Distributed Authentication Model for Secure Network Connectivity in Network Separation Technology.

Considering the increasing scale and severity of damage from recent cybersecurity incidents, the need for fundamental solutions to external security threats has increased. Hence, network separation technology has been designed to stop the leakage of information by separating business computing networks from the Internet. However, security accidents have been continuously occurring, owing to the degradation of data transmission latency performance between the networks, decreasing the convenience and usability of the work environment. In a conventional centralized network connection concept, a problem occurs because if either usability or security is strengthened, the other is weakened. In this study, we proposed a distributed authentication mechanism for secure network connectivity (DAM4SNC) technology in a distributed network environment that requires security and latency performance simultaneously to overcome the trade-off limitations of existing technology. By communicating with separated networks based on the authentication between distributed nodes, the inefficiency of conventional centralized network connection solutions is overcome. Moreover, the security is enhanced through periodic authentication of the distributed nodes and differentiation of the certification levels. As a result of the experiment, the relative efficiency of the proposed scheme (REP) was about 420% or more in all cases.

V-Set and Immunoglobulin Domain-Containing 1 (VSIG1), Predominantly Expressed in Testicular Germ Cells, Is Dispensable for Spermatogenesis and Male Fertility in Mice.

To elucidate the functional role of V-set and immunoglobulin domain-containing 1 (VSIG1) in spermatogenesis and fertilization, we knocked out (KO) VSIG1 in a mouse embryo using CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR-associated protein 9) -mediated genome editing. Reverse transcription PCR was performed using cDNA synthesized from VSIG1 KO testis RNA. Although Western blot analysis using a specific antibody to VSIG1 confirmed VSIG1 protein defects in the KO mice, hematoxylin-eosin staining analysis was similar in the KO and wild-type mice. Additionally, computer-assisted sperm analysis and in vitro fertilization experiments were conducted to confirm the activity and fertilization ability of sperm derived from the KO mouse. Mice lacking VSIG1 were viable and had no serious developmental defects. As they got older, the KO mice showed slightly higher weight loss, male mice lacking VSIG1 had functional testes, including normal sperm number and motility, and both male and female mice lacking VSIG1 were fertile. Our results from VSIG1 KO mice suggest that VSIG1 may not play essential roles in spermatogenesis and normal testis development, function, and maintenance. VSIG1 in sperm is dispensable for spermatogenesis and male fertility in mice. As several genes are known to possess slightly different functions depending on the species, the importance and molecular mechanism of VSIG1 in tissues of other species needs further investigation.