify both short- and long-chain saturated fatty acids in samples of astrobiological interest using non-aqueous microchip capillary electrophoresis (micronNACE) with laser induced fluorescence (LIF).

Bidirectional Controlled Quantum Communication by Using a Seven-Qubit Entangled State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sang, Ming-huang; Li, Cong

2018-03-01

We propose a protocol for bidirectional controlled quantum communication by using a seven-qubit entangled state. In our protocol, Alice can teleport an arbitrary unknown two-qubit state to Bob, at the same time Bob can help Alice remotely prepares an arbitrary known single-qubit state. It is shown that, with the help of the controller Charlie, the total success probability of our protocol can reach 100%.

Tissue Sampling Guides for Porcine Biomedical Models.

PubMed

Albl, Barbara; Haesner, Serena; Braun-Reichhart, Christina; Streckel, Elisabeth; Renner, Simone; Seeliger, Frank; Wolf, Eckhard; Wanke, Rüdiger; Blutke, Andreas

2016-04-01

This article provides guidelines for organ and tissue sampling adapted to porcine animal models in translational medical research. Detailed protocols for the determination of sampling locations and numbers as well as recommendations on the orientation, size, and trimming direction of samples from ∼50 different porcine organs and tissues are provided in the Supplementary Material. The proposed sampling protocols include the generation of samples suitable for subsequent qualitative and quantitative analyses, including cryohistology, paraffin, and plastic histology; immunohistochemistry;in situhybridization; electron microscopy; and quantitative stereology as well as molecular analyses of DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and electrolytes. With regard to the planned extent of sampling efforts, time, and personnel expenses, and dependent upon the scheduled analyses, different protocols are provided. These protocols are adjusted for (I) routine screenings, as used in general toxicity studies or in analyses of gene expression patterns or histopathological organ alterations, (II) advanced analyses of single organs/tissues, and (III) large-scale sampling procedures to be applied in biobank projects. Providing a robust reference for studies of porcine models, the described protocols will ensure the efficiency of sampling, the systematic recovery of high-quality samples representing the entire organ or tissue as well as the intra-/interstudy comparability and reproducibility of results. © The Author(s) 2016.

Improved False Discovery Rate Estimation Procedure for Shotgun Proteomics.

PubMed

Keich, Uri; Kertesz-Farkas, Attila; Noble, William Stafford

2015-08-07

Interpreting the potentially vast number of hypotheses generated by a shotgun proteomics experiment requires a valid and accurate procedure for assigning statistical confidence estimates to identified tandem mass spectra. Despite the crucial role such procedures play in most high-throughput proteomics experiments, the scientific literature has not reached a consensus about the best confidence estimation methodology. In this work, we evaluate, using theoretical and empirical analysis, four previously proposed protocols for estimating the false discovery rate (FDR) associated with a set of identified tandem mass spectra: two variants of the target-decoy competition protocol (TDC) of Elias and Gygi and two variants of the separate target-decoy search protocol of Käll et al. Our analysis reveals significant biases in the two separate target-decoy search protocols. Moreover, the one TDC protocol that provides an unbiased FDR estimate among the target PSMs does so at the cost of forfeiting a random subset of high-scoring spectrum identifications. We therefore propose the mix-max procedure to provide unbiased, accurate FDR estimates in the presence of well-calibrated scores. The method avoids biases associated with the two separate target-decoy search protocols and also avoids the propensity for target-decoy competition to discard a random subset of high-scoring target identifications.

Improved False Discovery Rate Estimation Procedure for Shotgun Proteomics

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Interpreting the potentially vast number of hypotheses generated by a shotgun proteomics experiment requires a valid and accurate procedure for assigning statistical confidence estimates to identified tandem mass spectra. Despite the crucial role such procedures play in most high-throughput proteomics experiments, the scientific literature has not reached a consensus about the best confidence estimation methodology. In this work, we evaluate, using theoretical and empirical analysis, four previously proposed protocols for estimating the false discovery rate (FDR) associated with a set of identified tandem mass spectra: two variants of the target-decoy competition protocol (TDC) of Elias and Gygi and two variants of the separate target-decoy search protocol of Käll et al. Our analysis reveals significant biases in the two separate target-decoy search protocols. Moreover, the one TDC protocol that provides an unbiased FDR estimate among the target PSMs does so at the cost of forfeiting a random subset of high-scoring spectrum identifications. We therefore propose the mix-max procedure to provide unbiased, accurate FDR estimates in the presence of well-calibrated scores. The method avoids biases associated with the two separate target-decoy search protocols and also avoids the propensity for target-decoy competition to discard a random subset of high-scoring target identifications. PMID:26152888

Security analysis of standards-driven communication protocols for healthcare scenarios.

PubMed

Masi, Massimiliano; Pugliese, Rosario; Tiezzi, Francesco

2012-12-01

The importance of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), that stores all healthcare-related data belonging to a patient, has been recognised in recent years by governments, institutions and industry. Initiatives like the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) have been developed for the definition of standard methodologies for secure and interoperable EHR exchanges among clinics and hospitals. Using the requisites specified by these initiatives, many large scale projects have been set up for enabling healthcare professionals to handle patients' EHRs. The success of applications developed in these contexts crucially depends on ensuring such security properties as confidentiality, authentication, and authorization. In this paper, we first propose a communication protocol, based on the IHE specifications, for authenticating healthcare professionals and assuring patients' safety. By means of a formal analysis carried out by using the specification language COWS and the model checker CMC, we reveal a security flaw in the protocol thus demonstrating that to simply adopt the international standards does not guarantee the absence of such type of flaws. We then propose how to emend the IHE specifications and modify the protocol accordingly. Finally, we show how to tailor our protocol for application to more critical scenarios with no assumptions on the communication channels. To demonstrate feasibility and effectiveness of our protocols we have fully implemented them.

In-shoe plantar pressure measurements for the evaluation and adaptation of foot orthoses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A proof of concept study.

PubMed

Tenten-Diepenmaat, Marloes; Dekker, Joost; Steenbergen, Menno; Huybrechts, Elleke; Roorda, Leo D; van Schaardenburg, Dirkjan; Bus, Sicco A; van der Leeden, Marike

2016-03-01

Improving foot orthoses (FOs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by using in-shoe plantar pressure measurements seems promising. The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) the outcome on plantar pressure distribution of FOs that were adapted using in-shoe plantar pressure measurements according to a protocol and (2) the protocol feasibility. Forty-five RA patients with foot problems were included in this observational proof-of concept study. FOs were custom-made by a podiatrist according to usual care. Regions of Interest (ROIs) for plantar pressure reduction were selected. According to a protocol, usual care FOs were evaluated using in-shoe plantar pressure measurements and, if necessary, adapted. Plantar pressure-time integrals at the ROIs were compared between the following conditions: (1) no-FO versus usual care FO and (2) usual care FO versus adapted FO. Semi-structured interviews were held with patients and podiatrists to evaluate the feasibility of the protocol. Adapted FOs were developed in 70% of the patients. In these patients, usual care FOs showed a mean 9% reduction in pressure-time integral at forefoot ROIs compared to no-FOs (p=0.01). FO adaptation led to an additional mean 3% reduction in pressure-time integral (p=0.05). The protocol was considered feasible by patients. Podiatrists considered the protocol more useful to achieve individual rather than general treatment goals. A final protocol was proposed. Using in-shoe plantar pressure measurements for adapting foot orthoses for patients with RA leads to a small additional plantar pressure reduction in the forefoot. Further research on the clinical relevance of this outcome is required. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A Differential Evolution-Based Routing Algorithm for Environmental Monitoring Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaofang; Xu, Lizhong; Wang, Huibin; Song, Jie; Yang, Simon X.

