Two-server password-only authenticated key exchange

Typical protocols for password-based authentication assume a single server that stores all the information (e.g., the password) necessary to authenticate a user. An inherent limitation of this approach, assuming low-entropy passwords are used, is that the user?s password is exposed if this server is ever compromised. To address this issue, it has been suggested to share a user?s password information among multiple servers, and to have these servers cooperate (possibly in a threshold manner) when the user wants to authenticate. We show here a two-server version of the password-only key-exchange protocol of Katz, Ostrovsky, and Yung (the KOY protocol). Our work gives the first secure two-server protocol for the password-only setting (in which the user need remember only a password, and not the servers? public keys), and is the first two-server protocol (in any setting) with a proof of security in the standard model. Our work thus fills a gap left by the work of MacKenzie et al. (2006) [31] and Di Raimondo and Gennaro (2006) [16]. As an additional benefit of our work, we show modifications that improve the efficiency of the original KOY protocol.     

Contraction Twinning Dominated Tensile Deformation and Subsequent Fracture in Extruded Mg-1Mn (Wt Pct) at Ambient Temperature

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - Due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio, Mg alloys are attractive for applications where weight savings are critical. However, the limited cold...     

Hydrophilicity modification of polypropylene microfiltration membrane by ozonation

To improve surface hydrophilicity and to reduce fouling, commercial polypropylene microfiltration membranes were ozonated to generate peroxides as grafting sites for hydrophilic monomers. Ozonation was conducted in aqueous and gaseous phases, respectively. In both phases, the amount of peroxides increased with the ozonation time. A novel way to enhance the generation of peroxides was tested, i.e., adding homogeneous catalyst, CuSO₄, to aqueous ozonation. Results showed that with an optimum dose of 0.05 g/L of CuSO₄, the peroxides generated were 18.2% more than that by the non-catalyzed ozonation in aqueous phase. It was also confirmed by scavenger tests that during the aqueous ozonation both molecular ozone and free radicals contributed to the oxidation of the membranes, the latter was formed from the self-decomposition of ozone in water. Graft polymerization was also conducted after the generation of peroxides. A hydrophilic monomer, acrylic amide, was graft polymerized onto the membrane surface. The successful grafting of acrylic amide was confirmed by the formation of new peaks corresponding to amide groups in FTIR spectra. Results of contact angle measurements and filtration tests indicated that aqueous ozonation was more effective than its gaseous counterpart in terms of hydrophilicity improvement. In addition, the XRD analysis revealed that the ratio of the membrane surface crystallinity to amorphousity was changed by both ozonation and graft polymerization. Results of SEM scanning also showed changes in membrane surfaces after modification.     

Simulation of dislocation penetration through a general low-angle grain boundary

The interaction of dislocations with low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) is considered one important contribution to the mechanical strength of metals. Although LAGBs have been frequently observed in metals, little is known about how they interact with free dislocations that mainly carry the plastic deformation. Using discrete dislocation dynamics simulations, we are able to quantify the resistance of a LAGB—idealized as three sets of dislocations that form a hexagonal dislocation network—against lattice dislocation penetration, and examine the associated dislocation processes. Our results reveal that such a coherent internal boundary can massively obstruct and even terminate dislocation transmission and thus make a substantial contribution to material strength.     

Water sorption in poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes: An experimental and numerical study of solvent diffusion in a crosslinked polymer

The development of reliable mathematical models for mass transport in crosslinked polymers and their thorough experimental validation are of substantial interest in the design of technical membrane processes or the assessment of polymer performance when applications such as functional films and protective coatings are concerned.The present study aims at the joint experimental and numerical characterisation of mass transport during water vapour sorption into physically crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) membranes. A mathematical model comprising both phase equilibrium and the respective mass transport mechanisms is proposed and verified by means of in situ sorption kinetic measurements. Drawing on the independent determination of equilibrium solvent uptake, the comparison of model calculations and experimental sorption data demonstrates that water transport in the crosslinked polymer membrane is successfully described by pure Fickian diffusion with a simple exponential expression for the solvent diffusion coefficient to account for its pronounced concentration dependency, allowing the latter to be specified quantitatively.     

Uptake of energy efficiency interventions in English dwellings

Little detailed evidence has previously been available regarding the uptake rate or prevalence of energy efficiency interventions among specific household groups. This study uses the Home Energy Efficiency Database (HEED) to investigate both the combination of measures that have been installed, and in which dwellings, according to key neighbourhood socio-demographic variables, including income and tenure. Analysis of 2000–07 data indicates that approximately 40% (9.3 million) dwellings in England had approximately 23.7 million efficiency measures installed, with an average of 2.5 measures per dwelling. Building fabric-related measures were the most frequent (e.g. cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and glazing) with an average of 2.1 million installed each year. Dwellings with the highest number of fabric interventions (the top 20%) were more likely to be found in areas with low income, with more owner-occupied dwellings, experiencing lower winter temperatures, having a lower proportion of flats, and having a slightly higher proportion of older adults and children. Energy efficiency installations have tended to occur among specific types of households or parts of the building stock. These findings have implications for the design of future government programmes for targeting energy efficiency measures to specific household groups or dwelling types.     

Stress induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon films were grown on to thermally oxidized silicon wafers by Radio Frequency magnetron sputtering, and SiN_x and Al₂O₃ capping layers were used to control the residual thermal stress. After annealing, a comparison of the silicon films with and without capping layers indicates that tensile stress induced by the capping layer enhances the crystallinity of the annealed amorphous silicon film. The stress is due to the mismatch between the coefficients of thermal expansion for the capping layer and amorphous silicon film. These results highlight the potential of thermal stress as a means to alter the crystallization in thin film architectures and suggest that even larger effects can be obtained with suitable choices of capping layer chemistry.