Michael Weber

Bio: Michael Weber is an academic researcher from University of Ulm. The author has contributed to research in topics: Privacy software & Information privacy. The author has an hindex of 35, co-authored 236 publications receiving 4986 citations. Previous affiliations of Michael Weber include German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Kaiserslautern University of Technology.

Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy: intraindividual structural analysis in the acute phase and after functional recovery

Abstract: Aims To gain more insight into the phenomenon of Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy (TTC), the purpose of the present study was to investigate the myocardial structure in the acute phase of TTC and after functional recovery. Methods and results We studied eight patients presenting with TTC diagnosed by coronary angiography, ventriculography, magnetic resonance imaging, and echocardiography. Serial myocardial biopsies were taken during the phase of severely impaired left ventricular function and after functional recovery. Specimens were examined by light and electron microscope as well as immunohistochemistry. Additionally, specific methods detecting different types of cell death and measurements of virus titer were performed. All patients showed the typical contractile pattern of TTC and complete functional recovery within 12 ± 3 days. In ‘acute’ biopsies, many vacuoles of different size were found contributing to cellular hypertrophy. PAS staining revealed intracellular accumulation of glycogen. Additionally, structural deteriorations characterized by disorganization of contractile and cytoskeletal proteins could be detected. The extracellular matrix proteins were increased. Signs of oncotic and apoptotic cell death were absent. After functional recovery, all described alterations showed a nearly complete reversibility. Conclusion TTC is accompanied by severe morphological alterations potentially resulting from catecholamine excess followed by microcirculatory dysfunction and direct cardiotoxicity. However, the affected myocardium represents a high potential of structural reconstitution which correlates with the rapid functional recovery.

Communication patterns in VANETs

Abstract: Vehicular networks are a very promising technology to increase traffic safety and efficiency, and to enable numerous other applications in the domain of vehicular communication. Proposed applications for VANETs have very diverse properties and often require nonstandard communication protocols. Moreover, the dynamics of the network due to vehicle movement further complicates the design of an appropriate comprehensive communication system. In this article we collect and categorize envisioned applications from various sources and classify the unique network characteristics of vehicular networks. Based on this analysis, we propose five distinct communication patterns that form the basis of almost all VANET applications. Both the analysis and the communication patterns shall deepen the understanding of VANETs and simplify further development of VANET communication systems.

Password entry usability and shoulder surfing susceptibility on different smartphone platforms

Abstract: Virtual keyboards of different smartphone platforms seem quite similar at first glance, but the transformation from a physical to a virtual keyboard on a small-scale display results in user experience variations that cause significant differences in usability as well as shoulder surfing susceptibility, ie, the risk of a bystander observing what is being typed In our work, we investigate the impact of both aspects on the security of text-based password entry on mobile devices In a between subjects study with 80 participants, we analyzed usability and shoulder surfing susceptibility of password entry on different mobile platforms (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Symbian, MeeGo) Our results show significant differences in the usability of password entry (required password entry time, typing accuracy) and susceptibility to shoulder surfing Our results provide insights for security-aware design of on-screen keyboards and for password composition strategies tailored to entry on smartphones

Protecting web servers from distributed denial of service attacks

Abstract: Recently many prominent web sites face so called Distributed Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS). While former security threats could be faced by a tight security policy and active measures like using rewalls, vendor patches etc. these DDoS are new in such way that there is no completely satisfying protection yet. In this paper we categorize di erent forms of attacks and give an overview over the most common DDoS tools. Furthermore we present a solution based on Class Based Routing mechanisms in the Linux kernel that will prevent the most severe impacts of DDoS on clusters of web servers with a prepended load balancing server. The goal is to keep the web servers under attack responding to the normal client requests. Some performance tests and a comparison to other approaches conclude our paper.