2010-01-01

The traditional Low Energy Adaptive Cluster Hierarchy (LEACH) routing protocol is a clustering-based protocol. The uneven selection of cluster heads results in premature death of cluster heads and premature blind nodes inside the clusters, thus reducing the overall lifetime of the network. With a full consideration of information on energy and distance distribution of neighboring nodes inside the clusters, this paper proposes a new routing algorithm based on differential evolution (DE) to improve the LEACH routing protocol. To meet the requirements of monitoring applications in outdoor environments such as the meteorological, hydrological and wetland ecological environments, the proposed algorithm uses the simple and fast search features of DE to optimize the multi-objective selection of cluster heads and prevent blind nodes for improved energy efficiency and system stability. Simulation results show that the proposed new LEACH routing algorithm has better performance, effectively extends the working lifetime of the system, and improves the quality of the wireless sensor networks. PMID:22219670

Loss-tolerant measurement-device-independent quantum private queries

PubMed Central

Zhao, Liang-Yuan; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; Chen, Wei; Qian, Yong-Jun; Zhang, Chun-Mei; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2017-01-01

Quantum private queries (QPQ) is an important cryptography protocol aiming to protect both the user’s and database’s privacy when the database is queried privately. Recently, a variety of practical QPQ protocols based on quantum key distribution (QKD) have been proposed. However, for QKD-based QPQ the user’s imperfect detectors can be subjected to some detector- side-channel attacks launched by the dishonest owner of the database. Here, we present a simple example that shows how the detector-blinding attack can damage the security of QKD-based QPQ completely. To remove all the known and unknown detector side channels, we propose a solution of measurement-device-independent QPQ (MDI-QPQ) with single- photon sources. The security of the proposed protocol has been analyzed under some typical attacks. Moreover, we prove that its security is completely loss independent. The results show that practical QPQ will remain the same degree of privacy as before even with seriously uncharacterized detectors. PMID:28051101

Industrial WSN Based on IR-UWB and a Low-Latency MAC Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinhold, Rafael; Underberg, Lisa; Wulf, Armin; Kays, Ruediger

2016-07-01

Wireless sensor networks for industrial communication require high reliability and low latency. As current wireless sensor networks do not entirely meet these requirements, novel system approaches need to be developed. Since ultra wideband communication systems seem to be a promising approach, this paper evaluates the performance of the IEEE 802.15.4 impulse-radio ultra-wideband physical layer and the IEEE 802.15.4 Low Latency Deterministic Network (LLDN) MAC for industrial applications. Novel approaches and system adaptions are proposed to meet the application requirements. In this regard, a synchronization approach based on circular average magnitude difference functions (CAMDF) and on a clean template (CT) is presented for the correlation receiver. An adapted MAC protocol titled aggregated low latency (ALL) MAC is proposed to significantly reduce the resulting latency. Based on the system proposals, a hardware prototype has been developed, which proves the feasibility of the system and visualizes the real-time performance of the MAC protocol.

Comment on 'Quantum direct communication with authentication'

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Zhan-jun; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Information Acquisition and Manipulation of Ministry of Education of China, School of Physics and Material Science, Anhui University, Hefei 230039; Liu, Jun

2007-02-15

Two protocols of quantum direct communication with authentication [Phys. Rev. A 73, 042305 (2006)] were recently proposed by Lee, Lim, and Yang. In this paper we will show that in the two protocols the authenticator Trent should be prevented from knowing the secret message. The first protocol can be eavesdropped on by Trent using the intercept-measure-resend attack, while the second protocol can be eavesdropped on by Trent using a simple single-qubit measurement. To fix these leaks, we revise the original versions of the protocols by using the Pauli Z operation {sigma}{sub z} instead of the original bit-flip operation X. Asmore » a consequence, the attacks we present can be prevented and accordingly the protocol securities are improved.« less

Controlled Bidirectional Hybrid of Remote State Preparation and Quantum Teleportation via Seven-Qubit Entangled State

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hao; Zha, Xin-Wei; Yang, Yu-Quan

2018-01-01

We propose a new protocol of implementing four-party controlled joint remote state preparation and meanwhile realizing controlled quantum teleportation via a seven-qubit entangled state. That is to say, Alice wants to teleport an arbitrary single-qubit state to Bob and Bob wants to remotely prepare a known state for Alice via the control of supervisors Fred and David. Compared with previous studies for the schemes of solely bidirectional quantum teleportation and remote state preparation, the new protocol is a kind of hybrid approach of information communication which makes the quantum channel multipurpose.

Prospective and retrospective high order eddy current mitigation for diffusion weighted echo planar imaging.

PubMed

Xu, Dan; Maier, Joseph K; King, Kevin F; Collick, Bruce D; Wu, Gaohong; Peters, Robert D; Hinks, R Scott

2013-11-01

The proposed method is aimed at reducing eddy current (EC) induced distortion in diffusion weighted echo planar imaging, without the need to perform further image coregistration between diffusion weighted and T2 images. These ECs typically have significant high order spatial components that cannot be compensated by preemphasis. High order ECs are first calibrated at the system level in a protocol independent fashion. The resulting amplitudes and time constants of high order ECs can then be used to calculate imaging protocol specific corrections. A combined prospective and retrospective approach is proposed to apply correction during data acquisition and image reconstruction. Various phantom, brain, body, and whole body diffusion weighted images with and without the proposed method are acquired. Significantly reduced image distortion and misregistration are consistently seen in images with the proposed method compared with images without. The proposed method is a powerful (e.g., effective at 48 cm field of view and 30 cm slice coverage) and flexible (e.g., compatible with other image enhancements and arbitrary scan plane) technique to correct high order ECs induced distortion and misregistration for various diffusion weighted echo planar imaging applications, without the need for further image post processing, protocol dependent prescan, or sacrifice in signal-to-noise ratio. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Permissive weight bearing in trauma patients with fracture of the lower extremities: prospective multicenter comparative cohort study.

PubMed

Kalmet, Pishtiwan H S; Meys, Guido; V Horn, Yvette Y; Evers, Silvia M A A; Seelen, Henk A M; Hustinx, Paul; Janzing, Heinrich; Vd Veen, Alexander; Jaspars, Coen; Sintenie, Jan Bernard; Blokhuis, Taco J; Poeze, Martijn; Brink, Peter R G

2018-02-02

The standard aftercare treatment in surgically treated trauma patients with fractures around or in a joint, known as (peri)- or intra-articular fractures of the lower extremities, is either non-weight bearing or partial weight bearing. We have developed an early permissive weight bearing post-surgery rehabilitation protocol in surgically treated patients with fractures of the lower extremities. In this proposal we want to compare our early permissive weight bearing protocol to the existing current non-weight bearing guidelines in a prospective comparative cohort study. The study is a prospective multicenter comparative cohort study in which two rehabilitation aftercare treatments will be contrasted, i.e. permissive weight bearing and non-weight bearing according to the AO-guideline. The study population consists of patients with a surgically treated fracture of the pelvis/acetabulum or a surgically treated (peri)- or intra-articular fracture of the lower extremities. The inclusion period is 12 months. The duration of follow up is 6 months, with measurements taken at baseline, 2,6,12 and 26 weeks post-surgery. ADL with Lower Extremity Functional Scale. Outcome variables for compliance, as measured with an insole pressure measurement system, encompass peak load and step duration. This study will investigate the (cost-) effectiveness of a permissive weight bearing aftercare protocol. The results will provide evidence whether a permissive weight bearing protocol is more effective than the current non-weight bearing protocol. The study is registered in the Dutch Trial Register ( NTR6077 ). Date of registration: 01-09-2016.

