A Blockchain-Based Proxy Re-Encryption Scheme with Conditional Privacy Protection and Auditability

With the development of Internet of Things technology,intelligent door lock devices are widely used in the field of house leasing.In the traditional housing leasing scenario,problems of door lock information disclosure,tenant privacy disclosure and rental contract disputes frequently occur,and the security,fairness and auditability of the housing leasing transaction cannot be guaranteed.To solve the above problems,a blockchain-based proxy re-encryption scheme with conditional privacy protection and auditability is proposed.The scheme implements fine-grained access control of door lock data based on attribute encryption technology with policy hiding,and uses proxy re-encryption technology to achieve auditable supervision of door lock information transactions.Homomorphic encryption technology and zero-knowledge proof technology are introduced to ensure the confidentiality of housing rent information and the fairness of rent payment.To construct a decentralized housing lease transaction architecture,the scheme realizes the efficient collaboration between the door lock data ciphertext stored under the chain and the key information ciphertext on the chain based on the blockchain and InterPlanetary File System.Finally,the security proof and computing performance analysis of the proposed scheme are carried out.The results show that the scheme can resist the chosen plaintext attack and has low computational cost.

Quantum-Resistant Multi-Feature Attribute-Based Proxy Re-Encryption Scheme for Cloud Services

Cloud-based services have powerful storage functions and can provide accurate computation.However,the question of how to guarantee cloud-based services access control and achieve data sharing security has always been a research highlight.Although the attribute-based proxy re-encryption(ABPRE)schemes based on number theory can solve this problem,it is still difficult to resist quantum attacks and have limited expression capabilities.To address these issues,we present a novel linear secret sharing schemes(LSSS)matrix-based ABPRE scheme with the fine-grained policy on the lattice in the research.Additionally,to detect the activities of illegal proxies,homomorphic signature(HS)technology is introduced to realize the verifiability of re-encryption.Moreover,the non-interactivity,unidirectionality,proxy transparency,multi-use,and anti-quantum attack characteristics of our system are all advantageous.Besides,it can efficiently prevent the loss of processing power brought on by repetitive authorisation and can enable precise and safe data sharing in the cloud.Furthermore,under the standard model,the proposed learning with errors(LWE)-based scheme was proven to be IND-sCPA secure.

Floquet spectrum and universal dynamics of a periodically driven two-atom system

We investigate the Floquet spectrum and excitation properties of a two-ultracold-atom system with periodically driven interaction in a three-dimensional harmonic trap.The interaction between the atoms is changed by varying the s-wave scattering length in two ways,the cosine and the square-wave modulations.It is found that as the driving frequency increases,the Floquet spectrum exhibits two main features for both modulations,the accumulating and the spreading of the quasienergy levels,which further lead to different dynamical behaviors.The accumulation is associated with collective excitations and the persistent growth of the energy,while the spread indicates that the energy is bounded at all times.The initial scattering length,the driving frequency and amplitude can all significantly change the Floquet spectrum as well as the dynamics.However,the corresponding relation between them is valid universally.Finally,we propose a mechanism for selectively exciting the system to one specific state by using the avoided crossing of two quasienergy levels,which could guide preparation of a desired state in experiments.

Enhanced Temporal Correlation for Universal Lesion Detection

Universal lesion detection(ULD)methods for computed tomography(CT)images play a vital role in the modern clinical medicine and intelligent automation.It is well known that single 2D CT slices lack spatial-temporal characteristics and contextual information compared to 3D CT blocks.However,3D CT blocks necessitate significantly higher hardware resources during the learning phase.Therefore,efficiently exploiting temporal correlation and spatial-temporal features of 2D CT slices is crucial for ULD tasks.In this paper,we propose a ULD network with the enhanced temporal correlation for this purpose,named TCE-Net.The designed TCE module is applied to enrich the discriminate feature representation of multiple sequential CT slices.Besides,we employ multi-scale feature maps to facilitate the localization and detection of lesions in various sizes.Extensive experiments are conducted on the DeepLesion benchmark demonstrate that thismethod achieves 66.84%and 78.18%for FS@0.5 and FS@1.0,respectively,outperforming compared state-of-the-art methods.

