A major aim of the field of cryptography is to design cryptosystems that is both provably secure and practical. Symmetric-key (private-key) methods have traditionally been viewed as practical in terms of typically a smaller key size, which means less storage requirements, and also faster processing. This, however, opens the protocols up to certain vulnerabilities, such as brute-force attacks. To reduce risk, the cryptographic keys are made longer, which in turn adds overhead burden and makes the scheme less practical. One-time pad (OTP) is a symmetric-type encryption technique that cannot be cracked, but requires the use of a single-use pre-shared key that is larger than or equal to the size of the message being sent. In this technique, a plaintext is paired with a random secret key (also referred to as OTP). Asymmetric-type (public-key, asymptotic) frameworks use pairs of keys consisting of a public and private key, and these models depend heavily on the privacy of the non-public key. Asymmetric-based protocols are generally much slower than symmetric approaches in practice. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol which is the backbone of internet security uses the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol stack in Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) for secure and private data transfer. TLS is a protocol suite that uses a myriad of other protocols to guarantee security. Many of these subprotocols consume a lot of CPU power and are complex processes which are not optimized for big data applications. TLS uses public-key cryptography paradigms to exchange the keys between the communicating parties through the TLS handshake protocol. Unfortunately, traditional cryptographic algorithms and protocols (including schemes above and incorporating TLS, RSA, and AES) are not well suited in big data applications, as they need to perform a significant number of computations in practice. In turn, cloud providers face increasing CPU processing times and power usage to appropriately maintain services. In the modern computing era with quantum architecture and increased access to network and cloud resources, the speed and integrity of such outmoded cryptographic models will be put to the test.

Professor Matthew Conley from the University of California, Riverside has discovered that catalysts used to generate polyolefin plastics also perform well in hydrotreatment reactions of plastic waste. This method works by treating plastic materials with known catalysts at 200⁰C to degrade  polymers into smaller alkanes in the presence of hydrogen. This technology is advantageous compared to existing methods since it does not require high temperatures​, has a relatively high yield (+80%)​, and can be applied to a variety of plastics to generate a feedstock of smaller polymers and monomers for further processing.  

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is an emerging imaging modality for medical applications, especially in disease diagnosis and image-guided surgery. HSI acquires a three-dimensional dataset called hypercube, with two spatial dimensions and one spectral dimension. Spatially resolved spectral imaging obtained by HSI provides diagnostic information about the tissue physiology, morphology, and composition. Researchers from UC San Diego developed a new method using a pair of femtosecond mid-infrared and visible excitation pulses to distinguish chromophores, including molecules and quantum dots, that possess nearly identical emission spectra using multiplexed conditions in a three-dimensional space. 

Stem cells have the potential to develop into different types of cells. They are key to an organism’s development. Producing stem cell lines are important for research. Currently, avian embryonic stems cells are cultured on a layer of feeder cells. Feeder cells ensure that the stem cells survive and do not differentiate into other types of cells. However, using feeder cells can be costly and inconvenient.

When model organisms are exposed to chemicals, resulting mutagenesis can provide insights on the chemical’s genotoxicity, which is an indicator of the chemical’s potential to cause cancer or birth defects. In fact, direct mutagenesis assays in bacteria are one of the three assays required by regulatory agencies for demonstrating the safety of potential clinical compounds. Mutagenesis assays are also used to study various DNA processes, such as replication, repair, damage tolerization, and homeostasis.

A major aim of the field of cryptography is to design cryptosystems that is both provably secure and practical. Symmetric-key (private-key) methods have traditionally been viewed as practical in terms of typically a smaller key size, which means less storage requirements, and also faster processing. This, however, opens the protocols up to certain vulnerabilities, such as brute-force attacks. To reduce risk, the cryptographic keys are made longer, which in turn adds overhead burden and makes the scheme less practical. One-time pad (OTP) is a symmetric-type encryption technique that cannot be cracked, but requires the use of a single-use pre-shared key that is larger than or equal to the size of the message being sent. In this technique, a plaintext is paired with a random secret key (also referred to as OTP). Asymmetric-type (public-key, asymptotic) frameworks use pairs of keys consisting of a public and private key, and these models depend heavily on the privacy of the non-public key. Asymmetric-based protocols are generally much slower than symmetric approaches in practice. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) protocol which is the backbone of internet security uses the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol stack in Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) for secure and private data transfer. TLS is a protocol suite that uses a myriad of other protocols to guarantee security. Many of these subprotocols consume a lot of CPU power and are complex processes which are not optimized for big data applications. TLS uses public-key cryptography paradigms to exchange the keys between the communicating parties through the TLS handshake protocol. Unfortunately, traditional cryptographic algorithms and protocols (including schemes above and incorporating TLS, RSA, and AES) are not well suited in big data applications, as they need to perform a significant number of computations in practice. In turn, cloud providers face increasing CPU processing times and power usage to appropriately maintain services. In the modern computing era with quantum architecture and increased access to network and cloud resources, the speed and integrity of such outmoded cryptographic models will be put to the test.

Professor Michael Pirrung from the University of California, Riverside has developed immunoproteasome inhibitors that may be used to develop new therapies to treat a variety of diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders and inflammatory diseases. These inhibitors are from a novel family of compounds called thiasyrbactins. This technology is advantageous because it can potentially lead to novel and effective treatments for a wide variety of conditions including cancer, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.  

An increase in threatening situations in school environments requires individuals to be ready to secure egress doors quickly to prevent intruders and other uninvited individuals from entering a space. Given the numerous variables that can affect where, when, how, or even if individuals can shelter-in-place during an emergency, there is a need for a simple, portable, lightweight, and cost-effective door security device that installs quickly and easily—without tools—on outward swinging doors from within the room being secured. The inventors have developed a device that can secure an outward swinging egress door from within a room, enabling occupants of a space to quickly barricade a room's entrance during a lockdown or other emergency requiring shelter-in-place protocols. In contrast to other known door security devices and systems for securing a hinged, outward swinging egress door, this improved door security device is portable, lightweight, easy-to-install without tools, and adaptable to doors with different handle, jamb, and casing combinations or measurements. This discrete, on-the-go security device for securing an outward swinging door is not dependent on any furnishings or security apparatus of a particular space.