Cost-Effective Encryption-Based Autonomous Routing Protocol for Efficient and Secure Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Saleem, Kashif; Derhab, Abdelouahid; Orgun, Mehmet A; Al-Muhtadi, Jalal; Rodrigues, Joel J P C; Khalil, Mohammed Sayim; Ali Ahmed, Adel

2016-03-31

The deployment of intelligent remote surveillance systems depends on wireless sensor networks (WSNs) composed of various miniature resource-constrained wireless sensor nodes. The development of routing protocols for WSNs is a major challenge because of their severe resource constraints, ad hoc topology and dynamic nature. Among those proposed routing protocols, the biology-inspired self-organized secure autonomous routing protocol (BIOSARP) involves an artificial immune system (AIS) that requires a certain amount of time to build up knowledge of neighboring nodes. The AIS algorithm uses this knowledge to distinguish between self and non-self neighboring nodes. The knowledge-building phase is a critical period in the WSN lifespan and requires active security measures. This paper proposes an enhanced BIOSARP (E-BIOSARP) that incorporates a random key encryption mechanism in a cost-effective manner to provide active security measures in WSNs. A detailed description of E-BIOSARP is presented, followed by an extensive security and performance analysis to demonstrate its efficiency. A scenario with E-BIOSARP is implemented in network simulator 2 (ns-2) and is populated with malicious nodes for analysis. Furthermore, E-BIOSARP is compared with state-of-the-art secure routing protocols in terms of processing time, delivery ratio, energy consumption, and packet overhead. The findings show that the proposed mechanism can efficiently protect WSNs from selective forwarding, brute-force or exhaustive key search, spoofing, eavesdropping, replaying or altering of routing information, cloning, acknowledgment spoofing, HELLO flood attacks, and Sybil attacks.

Cost-Effective Encryption-Based Autonomous Routing Protocol for Efficient and Secure Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Saleem, Kashif; Derhab, Abdelouahid; Orgun, Mehmet A.; Al-Muhtadi, Jalal; Rodrigues, Joel J. P. C.; Khalil, Mohammed Sayim; Ali Ahmed, Adel

2016-01-01

The deployment of intelligent remote surveillance systems depends on wireless sensor networks (WSNs) composed of various miniature resource-constrained wireless sensor nodes. The development of routing protocols for WSNs is a major challenge because of their severe resource constraints, ad hoc topology and dynamic nature. Among those proposed routing protocols, the biology-inspired self-organized secure autonomous routing protocol (BIOSARP) involves an artificial immune system (AIS) that requires a certain amount of time to build up knowledge of neighboring nodes. The AIS algorithm uses this knowledge to distinguish between self and non-self neighboring nodes. The knowledge-building phase is a critical period in the WSN lifespan and requires active security measures. This paper proposes an enhanced BIOSARP (E-BIOSARP) that incorporates a random key encryption mechanism in a cost-effective manner to provide active security measures in WSNs. A detailed description of E-BIOSARP is presented, followed by an extensive security and performance analysis to demonstrate its efficiency. A scenario with E-BIOSARP is implemented in network simulator 2 (ns-2) and is populated with malicious nodes for analysis. Furthermore, E-BIOSARP is compared with state-of-the-art secure routing protocols in terms of processing time, delivery ratio, energy consumption, and packet overhead. The findings show that the proposed mechanism can efficiently protect WSNs from selective forwarding, brute-force or exhaustive key search, spoofing, eavesdropping, replaying or altering of routing information, cloning, acknowledgment spoofing, HELLO flood attacks, and Sybil attacks. PMID:27043572

Memorandum About the Science and Ethics Review of USDA Protocol for Laboratory Evaluation of Bite Protection from Repellent-treated Clothing for the United States Military

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This review assesses the scientific aspects of the proposed research for a special efficacy study to assess etofenprox-treated U.S. Military uniforms in terms of the recommendations of the EPA and of the EPA Human Studies Review Board.

How to Prepare SMC and BMC-like Compounds to Perform Relevant Rheological Experiments?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guiraud, Olivier; Dumont, Pierre J. J.; Orgéas, Laurent

2013-04-01

The study of the rheology of injected or compression moulded compounds like SMC or BMC is made particularly difficult by the high content and the intricate arrangement of their fibrous reinforcement. For these two types of compounds, inappropriate rheological testing protocols and rheometers are often used, which leads to a very large scatter of the experimental data. This study describes specific sampling and specimen's preparation methods, as well as dedicated rheometry devices to test their rheology. Following the proposed protocols, it is possible to obtain rheological measurements showing low scatter of the recorded stress values: about ±10% for SMC and about ±15% for BMC-like compounds.

An energy-aware routing protocol for query-based applications in wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Ahvar, Ehsan; Ahvar, Shohreh; Lee, Gyu Myoung; Crespi, Noel

2014-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) typically has energy consumption restriction. Designing energy-aware routing protocol can significantly reduce energy consumption in WSNs. Energy-aware routing protocols can be classified into two categories, energy savers and energy balancers. Energy saving protocols are used to minimize the overall energy consumed by a WSN, while energy balancing protocols attempt to efficiently distribute the consumption of energy throughout the network. In general terms, energy saving protocols are not necessarily good at balancing energy consumption and energy balancing protocols are not always good at reducing energy consumption. In this paper, we propose an energy-aware routing protocol (ERP) for query-based applications in WSNs, which offers a good trade-off between traditional energy balancing and energy saving objectives and supports a soft real time packet delivery. This is achieved by means of fuzzy sets and learning automata techniques along with zonal broadcasting to decrease total energy consumption.

Continuous-variable protocol for oblivious transfer in the noisy-storage model.

PubMed

Furrer, Fabian; Gehring, Tobias; Schaffner, Christian; Pacher, Christoph; Schnabel, Roman; Wehner, Stephanie

2018-04-13

Cryptographic protocols are the backbone of our information society. This includes two-party protocols which offer protection against distrustful players. Such protocols can be built from a basic primitive called oblivious transfer. We present and experimentally demonstrate here a quantum protocol for oblivious transfer for optical continuous-variable systems, and prove its security in the noisy-storage model. This model allows us to establish security by sending more quantum signals than an attacker can reliably store during the protocol. The security proof is based on uncertainty relations which we derive for continuous-variable systems, that differ from the ones used in quantum key distribution. We experimentally demonstrate in a proof-of-principle experiment the proposed oblivious transfer protocol for various channel losses by using entangled two-mode squeezed states measured with balanced homodyne detection. Our work enables the implementation of arbitrary two-party quantum cryptographic protocols with continuous-variable communication systems.

An Energy-Aware Routing Protocol for Query-Based Applications in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Crespi, Noel

2014-01-01

Wireless sensor network (WSN) typically has energy consumption restriction. Designing energy-aware routing protocol can significantly reduce energy consumption in WSNs. Energy-aware routing protocols can be classified into two categories, energy savers and energy balancers. Energy saving protocols are used to minimize the overall energy consumed by a WSN, while energy balancing protocols attempt to efficiently distribute the consumption of energy throughout the network. In general terms, energy saving protocols are not necessarily good at balancing energy consumption and energy balancing protocols are not always good at reducing energy consumption. In this paper, we propose an energy-aware routing protocol (ERP) for query-based applications in WSNs, which offers a good trade-off between traditional energy balancing and energy saving objectives and supports a soft real time packet delivery. This is achieved by means of fuzzy sets and learning automata techniques along with zonal broadcasting to decrease total energy consumption. PMID:24696640

Improvements in Clinical Trials Information Will Improve the Reproductive Health and Fertility of Cancer Patients.

PubMed

Dauti, Angela; Gerstl, Brigitte; Chong, Serena; Chisholm, Orin; Anazodo, Antoinette

2017-06-01

There are a number of barriers that result in cancer patients not being referred for oncofertility care, which include knowledge about reproductive risks of antineoplastic agents. Without this information, clinicians do not always make recommendations for oncofertility care. The objective of this study was to describe the level of reproductive information and recommendations that clinicians have available in clinical trial protocols regarding oncofertility management and follow-up, and the information that patients may receive in clinical trials patient information sheets or consent forms. A literature review of the 71 antineoplastic drugs included in the 68 clinical trial protocols showed that 68% of the antineoplastic drugs had gonadotoxic animal data, 32% had gonadotoxic human data, 83% had teratogenic animal data, and 32% had teratogenic human data. When the clinical trial protocols were reviewed, only 22% of the protocols reported the teratogenic risks and 32% of the protocols reported the gonadotoxic risk. Only 56% of phase 3 protocols had gonadotoxic information and 13% of phase 3 protocols had teratogenic information. Nine percent of the protocols provided fertility preservation recommendations and 4% provided reproductive information in the follow-up and survivorship period. Twenty-six percent had a section in the clinical trials protocol, which identified oncofertility information easily. When gonadotoxic and teratogenic effects of treatment were known, they were not consistently included in the clinical trial protocols and the lack of data for new drugs was not reported. Very few protocols gave recommendations for oncofertility management and follow-up following the completion of cancer treatment. The research team proposes a number of recommendations that should be required for clinicians and pharmaceutical companies developing new trials.

