Entropy Sources Based on Silicon Chips: True Random Number Generator and Physical Unclonable Function

Entropy is a measure of uncertainty or randomness. It is the foundation for almost all cryptographic systems. True random number generators (TRNGs) and physical unclonable functions (PUFs) are the silicon primitives to respectively harvest dynamic and static entropy to generate random bit streams. In this survey paper, we present a systematic and comprehensive review of different state-of-the-art methods to harvest entropy from silicon-based devices, including the implementations, applications, and the security of the designs. Furthermore, we conclude the trends of the entropy source design to point out the current spots of entropy harvesting.     

Pentapeptide-Zinc Chelate from Sweet Almond Expeller Amandin Hydrolysates: Structural and Physicochemical Characteristics,Stability and Zinc Transport Ability In Vitro

To promote the application of almond expellers, sweet almond expeller globulin (amandin) was extracted for the preparation of bioactive peptides. After dual enzymatic hydrolysis, Sephadex G-15 gel isolation, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography purification and ESI-MS/MS analysis, two novel peptides Val-Asp-Leu-Val-Ala-Glu-Val-Pro-Arg-Gly-Leu (1164.45 Da) and Leu-Asp-Arg-Leu-Glu (644.77 Da) were identified in sweet almond expeller amandin hydrolysates. Leu-Asp-Arg-Leu-Glu (LDRLE) of excellent zinc-chelating capacity (24.73 mg/g) was selected for preparation of peptide-zinc chelate. Structural analysis revealed that zinc ions were mainly bonded to amino group and carboxyl group of LDRLE. Potential toxicity and some physicochemical properties of LDRLE and Val-Asp-Leu-Val-Ala-Glu-Val-Pro-Arg-Gly-Leu (VDLVAEVPRGL) were predicted in silico. The results demonstrated that both LDRLE and VDLVAEVPRGL were not toxic. Additionally, zinc solubility of LDRLE-zinc chelate was much higher than that of zinc sulphate and zinc gluconate at pH 6.0–10.0 and against gastrointestinal digestion at 37 °C (p < 0.05). However, incubation at 100 °C for 20–60 min significantly reduced zinc-solubility of LDRLE-zinc chelate. Moreover, the chelate showed higher zinc transport ability in vitro than zinc sulphate and zinc gluconate (p < 0.05). Therefore, peptides isolated from sweet almond expeller amandin have potential applications as ingredient of zinc supplements.     

Experimental study on age and gender differences in microscopic movement characteristics of students

Campus security has aroused many concerns from the whole society. Stampede is one of the most frequent and influential accidents in campus. Studies on pedestrian dynamics especially focusing on students are essential for campus security, which are helpful to improve facility design and emergency evacuation strategy. In this paper, primary and middle school students were recruited to participate in the single-file experiments. The microscopic movement characteristics,including walking speed, headway, gait characteristics(step length, step frequency and swaying amplitude) and their relations were investigated. Age and gender differences in the headway-speed diagram and space requirements were analyzed by statistical tests. The results indicated that the impacts of age and gender were significant. There were three stages for the influence of gender on the headway-speed diagram for both age groups. The impacts on students' space requirements were consistent for different age and gender groups. But the impacts of age and gender on free-flow speed were affected by each other. Due to the connection of walking speed and gait characteristics, the comparisons of gait characteristics between different ages and genders were performed to understand the corresponding differences in speed more deeply. The results showed that differences in step length and swaying amplitude between males and females were significant for both age groups. The effect of gender on step frequency was significant for primary students. But for middle school students,whether gender had significant impact on step frequency was not clear here because of the large P-value. Besides, the influence of age on gait characteristics changed with gender.     

江西相山铀矿区与非铀矿区稻谷中天然放射性核素含量对比研究

文章对比分析研究了江西相山铀矿区和非铀矿区稻谷中天然放射性核素U和Th的含量特征。样品分别采自江西省相山铀矿区及远离铀矿区的抚州市郊丘陵水稻种植区。结果表明相山铀矿区稻谷中天然放射性核素U的含量显著高于非铀矿区的稻谷,铀矿区内稻谷中放射性核素U含量平均值是非铀矿区的5.30倍;但铀矿区内稻谷中放射性核素Th的含量却较非铀矿区稻谷含量低,仅为其Th含量的50%。另外,相山铀矿区内稻谷中放射性核素U和Th之间存在较为显著的线性关系,稻谷中放射性核素Th的含量随U含量的增加而升高。铀矿区内稻谷中放射性核素U含量显著高于非铀矿区的原因还有待于进一步深入研究,然而加强该领域的研究对于保证我国区域稻谷质量和食品安全是非常重要和有意义的。     

Facile,Quick, and Gram‐Scale Synthesis of Ultralong‐Lifetime Room‐Temperature‐Phosphorescent Carbon Dots by Microwave Irradiation

