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Papers by Certified Walid

Research paper thumbnail of Proof-Carrying Proxy Certificates

The term proxy certificate is used to describe a certificate that is issued by an end user for th... more The term proxy certificate is used to describe a certificate that is issued by an end user for the purpose of delegating responsibility to another user so that the latter can perform certain actions on behalf of the former. Such certificates have been suggested for use in a number of applications, particularly in distributed computing environments where delegation of rights is common. In this paper, we present a new concept called proof-carrying proxy certificates. Our approach allows to combine the verification of the validity of the proxy certificate and the authorization decision making in an elegant way that enhances the privacy of the end user. In contrast with standard proxy certificates that are generated using standard (public-key) signature schemes, the proposed certificates are generated using a signature scheme for which the validity of a generated signature proves the compliance of the signer with a credential-based policy. We present a concrete realization of our approach using bilinear pairings over elliptic curves and we prove its security under adapted attack models.

Research paper thumbnail of Certified Internet Coordinates

We address the issue of asserting the accuracy of coordinates advertised by nodes of Internet coo... more We address the issue of asserting the accuracy of coordinates advertised by nodes of Internet coordinate systems during distance estimations. Indeed, some nodes may lie deliberately about their coordinates to mount various attacks against applications and overlays. Our proposed method consists in two steps: 1) establish the correctness of a node's claimed coordinate (which leverages our previous work on securing the coordinates embedding phase using a Surveyor infrastructure); and 2) issue a time limited validity certificate for each verified coordinate. Validity periods are computed based on an analysis of coordinate inter-shift times observed on PlanetLab, and shown to follow a long-tail distribution (lognormal distribution in most cases, or Weibull distribution otherwise). The effectiveness of the coordinate certification method is validated by measuring the impact of a variety of attacks on distance estimates.

Research paper thumbnail of Concoqtion: indexed types now

Almost twenty years after the pioneering efforts of Cardelli, the programming languages community... more Almost twenty years after the pioneering efforts of Cardelli, the programming languages community is vigorously pursuing ways to incorporate Fω-style indexed types into programming languages. This paper advocates Concoqtion, a practical approach to adding such highly expressive types to full-fledged programming languages. The approach is applied to MetaOCaml using the Coq proof checker to conservatively extend Hindley-Milner type inference. The implementation of MetaOCaml Concoqtion requires minimal modifications to the syntax, the type checker, and the compiler; and yields a language comparable in notation to the leading proposals. The resulting language provides unlimited expressiveness in the type system while maintaining decidability. Furthermore, programmers can take advantage of a wide range of libraries not only for the programming language but also for the indexed types. Programming in MetaOCaml Concoqtion is illustrated with small examples and a case study implementing a statically-typed domain-specific language.

Research paper thumbnail of An empirical study of the motives and benefits of ISO 9000 certification: the UAE experience

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 2007

... companies operating in different fields such as oil and gas, telecommunications, construction... more ... companies operating in different fields such as oil and gas, telecommunications, construction, information technology ... relative to the improvement of the internal operational aspects like:productivity or product ... However, relative to the Arab world, a paucity of research does exist. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Concoqtion: Mixing Dependent Types and Hindley-Milner Type Inference (Technical Report

... (Technical Report) Emir Pašalic and Jeremy Siek and Walid Taha ... In each case, the signatur... more ... (Technical Report) Emir Pašalic and Jeremy Siek and Walid Taha ... In each case, the signatures of listN data-constructors are used to introduce more assumptions about type parameters. Thus, if l1 is the empty list (Nil), then the first branch can rely on the fact that n is zero. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Efficacy and safety of the novel α 4 β 2 neuronal nicotinic receptor partial agonist ABT-089 in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study