Opportunistic Mobility Support for Resource Constrained Sensor Devices in Smart Cities

PubMed Central

Granlund, Daniel; Holmlund, Patrik; Åhlund, Christer

2015-01-01

A multitude of wireless sensor devices and technologies are being developed and deployed in cities all over the world. Sensor applications in city environments may include highly mobile installations that span large areas which necessitates sensor mobility support. This paper presents and validates two mechanisms for supporting sensor mobility between different administrative domains. Firstly, EAP-Swift, an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)-based sensor authentication protocol is proposed that enables light-weight sensor authentication and key generation. Secondly, a mechanism for handoffs between wireless sensor gateways is proposed. We validate both mechanisms in a real-life study that was conducted in a smart city environment with several fixed sensors and moving gateways. We conduct similar experiments in an industry-based anechoic Long Term Evolution (LTE) chamber with an ideal radio environment. Further, we validate our results collected from the smart city environment against the results produced under ideal conditions to establish best and real-life case scenarios. Our results clearly validate that our proposed mechanisms can facilitate efficient sensor authentication and handoffs while sensors are roaming in a smart city environment. PMID:25738767

Generating the local oscillator "locally" in continuous-variable quantum key distribution based on coherent detection

DOE PAGES

Qi, Bing; Lougovski, Pavel; Pooser, Raphael C.; ...

2015-10-21

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocols based on coherent detection have been studied extensively in both theory and experiment. In all the existing implementations of CV-QKD, both the quantum signal and the local oscillator (LO) are generated from the same laser and propagate through the insecure quantum channel. This arrangement may open security loopholes and limit the potential applications of CV-QKD. In our paper, we propose and demonstrate a pilot-aided feedforward data recovery scheme that enables reliable coherent detection using a “locally” generated LO. Using two independent commercial laser sources and a spool of 25-km optical fiber, we construct amore » coherent communication system. The variance of the phase noise introduced by the proposed scheme is measured to be 0.04 (rad 2), which is small enough to enable secure key distribution. This technology opens the door for other quantum communication protocols, such as the recently proposed measurement-device-independent CV-QKD, where independent light sources are employed by different users.« less

Opportunistic mobility support for resource constrained sensor devices in smart cities.

PubMed

Granlund, Daniel; Holmlund, Patrik; Åhlund, Christer

2015-03-02

A multitude of wireless sensor devices and technologies are being developed and deployed in cities all over the world. Sensor applications in city environments may include highly mobile installations that span large areas which necessitates sensor mobility support. This paper presents and validates two mechanisms for supporting sensor mobility between different administrative domains. Firstly, EAP-Swift, an Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)-based sensor authentication protocol is proposed that enables light-weight sensor authentication and key generation. Secondly, a mechanism for handoffs between wireless sensor gateways is proposed. We validate both mechanisms in a real-life study that was conducted in a smart city environment with several fixed sensors and moving gateways. We conduct similar experiments in an industry-based anechoic Long Term Evolution (LTE) chamber with an ideal radio environment. Further, we validate our results collected from the smart city environment against the results produced under ideal conditions to establish best and real-life case scenarios. Our results clearly validate that our proposed mechanisms can facilitate efficient sensor authentication and handoffs while sensors are roaming in a smart city environment.

An FEC Adaptive Multicast MAC Protocol for Providing Reliability in WLANs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basalamah, Anas; Sato, Takuro

For wireless multicast applications like multimedia conferencing, voice over IP and video/audio streaming, a reliable transmission of packets within short delivery delay is needed. Moreover, reliability is crucial to the performance of error intolerant applications like file transfer, distributed computing, chat and whiteboard sharing. Forward Error Correction (FEC) is frequently used in wireless multicast to enhance Packet Error Rate (PER) performance, but cannot assure full reliability unless coupled with Automatic Repeat Request forming what is knows as Hybrid-ARQ. While reliable FEC can be deployed at different levels of the protocol stack, it cannot be deployed on the MAC layer of the unreliable IEEE802.11 WLAN due to its inability to exchange ACKs with multiple recipients. In this paper, we propose a Multicast MAC protocol that enhances WLAN reliability by using Adaptive FEC and study it's performance through mathematical analysis and simulation. Our results show that our protocol can deliver high reliability and throughput performance.

Achievable rate maximization for decode-and-forward MIMO-OFDM networks with an energy harvesting relay.

PubMed

Du, Guanyao; Yu, Jianjun

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the system achievable rate for the multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) system with an energy harvesting (EH) relay. Firstly we propose two protocols, time switching-based decode-and-forward relaying (TSDFR) and a flexible power splitting-based DF relaying (PSDFR) protocol by considering two practical receiver architectures, to enable the simultaneous information processing and energy harvesting at the relay. In PSDFR protocol, we introduce a temporal parameter to describe the time division pattern between the two phases which makes the protocol more flexible and general. In order to explore the system performance limit, we discuss the system achievable rate theoretically and formulate two optimization problems for the proposed protocols to maximize the system achievable rate. Since the problems are non-convex and difficult to solve, we first analyze them theoretically and get some explicit results, then design an augmented Lagrangian penalty function (ALPF) based algorithm for them. Numerical results are provided to validate the accuracy of our analytical results and the effectiveness of the proposed ALPF algorithm. It is shown that, PSDFR outperforms TSDFR to achieve higher achievable rate in such a MIMO-OFDM relaying system. Besides, we also investigate the impacts of the relay location, the number of antennas and the number of subcarriers on the system performance. Specifically, it is shown that, the relay position greatly affects the system performance of both protocols, and relatively worse achievable rate is achieved when the relay is placed in the middle of the source and the destination. This is different from the MIMO-OFDM DF relaying system without EH. Moreover, the optimal factor which indicates the time division pattern between the two phases in the PSDFR protocol is always above 0.8, which means that, the common division of the total transmission time into two equal phases in previous work applying PS-based receiver is not optimal.

Security of a single-state semi-quantum key distribution protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Qiu, Daowen; Mateus, Paulo

2018-06-01

Semi-quantum key distribution protocols are allowed to set up a secure secret key between two users. Compared with their full quantum counterparts, one of the two users is restricted to perform some "classical" or "semi-quantum" operations, which potentially makes them easily realizable by using less quantum resource. However, the semi-quantum key distribution protocols mainly rely on a two-way quantum channel. The eavesdropper has two opportunities to intercept the quantum states transmitted in the quantum communication stage. It may allow the eavesdropper to get more information and make the security analysis more complicated. In the past ten years, many semi-quantum key distribution protocols have been proposed and proved to be robust. However, there are few works concerning their unconditional security. It is doubted that how secure the semi-quantum ones are and how much noise they can tolerate to establish a secure secret key. In this paper, we prove the unconditional security of a single-state semi-quantum key distribution protocol proposed by Zou et al. (Phys Rev A 79:052312, 2009). We present a complete proof from information theory aspect by deriving a lower bound of the protocol's key rate in the asymptotic scenario. Using this bound, we figure out an error threshold value such that for all error rates that are less than this threshold value, the secure secret key can be established between the legitimate users definitely. Otherwise, the users should abort the protocol. We make an illustration of the protocol under the circumstance that the reverse quantum channel is a depolarizing one with parameter q. Additionally, we compare the error threshold value with some full quantum protocols and several existing semi-quantum ones whose unconditional security proofs have been provided recently.

