A Practical Attack on KeeLoq

KeeLoq is a lightweight block cipher with a 32-bit block size and a 64-bit key. Despite its short key size, it is used in remote keyless entry systems and other wireless authentication applications. For example, there are indications that authentication protocols based on KeeLoq are used, or were used by various car manufacturers in anti-theft mechanisms. This paper presents a practical key recovery attack against KeeLoq that requires 2¹⁶ known plaintexts and has a time complexity of 2^44.5 KeeLoq encryptions. It is based on the principle of slide attacks and a novel approach to meet-in-the-middle attacks.     

Development of a Management Tool to Support the Beneficial Use of Treated Coal Seam Gas Water for Irrigation in Eastern Australia

An infiltration and salinity transport model (ISTM) based on the HYDRUS modeling platform was developed to support the beneficial use of treated coal seam gas (CSG) water to irrigate perennial forage plots in eastern Australia. The ISTM was used to support the expansion of irrigated areas under the CSG industry’s first specific irrigation beneficial use approval issued by the Queensland environmental regulatory administering authorities in March 2009. To support meeting regulatory requirements for expansion beyond the original irrigation area, forward modelling within the vadose zone was used to evaluate the fate and transport of the irrigation water as it migrates through the shallow soils and unsaturated bedrock toward the saturated zone; simulations beneath three agricultural systems with contrasting infiltration capacities were assessed. The model simulation results were used to guide irrigation activities to maximize water use in the readily available soil water capacity range for these agroecosystems, without detrimental impacts to plant growth or surface water/groundwater and soil resources. In this paper, a practical irrigation and rainfall systems-driven hydrogeochemical conceptual model is presented to identify processes that are likely to govern infiltration from the land surface, root water uptake, and solute transport into, and potentially through, the unsaturated zone. A numerical model is then parameterized to represent the primary processes hypothesized to affect water and salinity movement in the vadose zone. Finally, a series of simulations, conducted to identify the key parameters and processes governing the potential movement of water and salt through the root zone and into the bedrock vadose zone, are discussed. The simulations are used to support continuous improvement in modeling approaches for sustainably managing treated CSG extraction water allocated to irrigation.     

Psychology Course in High School.

Engle and Bunch (Amer. Psychologist, 1956, 11, 188-193) indicate that the teaching of psychology at the high school level is increasing. Implicit in the Engle and Bunch statement is a certain measure of gratification with recent developments in this sphere. A sobering note appears, however, in a letter by Engle (Amer. Psychologist, 1956, 11, 206) in which the APA contacts of secondary school psychology teachers are cited. Engle concludes his letter by urging that some form of APA affiliation be established for high school teachers of psychology. This writer believes that the qualification of the teacher is secondary to the more basic question of whether the teaching of psychology at the secondary school level is in the best interests of the intellectual development of the college preparatory student. It is the contention of this writer that psychology can be fitted into the secondary school curriculum only at the sacrifice of more basic disciplines. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of regression equations for predicting energy and hygrothermal performance of buildings

Regression equations can be used for predicting indoor air temperature, relative humidity and energy consumption in an easier and more rapid way than building energy simulation tools. The independent variables, that is, the input data, are heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) power, outdoor temperature, relative humidity and total solar radiation. The present methodology for obtaining the regression equations is based on defining a couple of linear Multiple-Input/Single-Output (MISO) models, since two main outputs are involved, that is, indoor temperature and relative humidity. The methodology has been tested for the low- and high-thermal mass cases of the BESTest model (cases 600 and 900) and the output data is generated by using a building hygrothermal simulation tool. Validation procedures have shown very good agreement between the regression equations and the simulation tool for both winter and summer periods.     

Quantitative measurement of atomic sodium in the plume of a single burning coal particle

The release of volatile sodium during coal combustion is a significant factor in the fouling and corrosion of heat transfer surfaces within industrial coal-fired boilers. A method for measuring the temporal release of atomic sodium from a single coal particle is described. Laser absorption was used to calibrate laser-induced fluorescence measurements of atomic sodium utilising the sodium D1 line (589.59 nm) in a purpose-designed flat flame environment. The calibration was then applied to planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements of sodium atoms in the plume from a single Victorian brown coal particle (53 mg) suspended within the flat flame. The peak concentration of atomic sodium was approximately 64.1 ppb after 1080.5 s, which appears to correspond to the end of char combustion. To our knowledge this is the first in situ quantitative measurement of the concentration field of atomic sodium in the plume above a burning particle. A simple kinetic model has been used to estimate the rate of sodium decay in the post-flame gases. Comparison of the estimated and measured decay rates showed reasonable agreement.     