Information Conductivity:Universal Performance Measure for Semantic Communications

As a novel paradigm,semantic communication provides an effective solution for breaking through the future development dilemma of classical communication systems.However,it remains an unsolved problem of how to measure the information transmission capability for a given semantic communication method and subsequently compare it with the classical communication method.In this paper,we first present a review of the semantic communication system,including its system model and the two typical coding and transmission methods for its implementations.To address the unsolved issue of the information transmission capability measure for semantic communication methods,we propose a new universal performance measure called Information Conductivity.We provide the definition and the physical significance to state its effectiveness in representing the information transmission capabilities of the semantic communication systems and present elaborations including its measure methods,degrees of freedom,and progressive analysis.Experimental results in image transmission scenarios validate its practical applicability.

Extensive numerical simulations on competitive growth between the Edwards–Wilkinson and Kardar–Parisi–Zhang universality classes

Extensive numerical simulations and scaling analysis are performed to investigate competitive growth between the linear and nonlinear stochastic dynamic growth systems, which belong to the Edwards–Wilkinson(EW) and Kardar–Parisi–Zhang(KPZ) universality classes, respectively. The linear growth systems include the EW equation and the model of random deposition with surface relaxation(RDSR), the nonlinear growth systems involve the KPZ equation and typical discrete models including ballistic deposition(BD), etching, and restricted solid on solid(RSOS). The scaling exponents are obtained in both the(1 + 1)-and(2 + 1)-dimensional competitive growth with the nonlinear growth probability p and the linear proportion 1-p. Our results show that, when p changes from 0 to 1, there exist non-trivial crossover effects from EW to KPZ universality classes based on different competitive growth rules. Furthermore, the growth rate and the porosity are also estimated within various linear and nonlinear growths of cooperation and competition.

Introducing a 2nd Universal Space-Time Constant Can Explain the Observed Age of the Universe and Dark Energy

The purpose of this paper is to introduce new theoretical concepts as opposed to accepting the existence of dark entities, such as dark energy. This research sought to introduce a 2nd universal space-time constant, besides having a finite speed constant (speed of light in vacuum c). A finite universal age constant b is introduced. Namely, this paper shows that the changes in the Earth’s anomalistic year duration over time support the hypothesis of the age of the universe correlating with a maximum number of orbital revolutions constant. Neglecting the gravitational influence of other cosmological entities in the proximity of the Earth, the constant maximum number of revolutions is herewith determined solely by the Earth’s orbital revolutions around the Sun. The value of the universal age constant b is calculated to be around 13.8 billion orbital revolutions, derived out of an equation related to the changes in the Earth’s anomalistic year duration over time and the so-called Hubble tension. The above-mentioned calculated value b correlates well with the best fit to measured data of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) by the Planck spacecraft, the age of the observed universe is measured to be approximately 13.787 ± 0.020 billion years (2018 final data release). Developing a theory with this 2nd universal space-time constant b, being covariant with respect to the Lorentz transformations when time spans are large, gives results such as: A confirmation of the measured CMBR value of 13.787 ± 0.020 billion years. Correlating well with the observed expansion rate of the universe (dark energy). The universe’s expansion accelerating over the last four to five billion years.

Revisiting the Spirit of the UDHR and Discussing Human Rights Development——Summary of Views from the Seminar Commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On December 4,2023,the China Society for Human Rights Studies hosted a seminar in Beijing commemorating the 75^(th) Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Participants discussed topics such as the significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,China’s theories and practices in respecting and safeguarding human rights,the three global initiatives and global human rights governance,human rights protection in the digital age,and telling Chinese stories of human rights in the new era.The discussions led to a broad consensus and achieved positive results.

