Authorization Framework for the Internet-of-Things

This paper describes a framework that allows fine-grained and flexible access control to connected devices with very limited processing power and memory. We propose a set of security and performance requirements for this setting and derive an authorization framework distributing processing costs between constrained devices and less constrained back-end servers while keeping message exchanges with the constrained devices at a minimum. As a proof of concept we present performance results from a prototype implementing the device part of the framework

Rationale and design of ASTEROID 2, a randomized, placebo- and active comparator-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of vilaprisan in patients with uterine fibroids

Background: Uterine fibroids (UFs) may be treated with progesterone receptor modulators (PRMs), which have been shown to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding and the size of UFs. To date, one PRM (ulipristal acetate) has received regulatory approval for the treatment of UFs; therapy comprises intermittent treatment courses of up to 3 months each, followed by a break to allow two menstruations to occur. We report the design of ASTEROID (Assess Safety and efficacy of vilaprisan in patients with uTERine fibrOIDs) 2, a phase 2 study examining the efficacy and safety of a novel PRM, vilaprisan, in women with UFs. Methods/design: In this randomized multi-arm study, vilaprisan (2 mg daily) will be administered in different regimens: continuous treatment for 12 or 24 weeks, or two 12-week treatment periods separated by a break to allow one menstruation to occur. Efficacy and safety will be compared with that of ulipristal acetate (5 mg daily) and placebo. Patients randomized to receive placebo for 12 weeks will also be given active treatment for 12 weeks. The primary measure of efficacy will be amenorrhoea rate; secondary measures include time to normalized menstrual bleeding and percentage change in UF volume. Endometrial changes will be monitored throughout the study. Discussion: The placebo- and active comparator-controlled trial ASTEROID 2 is the first study to evaluate systematically the efficacy and safety of different treatment regimens of PRMs in women with UFs. The findings of this study will direct the planning of future clinical trials of vilaprisan. (C) 2017 Bayer AG. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

Konzept OER-Zertifizierung an österreichischen Hochschulen

Das Ergebnis der Arbeitsgruppe „Open Educational Resources“ ist ein Konzept zur OER-Zertifizierung an österreichischen Hochschulen. Dazu wird unterschieden in eine zweistufige Zertifizierung für Hochschullehrende und eine dreistufige Zertifizierung für Hochschulen. Der Umsetzungsvorschlag sieht dafür digitale Open Badges vor, die von einer zentralen Stelle bereits in der nächsten Leistungsvereinbarungsperiode (2019–2021) vergeben werden sollen

Klinische Untersuchung der Wirksamkeit zweier Liganden am Progesteronrezeptor zur Behandlung gynäkologischer Erkrankungen

Die vorliegende Habilitationsschrift fasst Studien zusammen, die sich mit der klinischen Untersuchung zweier Liganden des Progesteronrezeptors (PR) befassen. Beide Moleküle wurden auf ihre Eignung zur Behandlung bestimmter gynäkologischer Erkrankungen untersucht. Dienogest, ein Gestagen und damit Agonist am Progesteronrezeptor, wurde entwickelt zur Behandlung der Endometriose und ist inzwischen für diese Indikation zugelassen. Vilaprisan, ein selektiver Modulator am Gestagenrezeptor (Selective Progesterone Receptor Modulator, SPRM) wird derzeit in Phase 3 Studien zur Behandlung von Uterusmyomen getestet. Einleitend wird zunächst die Pharmakologie beider Substanzen dargestellt und eine kurze Beschreibung der behandelten Erkrankungen gegeben. Der Hauptteil der Arbeit befasst sich mit klinischen Studien, die zur Untersuchung der Wirksamkeit und Verträglichkeit beider Substanzen durchgeführt wurden. Diese Habilitationsschrift fokussiert auf den Aspekt der Wirksamkeit. Hierzu mussten zunächst Instrumente zur Erfassung relevanter klinischer Endpunkte ausgewählt bzw. modifiziert werden. Einige Daten zur Verträglichkeit beider Substanzen werden ebenfalls präsentiert.This thesis summarizes several studies which assessed clinical effects of two ligands at the progesterone receptor (PR). Both molecules were tested for their ability to treat certain gynecological disorders. Dienogest, a progestin and therefore agonist at the progesterone receptor, was developed for the treatment of endometriosis and is meanwhile approved for this indication. Vilaprisan, a selective progesterone receptor modulator (SPRM) is currently being tested in phase 3 studies for the treatment of uterine fibroids. Initially, the pharmacology of both compounds is presented, followed by a short description of both disorders. The main part covers clinical studies that were conducted to assess the efficacy and tolerability of the two compounds. The thesis focuses on the aspect of efficacy. As a pre-requisite, tools to document relevant clinical endpoints had to be developed. Some data on the tolerability of both compounds are also presented

Search for muon-neutrino emission from GeV and TeV gamma-ray flaring blazars using five years of data of the ANTARES telescope

The ANTARES telescope is well-suited for detecting astrophysical transient neutrino sources as it can observe a full hemisphere of the sky at all times with a high duty cycle. The background due to atmospheric particles can be drastically reduced, and the point-source sensitivity improved, by selecting a narrow time window around possible neutrino production periods. Blazars, being radio-loud active galactic nuclei with their jets pointing almost directly towards the observer, are particularly attractive potential neutrino point sources, since they are among the most likely sources of the very high-energy cosmic rays. Neutrinos and gamma rays may be produced in hadronic interactions with the surrounding medium. Moreover, blazars generally show high time variability in their light curves at different wavelengths and on various time scales. This paper presents a time-dependent analysis applied to a selection of flaring gamma-ray blazars observed by the FERMI/LAT experiment and by TeV Cherenkov telescopes using five years of ANTARES data taken from 2008 to 2012. The results are compatible with fluctuations of the background. Upper limits on the neutrino fluence have been produced and compared to the measured gamma-ray spectral energy distribution.Comment: 27 pages, 16 figure

Multithreaded parallelism for heterogeneous clusters of QPUs

In this work, we present MILQ, a quantum unrelated parallel machines scheduler and cutter. The setting of unrelated parallel machines considers independent hardware backends, each distinguished by differing setup and processing times. MILQ optimizes the total execution time of a batch of circuits scheduled on multiple quantum devices. It leverages state-of-the-art circuit-cutting techniques to fit circuits onto the devices and schedules them based on a mixed-integer linear program. Our results show a total improvement of up to 26 % compared to a baseline approach.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, 1 algorith