Long‐lifetime room‐temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials are important for many applications, but they are highly challenging materials owing to the spin‐forbidden nature of triplet exciton transitions. Herein, a facile, quick and gram‐scale method for the preparation of ultralong RTP (URTP) carbon dots (CDs) was developed via microwave‐assisted heating of ethanolamine and phosphoric acid aqueous solution. The CDs exhibit the longest RTP lifetime, 1.46 s (more than 10 s to naked eye) for CDs‐based materials to date. The doping of N and P elements is critical for the URTP which is considered to be favored by a n→π* transition facilitating intersystem crossing (ISC) for effectively populating triplet excitons. In addition, possibilities of formation of hydrogen bonds in the interior of the CDs may also play a significant role in producing RTP. Potential applications of the URTP CDs in the fields of anti‐counterfeiting and information protection are proposed and demonstrated.     

Unconventional Coding Technique Applied to Multi-Level Polarization Modulation

A new technique is proposed to improve information confidentiality in optical-fiber communications without bandwidth consumption. A pseudorandom vectorial sequence was generated by a dynamic system algorithm and used to codify a multi-level polarization modulation based on the Stokes vector. Optical-fiber birefringence, usually considered as a disturbance, was exploited to obfuscate the signal transmission. At the receiver end, the same pseudorandom sequence was generated and used to decode the multi-level polarization modulated signal. The proposed scheme, working at the physical layer, provides strong information security without introducing complex processing and thus latency.     

Impact of proliferation strategies on food web viability in a model with closed nutrient cycle

A food web model with a closed nutrient cycle is presented and analyzed via Monte Carlo simulations. The model consists of three trophic levels, each of which is populated by animals of one distinct species. While the species at the intermediate level feeds on the basal species, and is eaten by the predators living at the highest level, the basal species itself uses the detritus of animals from higher levels as the food resource. The individual organisms remain localized, but the species can invade new lattice areas via proliferation. The impact of different proliferation strategies on the viability of the system is investigated. From the phase diagrams generated in the simulations it follows that in general a strategy with the intermediate level species searching for food is the best for the survival of the system. The results indicate that both the intermediate and top level species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of the system.     

Orientational and electro-optical properties of liquid crystal aligned with a directly spinnable carbon nanotube web

We investigated the orientational and electro-optical properties of a nematic liquid crystal (LC) aligned with a directly spinnable carbon nanotube (CNT) web functioning both as an electrode and as an alignment layer. The LC molecules were uniformly oriented along the drawing direction of the CNT web and the spatially averaged birefringence was comparable to a rubbed polyimide sample. The CNT web sample also showed smaller residual DC and hysteresis compared to the polyimide sample.     

Nutritional potential of edible Russula species from Alédjo Wildlife Reserve (AWR)

In order to contribute to the valorisation of wild fungi whose nutritional potential, although considerable, is not sufficiently known in some countries such as Togo, a study has been carried out on Russula species. The diversity of Russula species from Alédjo Wildlife Reserve has been assessed using a focused inventory in woodlands dominated by Isoberlinia doka Craib & Stapf, Isoberlinia tomentosa (Harms) Craib & Stapf, Monotes kerstingii Gilg, Uapaca togoensis Pax and gallery forests dominated by Berlinia grandiflora (Vahl) Hutch & Dalz and Uapaca guineensis Müll. Ethnomycological surveys have been carried out among Tém and Kabyè, two riparian ethnic groups that are mainly represented. Biochemical analyses have been carried out using the AOAC method. Fifteen (15) taxa of edible Russula species are commonly used by Tém and Kabyè people living along the Alédjo Wildlife Reserve among which thirteen (13) taxa have been identified up to species level. R. oleifera is eaten by all interviewed people in both sociolinguistic groups (Fr = 100%) followed by R. compressa (Fr = 92.31%), R. ochrocephala (Fr = 87.18%) among Tém people and R. ochrocephala (Fr = 91.67%), R. compressa (Fr = 83.33%) among Kabyè people. Five (05) new species of edible Russula have been identified for the first time in Togo. The Russula species analysed have been rich in macronutrients with contents ranging from 2.88 g/100 g of dw for fat to 65.83 g/100 g of dw for total carbohydrates. In addition, these Russula species have shown a relatively high mineral content with contents ranging from 405.70 mg/100 g of dw for Ca to 2784 mg/100 g of dw for K. Furthermore, the results have revealed that Russula species analysed are a source of energy with 309.50 Kcal/100 g of dw. The edible Russula species analysed can thus contribute to food security in Togo.     

一种牧场配料系统的设计与实现

提出了一种应用于移动Ad Hoc网络的分布式资源接纳控制机制,在目的节点和中间节点部署不同的资源接纳控制模块,能以接近通话或者分组传输的时间间隔适应网络的动态变化,为业务提供较好的QoS保障,并且能够支持多播及接收者异质性。仿真结果表明,添加资源接纳控制机制后,时延、抖动及丢包率分别降低了25.75%,51.76%和24.15%。