Autonomous driving: investigating the feasibility of car-driver handover assistance

Abstract: Self-driving vehicles are able to drive on their own as long as the requirements of their autonomous systems are met. If the system reaches the boundary of its capabilities, the system has to de-escalate (e.g. emergency braking) or hand over control to the human driver. Accordingly, the design of a functional handover assistant requires that it enable drivers to both take over control and feel comfortable while doing so -- even when they were "out of the loop" with other tasks. We introduce a process to hand over control from a full self-driving system to manual driving, and propose a number of handover implementation strategies. Moreover, we designed and implemented a handover assistant based on users' preferences and conducted a user study with 30 participants, whose distraction was ensured by a realistic distractor task. Our evaluation shows that car-driver handovers prompted by multimodal (auditory and visual) warnings are a promising strategy to compensate for system boundaries of autonomous vehicles. The insights we gained from the take-over behavior of drivers led us to formulate recommendations for more realistic evaluation settings and the design of future handover assistants.

Principles of Neural Science

Abstract: I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Flow The Psychology Of Optimal Experience

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The knowledge complexity of interactive proof-systems

Abstract: Usually, a proof of a theorem contains more knowledge than the mere fact that the theorem is true. For instance, to prove that a graph is Hamiltonian it suffices to exhibit a Hamiltonian tour in it; however, this seems to contain more knowledge than the single bit Hamiltonian/non-Hamiltonian.In this paper a computational complexity theory of the “knowledge” contained in a proof is developed. Zero-knowledge proofs are defined as those proofs that convey no additional knowledge other than the correctness of the proposition in question. Examples of zero-knowledge proof systems are given for the languages of quadratic residuosity and 'quadratic nonresiduosity. These are the first examples of zero-knowledge proofs for languages not known to be efficiently recognizable.

A taxonomy of DDoS attack and DDoS defense mechanisms

Abstract: Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) is a rapidly growing problem. The multitude and variety of both the attacks and the defense approaches is overwhelming. This paper presents two taxonomies for classifying attacks and defenses, and thus provides researchers with a better understanding of the problem and the current solution space. The attack classification criteria was selected to highlight commonalities and important features of attack strategies, that define challenges and dictate the design of countermeasures. The defense taxonomy classifies the body of existing DDoS defenses based on their design decisions; it then shows how these decisions dictate the advantages and deficiencies of proposed solutions.

The Biological Basis for Cardiac Repair After Myocardial Infarction: From Inflammation to Fibrosis

Abstract: In adult mammals, massive sudden loss of cardiomyocytes after infarction overwhelms the limited regenerative capacity of the myocardium, resulting in the formation of a collagen-based scar. Necrotic cells release danger signals, activating innate immune pathways and triggering an intense inflammatory response. Stimulation of toll-like receptor signaling and complement activation induces expression of proinflammatory cytokines (such as interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-α) and chemokines (such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1/ chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 [CCL2]). Inflammatory signals promote adhesive interactions between leukocytes and endothelial cells, leading to extravasation of neutrophils and monocytes. As infiltrating leukocytes clear the infarct from dead cells, mediators repressing inflammation are released, and anti-inflammatory mononuclear cell subsets predominate. Suppression of the inflammatory response is associated with activation of reparative cells. Fibroblasts proliferate, undergo myofibroblast transdifferentiation, and deposit large amounts of extracellular matrix proteins maintaining the structural integrity of the infarcted ventricle. The renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system and members of the transforming growth factor-β family play an important role in activation of infarct myofibroblasts. Maturation of the scar follows, as a network of cross-linked collagenous matrix is formed and granulation tissue cells become apoptotic. This review discusses the cellular effectors and molecular signals regulating the inflammatory and reparative response after myocardial infarction. Dysregulation of immune pathways, impaired suppression of postinfarction inflammation, perturbed spatial containment of the inflammatory response, and overactive fibrosis may cause adverse remodeling in patients with infarction contributing to the pathogenesis of heart failure. Therapeutic modulation of the inflammatory and reparative response may hold promise for the prevention of postinfarction heart failure.