The retrieval of information from a remote database server typically demands providing the server with some search terms to assist with the retrieval task. However, keeping the search terms private without undermining the server’s ability to retrieve the desired information is a common requirement for many privacy-preservingsystems. Private information retrieval (PIR) provides a cryptographicme...

The high sensitivity of many specific filters to an accurate modeling of noise that is to be removed led us to investigate the existence of a new class of filters using the theory of robust estimation. The latter class includes a large number of filters whose optimality when given a specific noise distribution is attained by merely adjusting weights. We also show that a covex combination of the...

The increase in new GMOs (genetically modified organisms) has led to specific legislation world-wide to regulate the presence and/or the amount of GMOs in food, food ingredients, feeds and agriculture commodities. Regulatory demands of labelling and traceability of GMOs in the food chain need suitable sampling protocols and analytical methods. At present, two main techniques, the DNA-based poly...

To speed up development and increase reliability the Microkernel approach advocated moving many OS services to user space. At that time, the main disadvantage of microkernels turned out to be their poor performance. In the last two decades, however, CPU and RAM technologies have improved significantly and researchers demonstrated that by carefully designing and implementing a microkernel its ov...

Applying role–based administration to role–based access control systems has gained some attention in recent literature. Scoped Administration for Role–Based Access Control (SARBAC) puts forward what is claimed to be a complete, versatile, and practical role–based administrative model. These attributes are deemed to be key for SARBAC’s dynamic, flexible nature. However, SARBAC shuns alternative ...

We argue that quantifying software reliability is important in demonstrating that system-level risks are As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). Furthermore, we demonstrate that such quantification is possible in at least one meaningful case. It is, however, unlikely to be practical in every case. This means it is unlikely to be included as an explicit objective in standards. Hence, for those...

significant decline in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity has been achieved with the improvements in detection and prevention programmes for major risk factors (such as smoking, low physical activity levels, obesity, and high blood pressure) related to cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, CVD still remains the leading cause of mortality and disability in the world. Collectively, ischaemic...

Recent researches have shown that motion sensors may be used as a side channel to infer keystrokes on the touchscreen of smartphones. However, the practicality of this attack is unclear. For example, does this attack work on different devices, screen dimensions, keyboard layouts, or keyboard types? Does this attack depend on specific users or is it user independent? To answer these questions, w...

This paper addresses the issue of the practicality of global flow analysis in logic program compilation, in terms of both speed and precision of analysis. It discusses design and implementation aspects of two practical abstract interpretation-based flow analysis systems: MA, the MOO Andparallel Analyzer and Annotator; and Ms, an experimental mode inference system developed for SB-Prolog. The pa...