Mapping Chlorophyll-a Concentrations in West Lake,China using Landsat 7 ETM+

Eutrophication is a persistent problem that affects the ecological health of many shallow lakes in China. An indicator used to monitor trophic status is chlorophyll-a; however, collection and analysis can be spatially limiting and time consuming. In this study we utilized Landsat 7 ETM+ (Path/Row 119/39) imagery for West Lake, Hangzhou, to map chlorophyll-a concentrations. An optimal linear regression model with the band ratio ETM+3/ETM+1 (independent) and concurrent field-collected water quality measurements (dependant) was developed. The resulting model, lnChl.= 5.009 (ETM+3/ETM+1)-1.855, showed a strong (R² = 0.815) ability to accurately map the distribution of chlorophyll-a. The straightforward approach carried out to assess this fresh-water lake in a rapidly developing region increased the level of information required to combat aquatic ecosystem degradation.     

Needed: Early-term adjustments for Lake Erie phosphorus target loads to address western basin cyanobacterial blooms

For Lake Erie, it is already time to revise the phosphorus target loads set to address the problem of cyanobacterial blooms in the Western Basin. Current targets were proposed by the Annex 4 task group in 2015, adopted by U.S. and Canadian governments in 2016, and set as objectives of domestic action plans in 2017. These targets, applicable to all spring discharges below the 90th percentile, set a maximum load for both total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) equivalent to 60% of their 2008 spring loads. This essentially mandates 40% reductions in both particulate phosphorus (PP) and DRP loading relative to 2008 loads. These targets do not explicitly incorporate the difference in bioavailability between DRP (~100% bioavailable) and PP (~25% bioavailable). From 2008 to 2017, DRP comprised 24% of the spring TP load and over half (~56%) of the total bioavailable phosphorus (TBAP) load, while PP comprised 76% of the TP load but only ~44% of the TBAP load. Subsequent deposition of PP in the estuarine and nearshore zones further reduces its significance in bloom development. By ignoring differences in bioavailability, the current targets provide no guidance for choosing among practices based on their relative effectiveness in reducing DRP or PP and their combined reductions in TBAP loading. Current targets place more emphasis on PP than needed to efficiently reach targeted cyanobacterial bloom reductions. To clarify appropriate management approaches and lead to greater success in reducing cyanobacterial blooms, target loads should be based on TBAP.     

Release of carbon dioxide from dough during baking

Dough was baked in a closed container from which the volatiles were swept with a stream of nitrogen. Carbon dioxide was determined colorimetrically by absorption in an alkaline indicator solution contained in a special cell, in which the flow of gases caused rapid circulation of the absorbent. Graphs of carbon dioxide release against time in oven were sigmoid in form, showing induction periods averaging 4.5 min for mechanically developed (CBP) doughs mixed with fat, and 2.3 min without fat. Analysis of the variance of induction periods and of loaf volumes showed that, in each case, the factor “fat versus no fat” was highly significant. Induction periods were highly correlated with loaf volumes. These results show that loaf volumes are considerably influenced by changes in the permeability of doughs to carbon dioxide at the start of baking. The possibility was considered that carbon dioxide release may occur at a definite transition temperature which is affected by the addition of fat.     

Increased biogas production in a wastewater treatment plant by anaerobic co-digestion of fruit and vegetable waste and sewer sludge - a full scale study

Anaerobic digestion is a well established technology for the reduction of organic matter and stabilization of wastewater. Biogas, a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide, is produced as a useful by-product of the process. Current solid waste management at the city of Prince George is focused on disposal of waste and not on energy recovery. Co-digestion of fresh fruit and vegetable waste with sewer sludge can improve biogas yield by increasing the load of biodegradable material. A six week full-scale project co-digesting almost 15,000 kg of supermarket waste was completed. Average daily biogas production was found to be significantly higher than in previous years. Digester operation remained stable over the course of the study as indicated by the consistently low volatile acids-to-alkalinity ratio. Undigested organic material was visible in centrifuged sludge suggesting that the waste should have been added to the primary digester to prevent short circuiting and to increase the hydraulic retention time of the freshly added waste.