76 FR 17427 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB; Emergency Comment Request...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-29

... (HPRP) grantees, as well as the site visit interview guide that will serve as the protocol for 15-18... site visit interview guide that will serve as the protocol for 15-18 site visits to be conducted to...

Protocol Analysis: A Methodology for Exploring the Information Processing of Gifted Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Margaret A.

1986-01-01

Protocol analysis techniques, in which subjects are taught to think aloud, can provide information on the mental operations used by gifted learners. Concerns over the use of such data are described and new directions for the technique are proposed. (CL)

Network-Friendly Gossiping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serbu, Sabina; Rivière, Étienne; Felber, Pascal

The emergence of large-scale distributed applications based on many-to-many communication models, e.g., broadcast and decentralized group communication, has an important impact on the underlying layers, notably the Internet routing infrastructure. To make an effective use of network resources, protocols should both limit the stress (amount of messages) on each infrastructure entity like routers and links, and balance as much as possible the load in the network. Most protocols use application-level metrics such as delays to improve efficiency of content dissemination or routing, but the extend to which such application-centric optimizations help reduce and balance the load imposed to the infrastructure is unclear. In this paper, we elaborate on the design of such network-friendly protocols and associated metrics. More specifically, we investigate random-based gossip dissemination. We propose and evaluate different ways of making this representative protocol network-friendly while keeping its desirable properties (robustness and low delays). Simulations of the proposed methods using synthetic and real network topologies convey and compare their abilities to reduce and balance the load while keeping good performance.

Translational microsurgery. A new platform for transplantation research.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Eiji; Haga, Junko

2016-03-01

Clinical microsurgery has been introduced in many fields, while experimental microsurgery has the cross-disciplinary features of the sciences and techniques for growth of medicine, pharmacology, veterinary, engineering etc. Training protocol, proposing a new name as Translational Microsurgery, was introduced. Reconstructive skills of hepatic artery in pediatric living donor liver transplantation were summarized. Ex vivo training protocol using artificial blood vessel for surgeons was proposed. Clinical microsurgery requires anastomosis with delicate arteries and limited field of view. Our training protocol revealed that the relation between the score and speed was seen, while not all the surgeons with enough experience got high score. This training led to muster clinical skills and to apply excellent experimental works. Our microsurgical training protocol has been planned from the points of clinical setting. Training for vascular anastomosis led to rodent transplantation models. These models were used for immunology and immunosuppressant research. Microsurgical techniques led to master catheter technique and to inject various drugs or gene vectors.

Synthesizing Existing CSMA and TDMA Based MAC Protocols for VANETs

PubMed Central

Huang, Jiawei; Li, Qi; Zhong, Shaohua; Liu, Lianhai; Zhong, Ping; Wang, Jianxin; Ye, Jin

2017-01-01

Many Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) based medium access control (MAC) protocols for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have been proposed recently. Contrary to the common perception that they are competitors, we argue that the underlying strategies used in these MAC protocols are complementary. Based on this insight, we design CTMAC, a MAC protocol that synthesizes existing strategies; namely, random accessing channel (used in CSMA-style protocols) and arbitral reserving channel (used in TDMA-based protocols). CTMAC swiftly changes its strategy according to the vehicle density, and its performance is better than the state-of-the-art protocols. We evaluate CTMAC using at-scale simulations. Our results show that CTMAC reduces the channel completion time and increases the network goodput by 45% for a wide range of application workloads and network settings. PMID:28208590

Secure quantum communication using classical correlated channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa, D.; de Almeida, N. G.; Villas-Boas, C. J.

2016-10-01

We propose a secure protocol to send quantum information from one part to another without a quantum channel. In our protocol, which resembles quantum teleportation, a sender (Alice) and a receiver (Bob) share classical correlated states instead of EPR ones, with Alice performing measurements in two different bases and then communicating her results to Bob through a classical channel. Our secure quantum communication protocol requires the same amount of classical bits as the standard quantum teleportation protocol. In our scheme, as in the usual quantum teleportation protocol, once the classical channel is established in a secure way, a spy (Eve) will never be able to recover the information of the unknown quantum state, even if she is aware of Alice's measurement results. Security, advantages, and limitations of our protocol are discussed and compared with the standard quantum teleportation protocol.

Coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX Systems Based on PS-Request Protocols†

PubMed Central

Kim, Jongwoo; Park, Suwon; Rhee, Seung Hyong; Choi, Yong-Hoon; Chung, Young-uk; Hwang, Ho Young

2011-01-01

We introduce both the coexistence zone within the WiMAX frame structure and a PS-Request protocol for the coexistence of WiFi and WiMAX systems sharing a frequency band. Because we know that the PS-Request protocol has drawbacks, we propose a revised PS-Request protocol to improve the performance. Two PS-Request protocols are based on the time division operation (TDO) of WiFi system and WiMAX system to avoid the mutual interference, and use the vestigial power management (PwrMgt) bit within the Frame Control field of the frames transmitted by a WiFi AP. The performance of the revised PS-Request protocol is evaluated by computer simulation, and compared to those of the cases without a coexistence protocol and to the original PS-Request protocol. PMID:22163721

Risk of bias and confounding of observational studies of Zika virus infection: A scoping review of research protocols

PubMed Central

Haby, Michelle M.; Martínez-Vega, Ruth; Pinzón-Flores, Carlos E.; Smith, Emma; Pinart, Mariona; Broutet, Nathalie; Becerra-Posada, Francisco; Aldighieri, Sylvain; Van Kerkhove, Maria D.

2017-01-01

Introduction Given the severity and impact of the current Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas, numerous countries have rushed to develop research studies to assess ZIKV and its potential health consequences. In an effort to ensure that studies are comprehensive, both internally and externally valid, and with reliable results, the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, Institut Pasteur, the networks of Fiocruz, the Consortia for the Standardization of Influenza Seroepidemiology (CONSISE) and the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) have generated six standardized clinical and epidemiological research protocols and questionnaires to address key public health questions on ZIKV. Methods We conducted a systematic search of ongoing study protocols related to ZIKV research. We analyzed the content of protocols of 32 cohort studies and 13 case control studies for systematic bias that could produce erroneous results. Additionally we aimed to characterize the risks of bias and confounding in observational studies related to ZIKV and to propose ways to minimize them, including the use of six newly standardized research protocols. Results Observational studies of ZIKV face an array of challenges, including measurement of exposure and outcomes (microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome). Potential confounders need to be measured where known and controlled for in the analysis. Selection bias due to non-random selection is a significant issue, particularly in the case-control design, and losses to follow-up is equally important for the cohort design. Conclusion Observational research seeking to answer key questions on the ZIKV should consider these restrictions and take precautions to minimize bias in an effort to provide reliable and valid results. Utilization of the standardized research protocols developed by the WHO, PAHO, Institut Pasteur, and CONSISE will harmonize the key methodological aspects of each study design to minimize bias at different stages of the study. Biases need to be considered by researchers implementing the standardized protocols as well as by users of observational epidemiological studies of ZIKV. PMID:28686621

In silico simulations of experimental protocols for cardiac modeling.

PubMed

Carro, Jesus; Rodriguez, Jose Felix; Pueyo, Esther

2014-01-01

A mathematical model of the AP involves the sum of different transmembrane ionic currents and the balance of intracellular ionic concentrations. To each ionic current corresponds an equation involving several effects. There are a number of model parameters that must be identified using specific experimental protocols in which the effects are considered as independent. However, when the model complexity grows, the interaction between effects becomes increasingly important. Therefore, model parameters identified considering the different effects as independent might be misleading. In this work, a novel methodology consisting in performing in silico simulations of the experimental protocol and then comparing experimental and simulated outcomes is proposed for parameter model identification and validation. The potential of the methodology is demonstrated by validating voltage-dependent L-type calcium current (ICaL) inactivation in recently proposed human ventricular AP models with different formulations. Our results show large differences between ICaL inactivation as calculated from the model equation and ICaL inactivation from the in silico simulations due to the interaction between effects and/or to the experimental protocol. Our results suggest that, when proposing any new model formulation, consistency between such formulation and the corresponding experimental data that is aimed at being reproduced needs to be first verified considering all involved factors.

