Secure Selections on Encrypted Multi-writer Streams

Performing searches over encrypted data is a very current and active area. Several efficient solutions have been provided for the single-writer scenario in which all sensitive data originate with one party (the Data Owner ) that encrypts and uploads the data to a public repository. Subsequently, the Data Owner accesses the encrypted data through a Query Processor , which has direct access to the public encrypted repository. Motivated by the recent trend in pervasive data collection, we depart from this model and consider a multi-writer scenario in which the data originate with several and mutually untrusted parties, the Data Sources . In this new scenario, the Data Owner provides public parameters so that each Data Source can add encrypted items to the public encrypted stream; moreover, the Data Owner keeps some related secret information needed to generate tokens so that different Query Sources can decrypt different subsets of the encrypted stream, as specified by corresponding access policies. We propose security model for this problem that we call Secure Selective Stream ( SSS ) and give a secure construction for it based on hard problems in Pairing-Based Cryptography. The cryptographic core of our construction is a new primitive, Amortized Orthogonality Encryption , that is crucial for the efficiency of the proposed implementation for SSS .

High-Granular Micro-Segmentation in Campus Networks based on Downloadable Access Control Lists

Micro-segmentation of local networks is an important element of network security. The main goal of micro-segmentation of network is to reduce a risk of compromising hosts during a cyber-attack. In micro-segmented networks, if one of the hosts has been compromised, the malicious code or attacker will be limited in the "horizontal" actions by the micro-segment to which the compromised host belongs. Existing methods of micro-segmentation of networks have operational drawbacks that impede their effective practical application. This article presents a new method of micro-segmentation of local wired and wireless networks based on downloadable and wireless access control lists, which allows to achieve a high level of granularity of network access policies by minimizing the microsegment, along with high operational characteristics.

Clinical commissioning group funding of oculoplastic services: is there a postcode lottery?

Background/Aims Clinical commissioning groups have been responsible for commissioning healthcare services since 2013, allocating resources according to local needs. This has given rise to concerns about a ‘postcode lottery’. This study examined the variability of clinical commissioning group-imposed funding restrictions and access policies for oculoplastic procedures in England. Methods A freedom of information request was sent to all 206 clinical commissioning groups in February 2018 seeking information about their funding policies for common oculoplastic procedures. When signposted to online policies, these were reviewed. Results Significant funding variation exists across all procedures examined. Access criteria usually depends on visual function sequelae. Some clinical commissioning groups have adopted shared policies. Although many policies are publicly available online, the authors frequently found them unclear and thus suspect that practical implementation may be challenging. Conclusions Access policies vary significantly across England. Practical interpretation is difficult, leading to a postcode lottery. This has implications for patient access, and clinician workload.

Political and Socio-Economic Dynamics on the Access to Oral Sources at National Archives in Zimbabwe and South Africa

Access is one of the fundamental purposes of archives as archives are preserved for use by the public. One can argue that archives that are not being consulted by the researchers may simply be referred to as “dead” or “irrelevant.” It is from this assumption that a comparative case study between National Archives of Zimbabwe (NAZ), National Archives and Record Services of South Africa (NARS), and provincial archives in South Africa’ oral history units was carried out. The major objectives being that of how accessible are the oral history holdings of NAZ and NARS to the public vis-à-vis the traditional archives such as manuscripts among others and the impact of coloniality to access. Data was collected through interviews and observations including also document analysis. The discussion on collected data revealed a massive underutilization of oral sources which is not in tandem with the spirited effort put by both NAZ and NARS in collecting the oral histories of the once marginalized groups of people. Some of the recommendations offered were the adoption of ICTs especially online archiving and social media in providing access to oral history holdings to the public including coming up with access policies which are in line with the International Council of Archives’ (ICA) (2012) Principles of Access.

Exploring the reach and impact of Gold and Green OA articles in hybrid journals

Does the type of open access that authors choose for their journal articles make a difference to the reach and impact of their research? There are an increasing number of open access policies and mandates, such as Plan S’ policy which was introduced in 2021 for researchers who have been funded by certain members of cOAlition S, and UK Research and Innovation’s policy for UKRI-funded articles from April 2022 and books from 2024. However, some policies intend to exclude authors from selecting OA in hybrid journals by restricting funding only to those journals covered by Transformative Agreements. In addition, some policies seek to increase the availability of Green OA. These policies would seem to conflict with the potential benefits to authors of publishing Gold OA in hybrid journals. In 2021, Springer Nature commissioned an analysis of 60,567 articles published in hybrid journals to explore the impact and reach of different types of articles (non-OA, Gold OA and Green OA). Our findings show not only that Gold OA articles attract more citations, more downloads, and higher Altmetric Attention Scores on average, compared with non-OA articles, but for the first time we will share evidence of a stronger advantage for Gold OA compared to Green OA. We will discuss the potential implications of these findings for authors, and for institutional and funder policy decisions.

Pharmaceutical policies for diseases related to poverty in Brazil: a review

The "epidemiological transition" has fostered increasing attention to chronic and non-communicable diseases, but neglected diseases are still present and their relationship with the population's socioeconomic inequalities is increasingly evident, so much so that there has been a conceptual conversion to call them “poverty-related diseases”. It is a necessary to review and to discuss the characteristics and challenges of Brazilian pharmaceutical policies for populations affected by diseases related to poverty. This review of the literature was carried out, with works of the last 10 years dealing with the theme and the Brazilian reality. Out of the 272 identified articles, only 43 publications were included in this study. The results were: (i) the difficulties of investing in the research, development and production of new drugs for these diseases; (ii) the characteristics of access policies to medicines already available, their advances and limitations; (iii) and issues related to the right to comprehensive pharmaceutical assistance. Therefore, for the available therapies, national production and federal funding contributed to guarantee the supply. Assisted qualification actions are necessary and little discussed in area studies.