角膜横径和晶状体厚度在Barrett UniversalⅡ人工晶状体计算公式中的应用价值

目的:探讨运用Barrett UniversalⅡ公式(BUⅡ公式)计算人工晶状体(intraocular lens,IOL)屈光力时,可选参数角膜横径,又称白到白(white-to-white,WTW)与晶状体厚度(lens thickness,LT)的实际应用价值。方法:采用单中心、前瞻性临床研究,连续纳入同一术者顺利进行白内障超声乳化吸除术联合MX60(IOL植入术患眼279眼,术前使用OA-2000非接触式光学生物测量仪测量眼部数据并计算IOL植入度数,代入BUⅡ公式保留或去掉可选参数WTW、LT计算预测结果,进一步根据患者眼轴长度(axial length,AL)分亚组分析。主要结局指标:随访患者至术后1个月以上,比较使用和未使用WTW和LT两个参数、BUⅡ公式预测误差(prediction error,PE)、绝对预测误差(absolute error,AE)、AE小于0.5 D所占比例。结果:总体1上,忽略WTW+LT,PE为-0.05 D(-0.26,0.18)(P=0.011),其他参数组合的PE与0比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。各参数组合的AE比较差异无统计学意义(0.22~0.23 D,P=0.404)。同时忽略WTW+LT时AE出现最大值(+1.5 D)。应用WTW+LT、忽略WTW+LT、忽略WTW和忽略LT时纳入患者AE≤0.50 D的比例分别为80.65%、79.57%、80.65%和81.36%。在各眼轴亚组中,忽略LT时,AE≤0.50 D的百分比在短眼轴亚组(80.00%vs.66.67%~73.33%)与长眼轴亚组(77.78%vs.73.33%~75.56%)中较高。在中等眼轴亚组中,AE≤0.50 D百分比代入全部参数时略高(83.11%vs.80.82%~82.19%),忽略WTW+LT计算时稍低(80.82%)。结论:使用BUⅡ计算IOL屈光力时,可选参数WTW和LT无论是否代入公式中,皆可得到相近的平均预测水平;但是,同时忽略WTW和LT可能出现较大预测误差。对于22mm≤AL<26mm眼,推荐代入全部参数计算;当AL≤22mm或AL≥26mm,仅输入WTW的计算方法累积精确度更高,可优先采用。

Facing challenges with hope:universal immune cells for hematologic malignancies

Many patients have achieved a favorable overall survival rate since allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(allo-HSCT)has been widely implemented to treat hematologic malignancies.However,graft-versus-host disease(GVHD)and complications of immunosuppressive drugs after allo-HSCT are the main causes of non-relapse mortality and a poor quality of life.In addition,GVHD and infusion-induced toxicity still occur with donor lymphocyte infusions(DLIs)and chimeric antigen receptor(CAR)T-cell therapy.Because of the special immune tolerance characteristics and anti-tumor ability of universal immune cells,universal immune cell therapy may strongly reduce GVHD,while simultaneously reducing tumor burden.Nevertheless,widespread application of universal immune cell therapy is mainly restricted by poor expansion and persistence efficacy.Many strategies have been applied to improve universal immune cell proliferation and persistence efficacy,including the use of universal cell lines,signaling regulation and CAR technology.In this review we have summarized current advances in universal immune cell therapy for hematologic malignancies with a discussion of future perspectives.

Estimation of fracture size and azimuth in the universal elliptical disc model based on trace information

The geometric characteristics of fractures within a rock mass can be inferred by the data sampling from boreholes or exposed surfaces.Recently,the universal elliptical disc(UED)model was developed to represent natural fractures,where the fracture is assumed to be an elliptical disc and the fracture orientation,rotation angle,length of the long axis and ratio of short-long axis lengths are considered as variables.This paper aims to estimate the fracture size-and azimuth-related parameters in the UED model based on the trace information from sampling windows.The stereological relationship between the trace length,size-and azimuth-related parameters of the UED model was established,and the formulae of the mean value and standard deviation of trace length were proposed.The proposed formulae were validated via the Monte Carlo simulations with less than 5%of error rate between the calculated and true values.With respect to the estimation of the size-and azimuth-related parameters using the trace length,an optimization method was developed based on the pre-assumed size and azimuth distribution forms.A hypothetical case study was designed to illustrate and verify the parameter estimation method,where three combinations of the sampling windows were used to estimate the parameters,and the results showed that the estimated values could agree well with the true values.Furthermore,a hypothetical three-dimensional(3D)elliptical fracture network was constructed,and the circular disc,non-UED and UED models were used to represent it.The simulated trace information from different models was compared,and the results clearly illustrated the superiority of the proposed UED model over the existing circular disc and non-UED models。

Demystifying the Salt‑Induced Li Loss:A Universal Procedure for the Electrolyte Design of Lithium‑Metal Batteries

