Left invertibility,flatness and identifiability of switched linear dynamical systems: a framework for cryptographic applications

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the potential interest of the control theory framework for cryptographic applications. It is shown that under the properties of left invertibility and flatness, dynamical systems are structurally equivalent to some specific cryptographic primitives called self-synchronising stream ciphers. After having motivated the interest of considering hybrid systems for such ciphers, the development is particularised for the special class of switched linear systems. We also show that identifiability is a necessary condition for security, and we describe an identification procedure as a possible attack and assess its complexity.     

Estimating aboveground biomass of a mangrove plantation on the Northern coast of Vietnam using machine learning techniques with an integration of ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 and Sentinel-2A data

ABSTRACT

Aboveground biomass (AGB) of mangrove forest plays a crucial role in global carbon cycle by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change impacts. Monitoring mangrove forests biomass accurately still remains challenging compared to other forest ecosystems. We investigated the usability of machine learning techniques for the estimation of AGB of mangrove plantation at a coastal area of Hai Phong city (Vietnam). The study employed a GIS database and support vector regression (SVR) to build and verify a model of AGB, drawing upon data from a survey in 25 sampling plots and an integration of Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 Phased Array Type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (ALOS-2 PALSAR-2) dual-polarization horizontal transmitting and horizontal receiving (HH) and horizontal transmitting and vertical receiving (HV) and Sentinel-2A multispectral data. The performance of the model was assessed using root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), coefficient of determination (R²), and leave-one-out cross-validation. Usability of the SVR model was assessed by comparing with four state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, i.e. radial basis function neural networks, multi-layer perceptron neural networks, Gaussian process, and random forest. The SVR model shows a satisfactory result (R² = 0.596, RMSE = 0.187, MAE = 0.123) and outperforms the four machine learning models. The SVR model-estimated AGB ranged between 36.22 and 230.14 Mg ha^?1 (average = 87.67 Mg ha^?1). We conclude that an integration of ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 and Sentinel-2A data used with SVR model can improve the AGB accuracy estimation of mangrove plantations in tropical areas.     

Strategic parameter-driven routing models for multidestinationtraffic in telecommunication networks

We present mathematical models that determine the optimal parameters for strategically routing multidestination traffic in an end-to-end network setting. Multidestination traffic refers to a traffic type that can be routed to any one of a multiple number of destinations. A growing number of communication services is based on multidestination routing. In this parameter-driven approach, a multidestination call is routed to one of the candidate destination nodes in accordance with predetermined decision parameters associated with each candidate node. We present three different approaches: (1) a link utilization (LU) approach, (2) a network cost (NC) approach, and (3) a combined parametric (CP) approach. The LU approach provides the solution that would result in an optimally balanced link utilization, whereas the NC approach provides the least expensive way to route traffic to destinations. The CP approach, on the other hand, provides multiple solutions that help leverage link utilization and cost. The LU approach has in fact been implemented by a long distance carrier resulting in a considerable efficiency improvement in its international direct services, as summarized.     

Phase Equilibria in the Fe-Nb System

A review of the literature revealed that recently published phase diagrams of the Fe-Nb system show considerable discrepancies regarding phase equilibria with the melt and the homogeneity ranges of the intermetallic phases, specifically of the Laves phase Fe₂Nb. Therefore the system has been reinvestigated by metallography, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Temperatures of invariant reactions were determined and the homogeneity ranges of the two intermetallic phases, Fe₂Nb Laves phase and Fe₇Nb₆ μ phase, which both exist within a wide composition range, were established.     

Metal protection by anticorrosion papers in humid tropical climate

Results of 3-year full-scale field climatic tests on application of five types of inhibiting papers for anticorrosion protection of ferrous and nonferrous metals during storage in a humid tropical climate have been carried out by the Joint Russian and Vietnamese Tropical Research and Technology Center and presented here. It has been shown that the inhibiting paper IPCAS-118 can be recommended for anticorrosion protection of equipment made of steel, copper, and aluminum during 3-year storage in sheds in humid tropical climate conditions     

Bile secretion in dogs after intravenous administration of glucose

The effect of drop infusions of 10% glucose solution for parenteral nutrition, in a dose of 2 g/kg, on bile secretion was studied in experiments on dogs with chronic gallbladder-duodenal fistulas. It was demonstrated that the infusion of hypertonic glucose solution inhibits bile production quantitatively and qualitatively.     

Microlens Arrays by Direct-Writing Inkjet Print for LCD Backlighting Applications

In this paper, we demonstrated the Inkjet print method to fabricate a ultraviolet (UV)-curable epoxy microlens deflecting array with controllable curvature and filling factor, by which a 7-in light guide plate with 82% uniformity and 70% light efficiency was successfully implemented. The microlenses can be directly formed by plastic discharged by inkjet head, eliminating the need for molds and slashing development time. Proposed method will certainly has a promising impact on rapid prototyping and other specialized microfeatures due to its simplicity and versatility.     

A low-power readout circuit for nanowire based hydrogen sensor

This paper presents a fully integrated lock-in amplifier intended for nanowire gas sensing. The nanowire will change its conductivity according to the concentration of an absorbing gas. To ensure an accurate nanowire impedance measurement, a lock-in technique is implemented to attenuate the low frequency noise and offset by synchronous demodulation or phase-sensitive detection (PSD). The dual-channel lock-in amplifier also provides both resistive and capacitive information of the nanowire in separate channels. Measurement results of test resistors and capacitors show a 2% resolution in the resistance range 10-40 kΩ and a 3% resolution in the capacitance range 0.5-1.8 nF. Moreover, a 28.7-32.1 kΩ impedance variation was measured through the lock-in amplifier for a single palladium nanowire that was exposed to a decreasing hydrogen concentration (10% H₂ in N₂ to air). The chip has been implemented with UMC 0.18 μm CMOS technology and occupies an area of 2 mm². The power consumption of the readout circuit is 2 mW from a 1.8 V supply.     

Effect of Particle Deposition on Granular Aerosol Filtration: A Comparative Study of Methods in Evaluating and Interpreting Experimental Data

Three methods which can be applied to extract quantitative information on the effect of deposition on filter performance from effluent concentration and pressure drop data were developed. It was found that all three methods are capable of describing the deposition effect in terms of the amount of deposited particles. Furthermore, the method of extrapolation was found to give the most consistent, if not the most accurate, interpretation of experimental data.