An Outline of Data Aggregation Security in Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Boubiche, Sabrina; Boubiche, Djallel Eddine; Bilami, Azzedine; Toral-Cruz, Homero

2016-04-12

Data aggregation processes aim to reduce the amount of exchanged data in wireless sensor networks and consequently minimize the packet overhead and optimize energy efficiency. Securing the data aggregation process is a real challenge since the aggregation nodes must access the relayed data to apply the aggregation functions. The data aggregation security problem has been widely addressed in classical homogeneous wireless sensor networks, however, most of the proposed security protocols cannot guarantee a high level of security since the sensor node resources are limited. Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks have recently emerged as a new wireless sensor network category which expands the sensor nodes' resources and capabilities. These new kinds of WSNs have opened new research opportunities where security represents a most attractive area. Indeed, robust and high security level algorithms can be used to secure the data aggregation at the heterogeneous aggregation nodes which is impossible in classical homogeneous WSNs. Contrary to the homogeneous sensor networks, the data aggregation security problem is still not sufficiently covered and the proposed data aggregation security protocols are numberless. To address this recent research area, this paper describes the data aggregation security problem in heterogeneous wireless sensor networks and surveys a few proposed security protocols. A classification and evaluation of the existing protocols is also introduced based on the adopted data aggregation security approach.

A Localization-Free Interference and Energy Holes Minimization Routing for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Khan, Anwar; Ahmedy, Ismail; Anisi, Mohammad Hossein; Javaid, Nadeem; Ali, Ihsan; Khan, Nawsher; Alsaqer, Mohammed; Mahmood, Hasan

2018-01-09

Interference and energy holes formation in underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) threaten the reliable delivery of data packets from a source to a destination. Interference also causes inefficient utilization of the limited battery power of the sensor nodes in that more power is consumed in the retransmission of the lost packets. Energy holes are dead nodes close to the surface of water, and their early death interrupts data delivery even when the network has live nodes. This paper proposes a localization-free interference and energy holes minimization (LF-IEHM) routing protocol for UWSNs. The proposed algorithm overcomes interference during data packet forwarding by defining a unique packet holding time for every sensor node. The energy holes formation is mitigated by a variable transmission range of the sensor nodes. As compared to the conventional routing protocols, the proposed protocol does not require the localization information of the sensor nodes, which is cumbersome and difficult to obtain, as nodes change their positions with water currents. Simulation results show superior performance of the proposed scheme in terms of packets received at the final destination and end-to-end delay.

A Localization-Free Interference and Energy Holes Minimization Routing for Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Khan, Anwar; Anisi, Mohammad Hossein; Javaid, Nadeem; Khan, Nawsher; Alsaqer, Mohammed; Mahmood, Hasan

2018-01-01

Interference and energy holes formation in underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) threaten the reliable delivery of data packets from a source to a destination. Interference also causes inefficient utilization of the limited battery power of the sensor nodes in that more power is consumed in the retransmission of the lost packets. Energy holes are dead nodes close to the surface of water, and their early death interrupts data delivery even when the network has live nodes. This paper proposes a localization-free interference and energy holes minimization (LF-IEHM) routing protocol for UWSNs. The proposed algorithm overcomes interference during data packet forwarding by defining a unique packet holding time for every sensor node. The energy holes formation is mitigated by a variable transmission range of the sensor nodes. As compared to the conventional routing protocols, the proposed protocol does not require the localization information of the sensor nodes, which is cumbersome and difficult to obtain, as nodes change their positions with water currents. Simulation results show superior performance of the proposed scheme in terms of packets received at the final destination and end-to-end delay. PMID:29315247

The Maximal Oxygen Uptake Verification Phase: a Light at the End of the Tunnel?

PubMed

Schaun, Gustavo Z

2017-12-08

Commonly performed during an incremental test to exhaustion, maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2max ) assessment has become a recurring practice in clinical and experimental settings. To validate the test, several criteria were proposed. In this context, the plateau in oxygen uptake (V̇O 2 ) is inconsistent in its frequency, reducing its usefulness as a robust method to determine "true" V̇O 2max . Moreover, secondary criteria previously suggested, such as expiratory exchange ratios or percentages of maximal heart rate, are highly dependent on protocol design and often are achieved at V̇O 2 percentages well below V̇O 2max . Thus, an alternative method termed verification phase was proposed. Currently, it is clear that the verification phase can be a practical and sensitive method to confirm V̇O 2max ; however, procedures to conduct it are not standardized across the literature and no previous research tried to summarize how it has been employed. Therefore, in this review the knowledge on the verification phase was updated, while suggestions on how it can be performed (e.g. intensity, duration, recovery) were provided according to population and protocol design. Future studies should focus to identify a verification protocol feasible for different populations and to compare square-wave and multistage verification phases. Additionally, studies assessing verification phases in different patient populations are still warranted.

Long-term effects of controllability or the lack of it on coping abilities and stress resilience in the rat.

PubMed

Lucas, Morgan; Ilin, Yana; Anunu, Rachel; Kehat, Orli; Xu, Lin; Desmedt, Aline; Richter-Levin, Gal

2014-09-01

Findings suggest that stress-induced impaired learning and coping abilities may be attributed more to the psychological nature of the stressor, rather than its physical properties. It has been proposed that establishing controllability over stressors can ameliorate some of its effects on cognition and behavior. Gaining controllability was suggested to be associated with the development of stress resilience. Based on repeated exposure to the two-way shuttle avoidance task, we previously developed and validated a behavioral task that leads to a strict dissociation between gaining controllability (to the level that the associated fear is significantly reduced) and a fearful state of uncontrollability. Employing this protocol, we investigated here the impact of gaining or failing to gain emotional controllability on indices of anxiety and depression and on subsequent abilities to cope with positively or negatively reinforcing learning experiences. In agreement with previous studies, rats exposed to the uncontrollable protocol demonstrated high concentration of sera corticosterone, increased immobility, reduced duration of struggling in the forced swim test and impaired ability to acquire subsequent learning tasks. Achieving emotional controllability resulted in resilience to stress as was indicated by longer duration of struggling in the forced swim test, and enhanced learning abilities. Our prolonged training protocol, with the demonstrated ability of rats to gain emotional controllability, is proposed as a useful tool to study the neurobiological mechanisms of stress resilience.

A protocol for lifetime energy and environmental impact assessment of building insulation materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shrestha, Som S., E-mail: shresthass@ornl.gov; Biswas, Kaushik; Desjarlais, Andre O.

This article describes a proposed protocol that is intended to provide a comprehensive list of factors to be considered in evaluating the direct and indirect environmental impacts of building insulation materials, as well as detailed descriptions of standardized calculation methodologies to determine those impacts. The energy and environmental impacts of insulation materials can generally be divided into two categories: (1) direct impact due to the embodied energy of the insulation materials and other factors and (2) indirect or environmental impacts avoided as a result of reduced building energy use due to addition of insulation. Standards and product category rules exist,more » which provide guidelines about the life cycle assessment (LCA) of materials, including building insulation products. However, critical reviews have suggested that these standards fail to provide complete guidance to LCA studies and suffer from ambiguities regarding the determination of the environmental impacts of building insulation and other products. The focus of the assessment protocol described here is to identify all factors that contribute to the total energy and environmental impacts of different building insulation products and, more importantly, provide standardized determination methods that will allow comparison of different insulation material types. Further, the intent is not to replace current LCA standards but to provide a well-defined, easy-to-use comparison method for insulation materials using existing LCA guidelines. - Highlights: • We proposed a protocol to evaluate the environmental impacts of insulation materials. • The protocol considers all life cycle stages of an insulation material. • Both the direct environmental impacts and the indirect impacts are defined. • Standardized calculation methods for the ‘avoided operational energy’ is defined. • Standardized calculation methods for the ‘avoided environmental impact’ is defined.« less

Two Phase Admission Control for QoS Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chien-Sheng; Su, Yi-Wen; Liu, Wen-Hsiung; Chi, Ching-Lung

In this paper a novel and effective two phase admission control (TPAC) for QoS mobile ad hoc networks is proposed that satisfies the real-time traffic requirements in mobile ad hoc networks. With a limited amount of extra overhead, TPAC can avoid network congestions by a simple and precise admission control which blocks most of the overloading flow-requests in the route discovery process. When compared with previous QoS routing schemes such as QoS-aware routing protocol and CACP protocols, it is shown from system simulations that the proposed scheme can increase the system throughput and reduce both the dropping rate and the end-to-end delay. Therefore, TPAC is surely an effective QoS-guarantee protocol to provide for real-time traffic.