Lithium(Li)metal electrodes show significantly different reversibility in the electrolytes with different salts.However,the understanding on how the salts impact on the Li loss remains unclear.Herein,using the electrolytes with different salts(e.g.,lithium hexafluorophosphate(LiPF_(6)),lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate(LiDFOB),and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide(LiFSI))as examples,we decouple the irreversible Li loss(SEI Li^(+)and“dead”Li)during cycling.It is found that the accumulation of both SEI Li^(+)and“dead”Li may be responsible to the irreversible Li loss for the Li metal in the electrolyte with LiPF_(6)salt.While for the electrolytes with LiDFOB and LiFSI salts,the accumulation of“dead”Li predominates the Li loss.We also demonstrate that lithium nitrate and fluoroethylene carbonate additives could,respectively,function as the“dead”Li and SEI Li^(+)inhibitors.Inspired by the above understandings,we propose a universal procedure for the electrolyte design of Li metal batteries(LMBs):(i)decouple and find the main reason for the irreversible Li loss;(ii)add the corresponding electrolyte additive.With such a Li-loss-targeted strategy,the Li reversibility was significantly enhanced in the electrolytes with 1,2-dimethoxyethane,triethyl phosphate,and tetrahydrofuran solvents.Our strategy may broaden the scope of electrolyte design toward practical LMBs.

Universal Health Coverage in Somalia: Charting the Path to Equitable Healthcare Financing and Governance

Somalia is a country facing numerous challenges in achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and ensuring adequate healthcare financing, This article explores the complexities and obstacles that Somalia must overcome in its pursuit of UHC, the paper begins by providing an overview of the current healthcare landscape in Somalia, highlighting the lack of infrastructure, political instability, and limited financial resources that hinder the establishment of a comprehensive and equitable healthcare system. It then examines the role of international aid and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in filling the healthcare gap, while emphasizing the need for a more sustainable, domestically financed solution. Drawing on a range of data sources and case studies, the article proposes a multi-faceted approach to strengthen healthcare governance, improve resource allocation, and foster local capacity building, the study delves into the unique obstacles that Somalia faces, including a lack of infrastructure, political instability, and limited financial resources, which hinder the establishment of a comprehensive and equitable healthcare system. The paper also examines the role of international aid and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in filling the healthcare gap, while highlighting the need for a more sustainable, domestically financed solution. The findings underscore the importance of political commitment, international cooperation, and innovative financing mechanisms in advancing towards UHC in Somalia, providing valuable insights for other low resource, conflict affected settings.

Part II: Explaining Black Hole Growth due to Universal Expansion: Probabilistic Spacetime versus GEODEs

Recent research indicates that black holes can grow based on the expansion of the universe and not just through accretion and mergers. Two different models independently predicted that finding. One model, describing the relevant massive star remnants as “generic objects of dark energy”, rejects the traditional view of black holes while hypothesizing that dark energy causes the cosmologically coupled growth of these objects. The other model, based on the probabilistic spacetime theory, indicates the growth of black holes is based on the same spacetime mechanism underlying all universal expansion, and does so while leaving the traditional black hole conceptualization essentially intact. The fact these two models predicted this observational finding but did so from different perspectives suggests more can be learned by further study of their differences. This paper explores similarities and differences in the two models’ explanations for massive star remnants’ growth, concluding with suggestions for research testing their relative veracity. An exploration of the relative utility and parsimony of the two models is also described.

A universal charge-compensating strategy for high-energy-density pseudocapacitors

For pseudocapacitive electrode materials(PseEMs),despite much progress having been made in achieving both high power density and high energy density,a general strategy to guide the enhancement of intrinsic capacitive properties of PseEMs remains lacking.Here,we demonstrate a universal chargecompensating strategy to improve the charge-storage capability of PseEMs intrinsically:ⅰ) in the electrolyte with anion as charge carriers(such as OH-),reducing the multivalent cations of PseEMs into lower valences could create more reversible low-to-high valence redox cou ples to promote the intercalation of the anions;ⅱ) in the electrolytes with cation as charge carriers(such as H^(+),Li^(+),Na^(+)),oxidizing the multivalent cations of PseEMs into higher valences could introduce more reversible high-to-low valence redox couples to promote the intercalation of the cations.And we demonstrated that the improved intrinsic charge-storage capability for PseEMs originates from the increased Faradaic charge storage sites.