Psychopharmacology

Rationale α4β2 Neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs) are implicated in the pathophysiology of atten... more Rationale α4β2 Neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs) are implicated in the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objectives This study examined the efficacy and safety of the α4β2 NNR partial agonist ABT-089 versus placebo in adults with ADHD. Methods In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, subjects received placebo followed by ABT-089 (2 mg once daily [QD], 5 mg QD, 15 mg QD, 40 mg QD, or 40 mg twice daily [BID]), or vice versa, in a 2 × 2 crossover design. Each treatment period was 4 weeks, separated by a 2-week washout period. The primary efficacy endpoint was the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale–Investigator Rated (CAARS:Inv) total score at the end of each treatment period. Secondary outcomes based on clinician- and self-rated efficacy scales were evaluated. Results Of the 221 subjects enrolled, 171 met criteria for inclusion in the completers dataset for efficacy analyses. ABT-089 was superior to placebo on the CAARS:Inv total score at 40 mg QD and 40 mg BID (model-based least square mean difference from placebo: −4.33, P = 0.02; −3.02, P = 0.03, respectively). ABT-089 also demonstrated significant improvements on several secondary measures of efficacy. ABT-089 was generally safe and well tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse events (≥5%) for total ABT-089-treated subjects at rates higher than placebo were headache, upper respiratory tract infection, irritability, insomnia, and nasopharyngitis. Conclusions In this phase 2 crossover study, the NNR partial agonist ABT-089, at doses of 40 mg QD and 40 mg BID, was efficacious and generally well tolerated in treatment of adults with ADHD.

Research paper thumbnail of Concoqtion: Mixing Indexed Types and Hindley-Milner Type Inference

This paper addresses the question of how to extend OCaml's Hindley-Milner type system with types ... more This paper addresses the question of how to extend OCaml's Hindley-Milner type system with types indexed by logical propositions and proofs of the Coq theorem prover, thereby providing an expressive and extensible mechanism for ensuring fine-grained program invariants. We propose adopting the approached used by Shao et al. for certified binaries. This approach maintains a phase distinction between the computational and logical languages, thereby limiting effects and non-termination to the computational language, and maintaining the decidability of the type system. The extension subsumes language features such as impredicative first-class (higher-rank) polymorphism and type operators, that are notoriously difficult to integrate with the Hindley-Milner style of type inference that is used in OCaml. We make the observation that these features can be more easily integrated with type inference if the inference algorithm is free to adapt the order in which it solves typing constraints to each program. To this end we define a novel "order-free" type inference algorithm. The key enabling technology is a graph representation of constraints and a constraint solver that performs Hindley-Milner inference with just three graph rewrite rules.

Research paper thumbnail of Proof-Carrying Proxy Certificates

The term proxy certificate is used to describe a certificate that is issued by an end user for th... more The term proxy certificate is used to describe a certificate that is issued by an end user for the purpose of delegating responsibility to another user so that the latter can perform certain actions on behalf of the former. Such certificates have been suggested for use in a number of applications, particularly in distributed computing environments where delegation of rights is common. In this paper, we present a new concept called proof-carrying proxy certificates. Our approach allows to combine the verification of the validity of the proxy certificate and the authorization decision making in an elegant way that enhances the privacy of the end user. In contrast with standard proxy certificates that are generated using standard (public-key) signature schemes, the proposed certificates are generated using a signature scheme for which the validity of a generated signature proves the compliance of the signer with a credential-based policy. We present a concrete realization of our approach using bilinear pairings over elliptic curves and we prove its security under adapted attack models.

Research paper thumbnail of Certified Internet Coordinates

We address the issue of asserting the accuracy of coordinates advertised by nodes of Internet coo... more We address the issue of asserting the accuracy of coordinates advertised by nodes of Internet coordinate systems during distance estimations. Indeed, some nodes may lie deliberately about their coordinates to mount various attacks against applications and overlays. Our proposed method consists in two steps: 1) establish the correctness of a node's claimed coordinate (which leverages our previous work on securing the coordinates embedding phase using a Surveyor infrastructure); and 2) issue a time limited validity certificate for each verified coordinate. Validity periods are computed based on an analysis of coordinate inter-shift times observed on PlanetLab, and shown to follow a long-tail distribution (lognormal distribution in most cases, or Weibull distribution otherwise). The effectiveness of the coordinate certification method is validated by measuring the impact of a variety of attacks on distance estimates.

