Explore the vast range of titles available.

Internet-of-Things (IoT) and sensor technologies have enabled the collection of data in a distributed fashion for analysis and evidence-based decision making. However, security concerns regarding the source, confidentiality and integrity of the data arise. The most common method of protecting data transmission in sensor systems is Transport Layer Security (TLS) or its datagram counterpart (DTLS) today, but exist an alternative option based on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that promise strong security, ease of use and potential for large scale integration of heterogeneous sensor systems. A DLT such as the IOTA Tangle offers great potential to improve sensor data exchange. This paper presents L2Sec, a cryptographic protocol which is able to secure data exchanged over the IOTA Tangle. This protocol is suitable for implementation on constrained devices, such as common IoT devices, leading to greater scalability. The first experimental results evidence the effectiveness of the approach and advocate for the integration of an hardware secure element to improve the overall security of the protocol. The L2Sec source code is released as open source repository on GitHub.

Nowadays, Internet of Things platforms are being deployed in a wide range of application domains. Some of these include use cases with security requirements, where the data generated by an IoT node is the basis for making safety-critical or liability-critical decisions at system level. The challenge is to develop a solution for data exchange while proving and verifying the authenticity of the data from end-to-end. In line with this objective, this paper proposes a novel solution with the proper protocols to provide Trust in Data, making use of two Roots of Trust that are the IOTA Distributed Ledger Technology and the Trusted Platform Module. The paper presents the design of the proposed solution and discusses the key design aspects and relevant trade-offs. The paper concludes with a Proof-of-Concept implementation and an experimental evaluation to confirm its feasibility and to assess the achievable performance.

Current trends for ubiquitous data usage have made information security as a mandatory component of any system. The availability of suitable levels of protection for data is required to secure any kind of content throughout its lifecycle and independently from the media, which allows the data to be used. In this paper we present a methodology to provide data protection through a simple and effective security abstraction layer based on the SEcube(TM) (Secure Environment cube) single chip, a new security-oriented open hardware and software platform. After analyzing the most critical information states, we introduce a set of easy-to-use APIs that provide an open-source, multi-paradigm security layer, suitable to protect both data at rest and data in motion. Being the SEcube(TM) made up of three hardware elements (a highly powerful processor, a Common Criteria certified smartcard and a flexible FPGA), all the functions are implemented and executed in a fully controlled secure environment. All the complexities related to key management and algorithms are handled within the secure environment, leaving the developers free to focus on the final applications and services.

To be understandable and reusable at large scale, also by non-experts in security, Crypto primitives must be implemented in a modular way, and come with well organized and well described processes to help understanding, foster adoption, and ensure a proper embedding in the applications they must protect. In this paper, we reap the benefits of the modular hardware and software architecture of the SEcube, and lift the issue of crypto-primitives management from the traditional code level to a model driven approach. On small examples, we illustrate the essential features of the approach concerning the modelling of cryptography primitives as SIBs and their organization in domain-specific SIB palettes. We also sketch how to use multifaceted taxonomies to provide compact yet expressive classifications, amounting to a semantic description of the security domain. We address in the issue of workflows by using models that ease the expression, analysis, control, and formal verification of inter- and intra-model control and data flow, though the adoption of the XMDD approach implemented in the DIME integrated modelling environment. A brief description of a home banking application sketches how in reality many of these security mechanisms need to work together in a safe and secure orchestration.

The mobile application market is rapidly growing and changing, offering always brand new software to install in increasingly powerful devices. Mobile devices become pervasive and more heterogeneous, embedding latest technologies such as multicore architectures, special-purpose circuits and reconfigurable logic. In a future mobile market scenario reconfigurable systems are employed to provide high-speed functionalities to assist execution of applications. However, new security concerns are introduced. In particular, protecting the Intellectual Property of the exchanged soft IP cores is a serious concern. The available techniques for preserving integrity, confidentiality and authenticity suffer from the limitation of heavily relying onto the system designer. In this paper we propose two different protocols suitable for the secure deployment of soft IP cores in FPGA-based mobile heterogeneous systems where multiple independent actors are involved: a simple scenario requiring trust relationship between entities, and a more complex scenario where no trust relationship exists through adoption of the Direct Anonymous Attestation protocol. Finally, we provide a prototype implementation of the proposed architectures.