A Universal Activation Function for Deep Learning

Recently,deep learning has achieved remarkable results in fields that require human cognitive ability,learning ability,and reasoning ability.Activation functions are very important because they provide the ability of artificial neural networks to learn complex patterns through nonlinearity.Various activation functions are being studied to solve problems such as vanishing gradients and dying nodes that may occur in the deep learning process.However,it takes a lot of time and effort for researchers to use the existing activation function in their research.Therefore,in this paper,we propose a universal activation function(UA)so that researchers can easily create and apply various activation functions and improve the performance of neural networks.UA can generate new types of activation functions as well as functions like traditional activation functions by properly adjusting three hyperparameters.The famous Convolutional Neural Network(CNN)and benchmark datasetwere used to evaluate the experimental performance of the UA proposed in this study.We compared the performance of the artificial neural network to which the traditional activation function is applied and the artificial neural network to which theUA is applied.In addition,we evaluated the performance of the new activation function generated by adjusting the hyperparameters of theUA.The experimental performance evaluation results showed that the classification performance of CNNs improved by up to 5%through the UA,although most of them showed similar performance to the traditional activation function.

Impact of Dialysis Coverage on the Provision of Universal Health Insurance in the Republic of the Congo

Introduction: The launch of health insurance in the Republic of the Congo took place against a backdrop of extremely high costs for dialysis, which was not one of the services financed within this framework. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of including dialysis in the health insurance package in Congo. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study with an evaluative aim, analyzing the impact of dialysis on the financing capacity of health insurance and health facilities to provide this type of care. Results: The results show that including dialysis in the universal health insurance package will require an additional financial effort of 6.20% of the current total financing capacity of the care basket. Most dialysis sessions are provided by the private health sector (87.5%), whose health facilities are unevenly distributed across the country, and concentrated in the country’s two major cities. This problem is the dual consequence of the very high cost of a dialysis session (average cost 140,234,375 FCFA or 229 US Dollars) and the number of patients under care, which will increase in the absence of effective and ongoing prevention efforts against chronic diseases in general and end-stage renal failure in particular. Conclusion: Dialysis is a high-impact public health intervention. The impact of its inclusion in the universal health insurance care package is difficult to bear financially. For dialysis to be covered by universal health insurance, additional funding and improved technical facilities are needed.

On the Existence of a Minimum Universal Speed of Physical Transmissions Associated with Matter Wave in Special Relativity

In this work, we show that it is possible to establish coordinate transformations between inertial reference frames in the theory of special relativity with a minimum universal speed of physical transmissions. The established coordinate transformations, referred to as modified Lorentz transformations because they have almost identical form to the Lorentz transformations, also comply with the requirement of invariance of the Minkowski line element. Particularly, the minimum universal speed can be associated with the phase speed of de Broglie matter wave. As application, we also discuss the possibility to formulate relativistic classical and quantum mechanics for the special relativity associated with the modified Lorentz transformations, which describes physical processes that represent an expansion or a collapsing of massive quantum particles.

On the Effectiveness of“Cross-cultural Consensus”on Human Rights--Reflecting on Zhang Pengchun’s Contributions to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

In the example of formulating the Universal Declara-tion of Human Rights in 1948,which involved international human rights discourse,the“cross-cultural consensus”put forward based on Confucian culture by Zhang pengchun,the Chinese representative at that time,is widely considered an empirical reference for resolving confrontations and conflicts in the practice of human rights discourse.However,the effectiveness of this kind of cross-cultural consensus in addressing confrontations and conflicts is worth considering.Under the presumption of cultural differences,any attempt to resolve confrontations and conflicts in the human rights discourse must address the inherently controversial issues.the settlement of disputes and differences depends on how deep the consensus involves the values.Based on this,it reveals that the effectiveness of Zhang pengchun’s so-called contribution is limited.therefore,we should not overstate its relevance to the current human rights discourse.

The “Dead Universe” Theory: Natural Separation of Galaxies Driven by the Remnants of a Supermassive Dead Universe

This article explores the dead universe theory as a novel interpretation for the origin and evolution of the universe, suggesting that our cosmos may have originated from the remnants of a preceding universe. This perspective challenges the conventional Big Bang theory, particularly concerning dark matter, the expansion of the universe, and the interpretation of phenomena such as gravitational waves.