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Johns Keating posted an update 1 year, 5 months ago
In the Internet of Things (IoT) systems, it is often required to deliver a secure message to a group of devices. The public key broadcast encryption is an efficient primitive to handle IoT broadcasts, by allowing a user (or a device) to broadcast encrypted messages to a group of legitimate devices. This paper proposes an IoT-friendly subset representation called Combinatorial Subset Difference (CSD), which generalizes the existing subset difference (SD) method by allowing wildcards (*) in any position of the bitstring. Based on the CSD representation, we first propose an algorithm to construct the CSD subset, and a CSD-based public key broadcast encryption scheme. By providing the most general subset representation, the proposed CSD-based construction achieves a minimal header size among the existing broadcast encryption. The experimental result shows that our CSD saves the header size by 17% on average and more than 1000 times when assuming a specific IoT example of IP address with 20 wildcards and 2 20 total users, compared to the SD-based broadcast encryption. We prove the semantic security of CSD-based broadcast encryption under the standard l-BDHE assumption, and extend the construction to a chosen-ciphertext-attack (CCA)-secure version.The electrocardiogram records the heart’s electrical activity and generates a significant amount of data. The analysis of these data helps us to detect diseases and disorders via heart bio-signal abnormality classification. In unbalanced-data contexts, where the classes are not equally represented, the optimization and configuration of the classification models are highly complex, reflecting on the use of computational resources. Moreover, the performance of electrocardiogram classification depends on the approach and parameter estimation to generate the model with high accuracy, sensitivity, and precision. Previous works have proposed hybrid approaches and only a few implemented parameter optimization. Instead, they generally applied an empirical tuning of parameters at a data level or an algorithm level. Hence, a scheme, including metrics of sensitivity in a higher precision and accuracy scale, deserves special attention. In this article, a metaheuristic optimization approach for parameter estimations in arrhythmia classification from unbalanced data is presented. We selected an unbalanced subset of those databases to classify eight types of arrhythmia. It is important to highlight that we combined undersampling based on the clustering method (data level) and feature selection method (algorithmic level) to tackle the unbalanced class problem. To explore parameter estimation and improve the classification for our model, we compared two metaheuristic approaches based on differential evolution and particle swarm optimization. The final results showed an accuracy of 99.95%, a F1 score of 99.88%, a sensitivity of 99.87%, a precision of 99.89%, and a specificity of 99.99%, which are high, even in the presence of unbalanced data.Mayetiola destructor (Hessian fly) is a destructive pest of wheat in several parts of the world. Here, we investigated the presence of reproductive symbionts and the effect of the geographical location on the bacterial community associated to adult Hessian flies derived from four major wheat producing areas in Morocco. Using specific 16S rDNA PCR assay, Wolbachia infection was observed in 3% of the natural populations and 10% of the laboratory population. High throughput sequencing of V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene revealed that the microbiota of adult Hessian flies was significantly influenced by their native regions. A total of 6 phyla, 10 classes and 79 genera were obtained from all the samples. Confirming the screening results, Wolbachia was identified as well in the natural Hessian flies. Phylogenetic analysis using the sequences obtained in this study indicated that there is one Wolbachia strain belonging to supergroup A. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Wolbachia in Hessian fly populations. The observed low abundance of Wolbachia most likely does not indicate induction of reproductive incompatibility. PAI039 Yet, this infection may give a new insight into the use of Wolbachia for the fight against Hessian fly populations.Objective The purpose of this study was to determine if Porphyra tenera extract (PTE) has immune-enhancing effects and is safe in healthy adults. Methods Subjects who met the inclusion criteria (3 × 103 ≤ peripheral blood leukocyte level ≥ 8 × 103 cells/µL) were recruited for this study. Enrolled subjects (n = 120) were randomly assigned to either the PTE group (n = 60) and were given 2.5 g/day of PTE (as PTE) in capsule form or the placebo group (n = 60) and were given crystal cellulose capsules with the identical appearance, weight, and flavor as the PTE capsules for 8 weeks. Outcomes were assessed based on measuring natural killer (NK) cell activity, cytokines level, and upper respiratory infection (URI), and safety parameters were assessed at baseline and 8 weeks. Results Compared with baseline, NK cell activity (%) increased for all effector cell-to-target cell ratios in the PTE group after 8 weeks; however, changes were not observed in the placebo group (p less then 0.10). Subgroup analysis of 101 subjects without URI showed that NK cell activity in the PTE group tended to increase for all effector cell/target cell (ET) ratios (ET = 12.51 p = 0.068; ET = 251 p = 0.036; ET = 501 p = 0.081) compared with the placebo group. A significant difference between the two groups was observed for the ET = 251 ratio, which increased from 20.3 ± 12.0% at baseline to 23.2 ± 12.4% after 8 weeks in the PTE group (p = 0.036). A significant difference was not observed in cytokine between the two groups. Conclusion PTE supplementation appears to enhance immune function by improving NK cell activity without adverse effects in healthy adults.Scientific evidence shows that the administration of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) to infertile patients with normal serum FSH concentrations improves sperm parameters in oligozoospermic men. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of highly purified urofollitropin (hpFSH) on conventional and bio-functional sperm parameters and on oxidative stress indices in patients with idiopathic infertility. We also evaluated the response to hpFSH on these parameters in relationship to FSHR c. 2039 A/G and FSHR c. -29 G/A genotypes. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 42 patients with idiopathic male infertility, 23 of whom underwent to FSHR c. 2039 A/G and FSHR c. -29 G/A genotyping. Each patient was asked to collect two semen samples before and after administration of 150 IU hpFSH three times a week for 16 weeks. Patients were divided into responders or non-responders based on whether their total sperm count had at least doubled or was less than double at the end of treatment, respectively. Responders showed a significantly higher semen volume, sperm concentration, spermatids, and leukocytes.