Recent scientific evidence suggests a link between migraine and brain energy metabolism. In fact, migraine is frequently observed in mitochondrial disorders. We studied 46 patients affected by mitochondrial disorders, through a headache-focused semi-structured interview, to evaluate the prevalence of migraine among patients affected by mitochondrial disorders, the possible correlations between migraine and neuromuscular genotype or phenotype, comorbidities, lactate acid levels and brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We explored migraine-related disability, analgesic and prophylactic treatments. Diagnoses were achieved according to International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. Lifetime prevalence of migraine was 61% (28/46), with high values in both sexes (68% in females, 52% in males) and higher than the values found in both the general population and previous literature. A maternal inheritance pattern was reported in 57% of cases. MIDAS and HIT6 scores revealed a mild migraine-related disability. The high prevalence of migraine across different neuromuscular phenotypes and genotypes suggests that migraine itself may be a common clinical manifestation of brain energy dysfunction. Our results provide new relevant indications in favour of migraine as the result of brain energy unbalance.

Wolfram syndrome (WS) is a recessive multisystem disorder defined by the association of diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy, reminiscent of mitochondrial diseases. The role played by mitochondria remains elusive, with contradictory results on the occurrence of mitochondrial dysfunction. We evaluated 13 recessive WS patients by deep clinical phenotyping, including optical coherence tomography (OCT), serum lactic acid at rest and after standardized exercise, brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging, and brain and muscle Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). Finally, we investigated mitochondrial bioenergetics, network morphology, and calcium handling in patient-derived fibroblasts. Our results do not support a primary mitochondrial dysfunction in WS patients, as suggested by MRS studies, OCT pattern of retinal nerve fiber layer loss, and, in fibroblasts, by mitochondrial bioenergetics and network morphology results. However, we clearly found calcium mishandling between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria, which, under specific metabolic conditions of increased energy requirements and in selected tissue or cell types, may turn into a secondary mitochondrial dysfunction. Critically, we showed that Wolframin (WFS1) protein is enriched at mitochondrial-associated ER membranes and that in patient-derived fibroblasts WFS1 protein is completely absent. These findings support a loss-of-function pathogenic mechanism for missense mutations in WFS1 , ultimately leading to defective calcium influx within mitochondria.

•Polypharmacy and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) increased after direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) initiation in real-world patients with atrial fibrillation.•Over half of the patients increased the number of interacting drugs after DOAC initiation.•Higher number of DDIs was independently associated with major bleeding.•Dabigatran use and low-dose DOACs were linked to increased bleeding risk.•Findings support the need for personalized DDI risk assessment in DOAC users. Despite their promising safety profile, use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) presents challenges, particularly concerning polypharmacy and potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs). This study aimed to investigate real-world effects of polypharmacy and DDIs among DOAC users, focusing on patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using administrative health care data from the Caserta Local Health Unit (2012–2020). Incident DOAC users were categorized by type of anticoagulant (apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and edoxaban). Polypharmacy and DDIs were analyzed before and after index date (ID), stratifying results by DOAC and therapeutic indication. The impact of DDIs on safety outcomes, particularly bleeding risk, was assessed. Bleeding outcomes were evaluated within 1 year after ID by multivariate regression models. Among 16,367 incident DOAC users, 68.9% were treated for AF. The number of interacting drugs increased in 55.2% of patients, with a higher prevalence of 3+ interacting drugs in low-dose users (35% vs 29.2% in high-dose users; P < 0.05). Before ID, 35.6% of the overall cohort had 0 interacting drugs compared with 15.2% after ID. Dabigatran users had the highest increase in interacting drugs (61.8%) compared with anti-Xa agents (56%). Patients with 6+ interacting drugs exhibited a 2.5% incidence of major bleeding after ID. Dabigatran use and low-dose DOAC regimens were independently associated with increased bleeding risks. Polypharmacy and DDIs are prevalent among real-world DOAC users, particularly in patients with AF. The observed association between DDIs and bleeding risk underscores the importance of personalized medication management strategies and routine DDI evaluations to optimize DOAC safety. [Display omitted]

The sensitivity to angular rotation of the top class Sagnac gyroscope GINGERINO is carefully investigated with standard statistical means, using 103 days of continuous operation and the available geodesic measurements of the Earth angular rotation rate. All features of the Earth rotation rate are correctly reproduced. The unprecedented sensitivity of fractions of frad/s is attained for long term runs. This excellent sensitivity and stability put Sagnac gyroscopes at the forefront for fundamental physics, in particular for tests of general relativity and Lorentz violation, where the sensitivity plays the key role to provide reliable data for deeper theoretical investigations.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09199-1