Münster University of Applied Sciences

About: Münster University of Applied Sciences is a education organization based out in Münster, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Luminescence & Laser. The organization has 694 authors who have published 1067 publications receiving 12597 citations.

The evolution of university-industry linkages-A framework

Abstract: This qualitative study extends literature on research commercialization by examining the dynamic nature of university-industry linkages (UIL). Thirty in-depth interviews conducted in Australia and Germany/the Netherlands provide evidence of the different phases through which UILs evolve and respective measures of success. Communication, understanding, trust, and people are universal drivers, yet managers must consider the variations in the nature of these factors to ensure successful UILs. This study equips managers involved in technology transfer, innovation, and commercialization with critical insights into developing effective relationships. The proposed conceptual framework also uncovers notable theoretical and managerial implications and offers some key research directions.

DROWN: Breaking TLS using SSLv2

Abstract: We present DROWN, a novel cross-protocol attack on TLS that uses a server supporting SSLv2 as an oracle to decrypt modern TLS connections. We introduce two versions of the attack. The more general form exploits multiple unnoticed protocol flaws in SSLv2 to develop a new and stronger variant of the Bleichenbacher RSA padding-oracle attack. To decrypt a 2048-bit RSA TLS ciphertext, an attacker must observe 1,000 TLS handshakes, initiate 40,000 SSLv2 connections, and perform 250 offline work. The victim client never initiates SSLv2 connections. We implemented the attack and can decrypt a TLS 1.2 handshake using 2048-bit RSA in under 8 hours, at a cost of $440 on Amazon EC2. Using Internet-wide scans, we find that 33% of all HTTPS servers and 22% of those with browser-trusted certificates are vulnerable to this protocol-level attack due to widespread key and certificate reuse. For an even cheaper attack, we apply our new techniques together with a newly discovered vulnerability in OpenSSL that was present in releases from 1998 to early 2015. Given an unpatched SSLv2 server to use as an oracle, we can decrypt a TLS ciphertext in one minute on a single CPU—fast enough to enable man-in-the-middle attacks against modern browsers. We find that 26% of HTTPS servers are vulnerable to this attack. We further observe that the QUIC protocol is vulnerable to a variant of our attack that allows an attacker to impersonate a server indefinitely after performing as few as 217 SSLv2 connections and 258 offline work. We conclude that SSLv2 is not only weak, but actively harmful to the TLS ecosystem.

Assessing uncertainties in urban drainage models

Abstract: The current state of knowledge regarding uncertainties in urban drainage models is poor. This is in part due to the lack of clarity in the way model uncertainty analyses are conducted and how the results are presented and used. There is a need for a common terminology and a conceptual framework for describing and estimating uncertainties in urban drainage models. Practical tools for the assessment of model uncertainties for a range of urban drainage models are also required to be developed. This paper, produced by the International Working Group on Data and Models, which works under the IWA/IAHR Joint Committee on Urban Drainage, is a contribution to the development of a harmonised framework for defining and assessing uncertainties in the field of urban drainage modelling. The sources of uncertainties in urban drainage models and their links are initially mapped out. This is followed by an evaluation of each source, including a discussion of its definition and an evaluation of methods that could be used to assess its overall importance. Finally, an approach for a Global Assessment of Modelling Uncertainties (GAMU) is proposed, which presents a new framework for mapping and quantifying sources of uncertainty in urban drainage models.

Relationship of Extreme Chromosomal Instability with Long-term Survival in a Retrospective Analysis of Primary Breast Cancer

Abstract: Background: Chromosomal instability (CIN) is thought to be associated with poor prognosis in solid tumours, however, evidence from pre-clinical and mouse tumour models suggest that CIN may paradoxically enhance or impair cancer cell fitness. Breast cancer prognostic expression signature sets, which reflect tumour CIN status, efficiently delineate outcome in ER-positive breast cancer in contrast to ER-negative breast cancer, suggesting that the relationship of CIN with prognosis differs in these two breast cancer subtypes. Methods: Direct assessment of CIN requires single cell analysis methods such as centromeric fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) aimed at determining the variation around the modal number of two or more chromosomes within individual tumour nuclei. Here we document the frequency of tumour CIN by dual centromeric FISH analysis in a retrospective primary breast cancer cohort of 246 patients with survival outcome. Results: There was increased CIN and clonal heterogeneity in ER-negative compared to ER-positive breast cancer. Consistent with a negative impact of CIN on cellular fitness, extreme CIN in ER-negative breast cancer was an independent variable associated with improved long-term survival in multivariate analysis. In contrast, a linear relationship of increasing CIN with poorer prognosis in ER-positive breast cancer was observed, using three independent measures of CIN. Conclusions: The paradoxical relationship between extreme CIN and cancer outcome in the ER-negative cohorts may explain why prognostic expression signatures, reflecting tumour CIN status, fail to predict outcome in this subgroup. Impact: Assessment of tumour CIN status may support risk stratification in ER-negative breast cancer and requires prospective validation.