Research of Ad Hoc Networks Access Algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Ma

With the continuous development of mobile communication technology, Ad Hoc access network has become a hot research, Ad Hoc access network nodes can be used to expand capacity of multi-hop communication range of mobile communication system, even business adjacent to the community, improve edge data rates. When the ad hoc network is the access network of the internet, the gateway discovery protocol is very important to choose the most appropriate gateway to guarantee the connectivity between ad hoc network and IP based fixed networks. The paper proposes a QoS gateway discovery protocol which uses the time delay and stable route to the gateway selection conditions. And according to the gateway discovery protocol, it also proposes a fast handover scheme which can decrease the handover time and improve the handover efficiency.

Security of a discretely signaled continuous variable quantum key distribution protocol for high rate systems.

PubMed

Zhang, Zheshen; Voss, Paul L

2009-07-06

We propose a continuous variable based quantum key distribution protocol that makes use of discretely signaled coherent light and reverse error reconciliation. We present a rigorous security proof against collective attacks with realistic lossy, noisy quantum channels, imperfect detector efficiency, and detector electronic noise. This protocol is promising for convenient, high-speed operation at link distances up to 50 km with the use of post-selection.

FD/DAMA Scheme For Mobile/Satellite Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yan, Tsun-Yee; Wang, Charles C.; Cheng, Unjeng; Rafferty, William; Dessouky, Khaled I.

1992-01-01

Integrated-Adaptive Mobile Access Protocol (I-AMAP) proposed to allocate communication channels to subscribers in first-generation MSAT-X mobile/satellite communication network. Based on concept of frequency-division/demand-assigned multiple access (FD/DAMA) where partition of available spectrum adapted to subscribers' demands for service. Requests processed, and competing requests resolved according to channel-access protocol, or free-access tree algorithm described in "Connection Protocol for Mobile/Satellite Communications" (NPO-17735). Assigned spectrum utilized efficiently.

Broadening and Simplifying the First SETI Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michaud, M. A. G.

The Declaration of Principles Concerning Activities Following the Detection of Extraterrestrial Intelligence, known informally as the First SETI Protocol, is the primary existing international guidance on this subject. During the fifteen years since the document was issued, several people have suggested revisions or additional protocols. This article proposes a broadened and simplified text that would apply to the detection of alien technology in our solar system as well as to electromagnetic signals from more remote sources.

A Survey on Underwater Acoustic Sensor Network Routing Protocols.

PubMed

Li, Ning; Martínez, José-Fernán; Meneses Chaus, Juan Manuel; Eckert, Martina

2016-03-22

Underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) have become more and more important in ocean exploration applications, such as ocean monitoring, pollution detection, ocean resource management, underwater device maintenance, etc. In underwater acoustic sensor networks, since the routing protocol guarantees reliable and effective data transmission from the source node to the destination node, routing protocol design is an attractive topic for researchers. There are many routing algorithms have been proposed in recent years. To present the current state of development of UASN routing protocols, we review herein the UASN routing protocol designs reported in recent years. In this paper, all the routing protocols have been classified into different groups according to their characteristics and routing algorithms, such as the non-cross-layer design routing protocol, the traditional cross-layer design routing protocol, and the intelligent algorithm based routing protocol. This is also the first paper that introduces intelligent algorithm-based UASN routing protocols. In addition, in this paper, we investigate the development trends of UASN routing protocols, which can provide researchers with clear and direct insights for further research.

A Survey on Underwater Acoustic Sensor Network Routing Protocols

PubMed Central

Li, Ning; Martínez, José-Fernán; Meneses Chaus, Juan Manuel; Eckert, Martina

2016-01-01

Underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASNs) have become more and more important in ocean exploration applications, such as ocean monitoring, pollution detection, ocean resource management, underwater device maintenance, etc. In underwater acoustic sensor networks, since the routing protocol guarantees reliable and effective data transmission from the source node to the destination node, routing protocol design is an attractive topic for researchers. There are many routing algorithms have been proposed in recent years. To present the current state of development of UASN routing protocols, we review herein the UASN routing protocol designs reported in recent years. In this paper, all the routing protocols have been classified into different groups according to their characteristics and routing algorithms, such as the non-cross-layer design routing protocol, the traditional cross-layer design routing protocol, and the intelligent algorithm based routing protocol. This is also the first paper that introduces intelligent algorithm-based UASN routing protocols. In addition, in this paper, we investigate the development trends of UASN routing protocols, which can provide researchers with clear and direct insights for further research. PMID:27011193

Different protocols for cryobiopsy versus forceps biopsy in diagnosis of patients with endobronchial tumors.

PubMed

Jabari, Hamidreza; Sami, Ramin; Fakhri, Mohammad; Kiani, Arda

2012-01-01

Forceps biopsy is the standard procedure to obtain specimens in endobronchial lesions. New studies have proposed flexible cryoprobe as an accepted alternative method for this technique. Although diagnostic use of the cryobiopsy is confirmed in few studies, there is paucity of data with regard to an optimum protocol for this method since one of the main considerations in cryobiopsy is the freezing time. To evaluate diagnostic yield and safety of endobronchial biopsies using the flexible cryoprobe. Moreover, different freezing times were assessed to propose an optimized protocol for this diagnostic modality. For each patient with a confirmed intrabronchial lesion, diagnostic o value of forceps biopsy, cryobiopsy in three seconds, cryobiopsy in five seconds and combined results of cryobiopsy in both timings were recorded. A total of 60 patients (39 males and 21 females; Mean age 56.7 +/- 13.3) were included. Specimens that were obtained by cryobiopsy in five seconds were significantly larger than those of forceps biopsy and cryobiopsy in three seconds (p < 0.001). We showed that the achieved diagnostic yields for all three methods were not statistically different (p > 0.05). Simultaneous usage of samples produced in both cryobiopsies can significantly improve the diagnostic yield (p = 0.02). Statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences in case of bleeding frequency among the three sampling methods. This study confirmed safety and feasibility of cryobiopsy. Additionally, combination of sampling with two different cold induction timings would significantly increase sensitivity of this emerging technique..

Distributed Wireless Power Transfer With Energy Feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Seunghyun; Zhang, Rui

2017-04-01

Energy beamforming (EB) is a key technique for achieving efficient radio-frequency (RF) transmission enabled wireless energy transfer (WET). By optimally designing the waveforms from multiple energy transmitters (ETs) over the wireless channels, they can be constructively combined at the energy receiver (ER) to achieve an EB gain that scales with the number of ETs. However, the optimal design of EB waveforms requires accurate channel state information (CSI) at the ETs, which is challenging to obtain practically, especially in a distributed system with ETs at separate locations. In this paper, we study practical and efficient channel training methods to achieve optimal EB in a distributed WET system. We propose two protocols with and without centralized coordination, respectively, where distributed ETs either sequentially or in parallel adapt their transmit phases based on a low-complexity energy feedback from the ER. The energy feedback only depends on the received power level at the ER, where each feedback indicates one particular transmit phase that results in the maximum harvested power over a set of previously used phases. Simulation results show that the two proposed training protocols converge very fast in practical WET systems even with a large number of distributed ETs, while the protocol with sequential ET phase adaptation is also analytically shown to converge to the optimal EB design with perfect CSI by increasing the training time. Numerical results are also provided to evaluate the performance of the proposed distributed EB and training designs as compared to other benchmark schemes.

