Password authentication remains to be the most common form of user authentication. So far, many strong-password authentication schemes based on hash functions have been proposed, however, none is sufficiently secure and efficient. Based on the analysis of attacks against OSPA(Optimal Strong Password Authentication) protocol, we present a hash-based StrongPassword mutual Authentication Scheme (S...

Applying for information theory, we present a measure of dependence for three-variable relationships: the three variables maximal information coefficient (3D-MIC). It is a kind of maximal information-based nonparametric exploration (MINE) statistics for identifying and classifying relationships in large data sets. 3D-MIC generalized the MIC measurement. At the same time some optimal single axis...

The ability of a Lyme borreliosis vaccine to induce and maintain sustained levels of borreliacidal antibody is necessary for prolonged protection against infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Vaccination against infection with B. burgdorferi could be improved by determining the mechanism(s) that influences the production of protective borreliacidal antibody. Borreliacidal antibody was inhibited ...

Groups of 15 laboratory-bred beagles were vaccinated and boosted with either a placebo or adjuvanted bivalent bacterin comprised of a traditional Borrelia burgdorferi strain and a unique ospA- and ospB-negative B. burgdorferi strain that expressed high levels of OspC and then challenged with B. burgdorferi-infected Ixodes scapularis ticks. The vaccinated dogs produced high titers of anti-OspA a...

Differential gene expression is a key strategy adopted by the Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi, for adaptation and survival in the mammalian host and the tick vector. Many B. burgdorferi surface lipoproteins fall into two distinct groups according to their expression patterns: one group primarily expressed in the tick and the other group primarily expressed in the mammal. Here, we...

Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the Northern hemisphere and is caused by spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. A first sign of Borrelia infection is a circular skin rash, erythema migrans, but it can develop to more serious manifestations affecting skin, nervous system, joints, and/or heart. The marked increase in Lyme disease incidence over the past ...