Research paper thumbnail of Concoqtion: indexed types now

Almost twenty years after the pioneering efforts of Cardelli, the programming languages community... more Almost twenty years after the pioneering efforts of Cardelli, the programming languages community is vigorously pursuing ways to incorporate Fω-style indexed types into programming languages. This paper advocates Concoqtion, a practical approach to adding such highly expressive types to full-fledged programming languages. The approach is applied to MetaOCaml using the Coq proof checker to conservatively extend Hindley-Milner type inference. The implementation of MetaOCaml Concoqtion requires minimal modifications to the syntax, the type checker, and the compiler; and yields a language comparable in notation to the leading proposals. The resulting language provides unlimited expressiveness in the type system while maintaining decidability. Furthermore, programmers can take advantage of a wide range of libraries not only for the programming language but also for the indexed types. Programming in MetaOCaml Concoqtion is illustrated with small examples and a case study implementing a statically-typed domain-specific language.

Research paper thumbnail of An empirical study of the motives and benefits of ISO 9000 certification: the UAE experience

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 2007

... companies operating in different fields such as oil and gas, telecommunications, construction... more ... companies operating in different fields such as oil and gas, telecommunications, construction, information technology ... relative to the improvement of the internal operational aspects like:productivity or product ... However, relative to the Arab world, a paucity of research does exist. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Concoqtion: Mixing Dependent Types and Hindley-Milner Type Inference (Technical Report

... (Technical Report) Emir Pašalic and Jeremy Siek and Walid Taha ... In each case, the signatur... more ... (Technical Report) Emir Pašalic and Jeremy Siek and Walid Taha ... In each case, the signatures of listN data-constructors are used to introduce more assumptions about type parameters. Thus, if l1 is the empty list (Nil), then the first branch can rely on the fact that n is zero. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Efficacy and safety of the novel α 4 β 2 neuronal nicotinic receptor partial agonist ABT-089 in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study

Psychopharmacology

Rationale α4β2 Neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs) are implicated in the pathophysiology of atten... more Rationale α4β2 Neuronal nicotinic receptors (NNRs) are implicated in the pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objectives This study examined the efficacy and safety of the α4β2 NNR partial agonist ABT-089 versus placebo in adults with ADHD. Methods In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, subjects received placebo followed by ABT-089 (2 mg once daily [QD], 5 mg QD, 15 mg QD, 40 mg QD, or 40 mg twice daily [BID]), or vice versa, in a 2 × 2 crossover design. Each treatment period was 4 weeks, separated by a 2-week washout period. The primary efficacy endpoint was the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scale–Investigator Rated (CAARS:Inv) total score at the end of each treatment period. Secondary outcomes based on clinician- and self-rated efficacy scales were evaluated. Results Of the 221 subjects enrolled, 171 met criteria for inclusion in the completers dataset for efficacy analyses. ABT-089 was superior to placebo on the CAARS:Inv total score at 40 mg QD and 40 mg BID (model-based least square mean difference from placebo: −4.33, P = 0.02; −3.02, P = 0.03, respectively). ABT-089 also demonstrated significant improvements on several secondary measures of efficacy. ABT-089 was generally safe and well tolerated. The most commonly reported adverse events (≥5%) for total ABT-089-treated subjects at rates higher than placebo were headache, upper respiratory tract infection, irritability, insomnia, and nasopharyngitis. Conclusions In this phase 2 crossover study, the NNR partial agonist ABT-089, at doses of 40 mg QD and 40 mg BID, was efficacious and generally well tolerated in treatment of adults with ADHD.

Research paper thumbnail of Concoqtion: Mixing Indexed Types and Hindley-Milner Type Inference

This paper addresses the question of how to extend OCaml's Hindley-Milner type system with types ... more This paper addresses the question of how to extend OCaml's Hindley-Milner type system with types indexed by logical propositions and proofs of the Coq theorem prover, thereby providing an expressive and extensible mechanism for ensuring fine-grained program invariants. We propose adopting the approached used by Shao et al. for certified binaries. This approach maintains a phase distinction between the computational and logical languages, thereby limiting effects and non-termination to the computational language, and maintaining the decidability of the type system. The extension subsumes language features such as impredicative first-class (higher-rank) polymorphism and type operators, that are notoriously difficult to integrate with the Hindley-Milner style of type inference that is used in OCaml. We make the observation that these features can be more easily integrated with type inference if the inference algorithm is free to adapt the order in which it solves typing constraints to each program. To this end we define a novel "order-free" type inference algorithm. The key enabling technology is a graph representation of constraints and a constraint solver that performs Hindley-Milner inference with just three graph rewrite rules.