Methacholine challenge testing: improved patient comfort with a 2-tiered protocol.

PubMed

Segel, Michael J; Rabinovich, Einat; Schwarz, Yehuda; Ben-Dov, Issahar

2013-06-01

The methacholine challenge test (MCT) is a test of bronchial hyperreactivity used as an aid in the diagnosis of asthma. MCT results are reported as the provocation concentration at which the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) decreases 20% (PC20). The requirement for a 20% or greater decrease in FEV1 results in precipitous decreases in FEV1 in some patients. To improve MCT safety without compromising accuracy. We performed a retrospective analysis of 879 consecutive MCTs (derivation cohort). A novel protocol for MCT was developed and validated in a cohort of 564 MCTs performed in a second institution. In comparison with a PC20 cutoff of less than 8 mg/mL, a provocation concentration at which the FEV1 decreases 10% (PC10) cutoff of 1 mg/mL or less has a sensitivity of 86%, a specificity of 98%, a positive predictive value (PPV) of 97%, and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 91%. We propose a novel 2-tiered protocol for MCT. If the PC10 is 1 mg/mL or less, bronchial hyperreactivity is present; if the PC10 is greater than 1 mg/mL, the test is continued until the provocative concentration is 8 mg/mL or a 20% decrease in FEV1 is achieved. Compared with the standard protocol, the proposed protocol has a sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy of 100%, 98%, 97.6%, 100%, and 99%, respectively. The modified protocol would have enabled us to avoid 26 of 42 cases (62%) in which a 40% or greater decrease in FEV1 occurred and would save 0.65 dose for every MCT performed. The 2-tiered protocol performed well in the validation cohort; sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy were 100%, 98%, 87%, 100%, and 98%, respectively. The proposed 2-tiered protocol is accurate, saves time, and avoids precipitous decreases in FEV1. Copyright © 2013 American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Energy-Aware RFID Anti-Collision Protocol.

PubMed

Arjona, Laura; Simon, Hugo Landaluce; Ruiz, Asier Perallos

2018-06-11

The growing interest in mobile devices is transforming wireless identification technologies. Mobile and battery-powered Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) readers, such as hand readers and smart phones, are are becoming increasingly attractive. These RFID readers require energy-efficient anti-collision protocols to minimize the tag collisions and to expand the reader's battery life. Furthermore, there is an increasing interest in RFID sensor networks with a growing number of RFID sensor tags. Thus, RFID application developers must be mindful of tag anti-collision protocols. Energy-efficient protocols involve a low reader energy consumption per tag. This work presents a thorough study of the reader energy consumption per tag and analyzes the main factor that affects this metric: the frame size update strategy. Using the conclusion of this analysis, the anti-collision protocol Energy-Aware Slotted Aloha (EASA) is presented to decrease the energy consumption per tag. The frame size update strategy of EASA is configured to minimize the energy consumption per tag. As a result, EASA presents an energy-aware frame. The performance of the proposed protocol is evaluated and compared with several state of the art Aloha-based anti-collision protocols based on the current RFID standard. Simulation results show that EASA, with an average of 15 mJ consumed per tag identified, achieves a 6% average improvement in the energy consumption per tag in relation to the strategies of the comparison.

Secure and Fair Cluster Head Selection Protocol for Enhancing Security in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

PubMed Central

Paramasivan, B.; Kaliappan, M.

2014-01-01

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are wireless networks consisting of number of autonomous mobile devices temporarily interconnected into a network by wireless media. MANETs become one of the most prevalent areas of research in the recent years. Resource limitations, energy efficiency, scalability, and security are the great challenging issues in MANETs. Due to its deployment nature, MANETs are more vulnerable to malicious attack. The secure routing protocols perform very basic security related functions which are not sufficient to protect the network. In this paper, a secure and fair cluster head selection protocol (SFCP) is proposed which integrates security factors into the clustering approach for achieving attacker identification and classification. Byzantine agreement based cooperative technique is used for attacker identification and classification to make the network more attack resistant. SFCP used to solve this issue by making the nodes that are totally surrounded by malicious neighbors adjust dynamically their belief and disbelief thresholds. The proposed protocol selects the secure and energy efficient cluster head which acts as a local detector without imposing overhead to the clustering performance. SFCP is simulated in network simulator 2 and compared with two protocols including AODV and CBRP. PMID:25143986

A Novel Cross-Layer Routing Protocol Based on Network Coding for Underwater Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wang, Hao; Wang, Shilian; Bu, Renfei; Zhang, Eryang

2017-01-01

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) have attracted increasing attention in recent years because of their numerous applications in ocean monitoring, resource discovery and tactical surveillance. However, the design of reliable and efficient transmission and routing protocols is a challenge due to the low acoustic propagation speed and complex channel environment in UWSNs. In this paper, we propose a novel cross-layer routing protocol based on network coding (NCRP) for UWSNs, which utilizes network coding and cross-layer design to greedily forward data packets to sink nodes efficiently. The proposed NCRP takes full advantages of multicast transmission and decode packets jointly with encoded packets received from multiple potential nodes in the entire network. The transmission power is optimized in our design to extend the life cycle of the network. Moreover, we design a real-time routing maintenance protocol to update the route when detecting inefficient relay nodes. Substantial simulations in underwater environment by Network Simulator 3 (NS-3) show that NCRP significantly improves the network performance in terms of energy consumption, end-to-end delay and packet delivery ratio compared with other routing protocols for UWSNs. PMID:28786915

Secure and fair cluster head selection protocol for enhancing security in mobile ad hoc networks.

PubMed

Paramasivan, B; Kaliappan, M

2014-01-01

Mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) are wireless networks consisting of number of autonomous mobile devices temporarily interconnected into a network by wireless media. MANETs become one of the most prevalent areas of research in the recent years. Resource limitations, energy efficiency, scalability, and security are the great challenging issues in MANETs. Due to its deployment nature, MANETs are more vulnerable to malicious attack. The secure routing protocols perform very basic security related functions which are not sufficient to protect the network. In this paper, a secure and fair cluster head selection protocol (SFCP) is proposed which integrates security factors into the clustering approach for achieving attacker identification and classification. Byzantine agreement based cooperative technique is used for attacker identification and classification to make the network more attack resistant. SFCP used to solve this issue by making the nodes that are totally surrounded by malicious neighbors adjust dynamically their belief and disbelief thresholds. The proposed protocol selects the secure and energy efficient cluster head which acts as a local detector without imposing overhead to the clustering performance. SFCP is simulated in network simulator 2 and compared with two protocols including AODV and CBRP.

A Quantum Private Query Protocol for Enhancing both User and Database Privacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yi-Hua; Bai, Xue-Wei; Li, Lei-Lei; Shi, Wei-Min; Yang, Yu-Guang

2018-01-01

In order to protect the privacy of query user and database, some QKD-based quantum private query (QPQ) protocols were proposed. Unfortunately some of them cannot resist internal attack from database perfectly; some others can ensure better user privacy but require a reduction of database privacy. In this paper, a novel two-way QPQ protocol is proposed to ensure the privacy of both sides of communication. In our protocol, user makes initial quantum states and derives the key bit by comparing initial quantum state and outcome state returned from database by ctrl or shift mode instead of announcing two non-orthogonal qubits as others which may leak part secret information. In this way, not only the privacy of database be ensured but also user privacy is strengthened. Furthermore, our protocol can also realize the security of loss-tolerance, cheat-sensitive, and resisting JM attack etc. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. U1636106, 61572053, 61472048, 61602019, 61502016; Beijing Natural Science Foundation under Grant Nos. 4152038, 4162005; Basic Research Fund of Beijing University of Technology (No. X4007999201501); The Scientific Research Common Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education under Grant No. KM201510005016