Security and Fairness in Multi-Party Quantum Secret Sharing Protocol

Quantum secret sharing (QSS) is a cryptographic protocol that leverages quantum mechanics to distribute a secret among multiple parties. With respect to the classical counterpart, in QSS the secret is encoded into quantum states and shared by a dealer such that only an authorized subsets of participants, i.e., the players, can reconstruct it. Several state-of-the-art studies aim to transpose classical Secret Sharing into the quantum realm, while maintaining their reliance on traditional network topologies (e.g., star, ring, fully-connected) and require that all the n players calculate the secret. These studies exploit the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state, which is a type of maximally entangled quantum state involving three or more qubits. However, none of these works account for redundancy, enhanced security/privacy features or authentication mechanisms able to fingerprint players. To address these gaps, in this paper we introduce a new concept of QSS which leans on a generic distributed quantum-network, based on a threshold scheme, where all the players collaborate also to the routing of quantum information among them. The dealer, by exploiting a custom flexible weighting system, takes advantage of a newly defined quantum Dijkstra algorithm to select the most suitable subset of t players, out of the entire set on n players, to involve in the computation. To fingerprint and authenticate users, CRYSTAL-Kyber primitives are adopted, while also protecting each player's privacy by hiding their identities. We show the effectiveness and performance of the proposed protocol by testing it against the main classical and quantum attacks, thereby improving the state-of-the-art security measures

The small GTPase Rab29 is a common regulator of immune synapse assembly and ciliogenesis

Acknowledgements We wish to thank Jorge Galán, Gregory Pazour, Derek Toomre, Giuliano Callaini, Joel Rosenbaum, Alessandra Boletta and Francesco Blasi for generously providing reagents and for productive discussions, and Sonia Grassini for technical assistance. The work was carried out with the financial support of Telethon (GGP11021) and AIRC.Peer reviewedPostprin

A Complex Network and Evolutionary Game Theory Framework for 6G Function Placement

Towards 6G, a key challenge lies in the placement of virtual network functions on physical resources. This becomes complex due to the dynamic nature of mobile environments, making the design a major point of research. We propose a framework that sees this challenge as a complex and dynamic collective process, presenting a novel perspective which encompasses transport network and wireless segment aspects. The framework is built around an analytical modeling and algorithmic tools that rely on complex systems’ paradigm as multiplex networks and evolutionary game theory. The multiplex network enables capturing the layered and heterogeneous nature of the environment. Evolutionary game theory models the dynamical behavior of the system as a collective social process, where each decision on functions influences the overall outcome. Our model allows us to achieve a placement scheme that optimizes 6G functions deployment and minimizes the number of active computational nodes. Compared to traditional transport network centric approach, it effectively reduces interference, ensuring the network’s effective operation and performance. Results show the efficacy of the strategy, enabling the dynamic distribution of functions as the outcome of a social dilemma, and highlight the potential applicability of this approach to tackle the network function placement problem in 6G networks

Taming latency at the edge: A user-aware service placement approach

Modern network and computing infrastructures are tasked with addressing the stringent demands of today's applications. A pivotal concern is the minimization of latency experienced by end-users accessing services. While emerging network architectures provide a conducive setting for adept orchestration of microservices in terms of reliability, self-healing and resiliency, assimilating the awareness of the latency perceived by the user into placement decisions remains an unresolved problem. Current research addresses the problem of minimizing inter-service latency without any guarantee to the level of latency from the end-user to the cluster. In this research, we introduce an architectural approach for scheduling service workloads within a given cluster, prioritizing placement on the node that offers the lowest perceived latency to the end-user. To validate the proposed approach, we propose an implementation on Kubernetes (K8s), currently one of the most used workload orchestration platforms. Experimental results show that our approach effectively reduces the latency experienced by the end-user in a finite time without degrading the quality of service. We study the performance of the proposed approach analyzing different parameters with a particular focus on the size of the cluster and the number of replica pods involved to measure the latency. We provide insights on possible trade-offs between computational costs and convergence time

Dynamic Spatial Aggregation for Energy-Efficient Passive Optical Networks

This paper introduces an approach to enhance energy efficiency in Passive Optical Networks (PONs) through dynamic spatial aggregation. The proposed architectural approach adapts to fluctuating traffic patterns. We evaluate our model against various traffic patterns and consider different PON power consumption scenarios and spatial system sizes. This approach can achieve up to 38% energy savings optimizing both bandwidth utilization and energy consumption

Software Defined 5G Converged Access as a viable Techno-Economic Solution

Software Defined Converged Access represents a feasible solution to effectively address 5G traffic demands. This paper proposes an integrated mobile-optical control for wavelength and bandwidth allocation. Evaluations of bandwidth utilization and technoeconomic viability are provided.This work was partially supported by the Italian Government under CIPE resolution no. 135 (December 21, 2012), project INnovating City Planning through Information and Communication Technologies (INCIPICT) and by the EC through the H2020 5G-TRANSFORMER project (Project ID 761536)

Fiber To The Room Challenges and Opportunities

Fiber to the Room (FTTR) represents the next stage in fiber optic diffusion, offering superior performance compared to traditional FTTx architectures. This pervasive fiber architecture extends high-speed, low-latency connectivity directly to users' premises. However, FTTR introduces novel challenges in network design and management, especially in the context of Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC). This paper explores FTTR's characteristics including bandwidth, low latency, and data isolation, while highlighting its compatibility with next-generation service demands. We also discuss FTTR's alignment with the F5G service classes: Full-Fibre Connection (FFC), Enhanced Fixed Broadband (eFBB), and Guaranteed Reliable Experience (GRE). These insights emphasize FTTR's transfor-mative potential and its pivotal role in shaping the future of fiber optic networks, particularly within the emerging MEC ecosystem, facilitating advanced digital services with unprecedented speed and efficiency

Software Defined 5G Converged Mobile Access Networks: Energy Efficiency Considerations

Software Defined Mobile Networks and Software Defined Access Networks bring programmability principle into mobile and optical domains. In this work we propose an integrated control approach and show the benefit in terms of energy efficiency.This work was partially supported by the Italian Government under CIPE resolution no. 135 (December 21, 2012), project INnovating City Planning through Information and Communication Technologies (INCIPICT) and by the EC through the H2020 5G-TRANSFORMER project (Project ID 761536)

Slice Management in SDN PON Supporting Low-Latency Services

We study possible slice management strategies in software defined passive optical networks for low latency services. Our results show that reactive slice deployment is able to enforce latency requirements requiring a minimal setup time while increasing network efficiency compared to proactive strategies