A Loss-Free Micropayment Protocol for Multimedia Services

A micropayment scheme is proposed to enable transactions of different denominations and to eliminate possibilities that either the vendor or the user in a payment system misbehaves to get illegal profit. The proposed offers a solution while keeping transactions efficient

The Design of a Chemical Virtual Instrument Based on LabVIEW for Determining Temperatures and Pressures

A LabVIEW-based self-constructed chemical virtual instrument (VI) has been developed for determining temperatures and pressures. It can be put together easily and quickly by selecting hardware modules, such as the PCI-DAQ card or serial port method, different kinds of sensors, signal-conditioning circuits or finished chemical instruments, and software modules such as data acquisition, saving, proceeding. The VI system provides individual and extremely flexible solutions for automatic measurements in physical chemistry research

Greater Privacy Protection for Online Credit Card Payment

Privacy is always one of the primary concerns in electronic commerce. Consumers must have the right to keep their buying habits and personal information confidential, especially when it comes to on-line credit card payment. Not just only because this payment method has been becoming the trend of modern consuming practice, but also it involves the sensitivity of privacy information. Based on the need-to-know principle, transaction information should be distributed properly among participants to be against aggregation and analysis. In this paper, the privacy required for on-line credit card payment is described, and the privacy protection on three common payment protocols such as SSL, SET and 3D SET are also analyzed in detail. Two solutions are then proposed to enhance privacy protection for cardholder

Integrative omics analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa virus PA5oct highlights the molecular complexity of jumbo phages

Pseudomonas virus vB_PaeM_PA5oct is proposed as a model jumbo bacteriophage to investigate phage-bacteria interactions and is a candidate for phage therapy applications. Combining hybrid sequencing, RNA-Seq and mass spectrometry allowed us to accurately annotate its 286,783 bp genome with 461 coding regions including four non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and 93 virion-associated proteins. PA5oct relies on the host RNA polymerase for the infection cycle and RNA-Seq revealed a gradual take-over of the total cell transcriptome from 21% in early infection to 93% in late infection. PA5oct is not organized into strictly contiguous regions of temporal transcription, but some genomic regions transcribed in early, middle and late phases of infection can be discriminated. Interestingly, we observe regions showing limited transcription activity throughout the infection cycle. We show that PA5oct upregulates specific bacterial operons during infection including operons pncA-pncB1-nadE involved in NAD biosynthesis, psl for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis and nap for periplasmic nitrate reductase production. We also observe a downregulation of T4P gene products suggesting mechanisms of superinfection exclusion. We used the proteome of PA5oct to position our isolate amongst other phages using a gene-sharing network. This integrative omics study illustrates the molecular diversity of jumbo viruses and raises new questions towards cellular regulation and phage-encoded hijacking mechanisms

Characteristics of DSSC Panels with Silicone Encapsulant

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) allow light transmission and the application of various colors that make them especially suitable for building-integrated PV (BIPV) application. In order to apply DSSC modules to windows, the module has to be panelized: a DSSC module should be protected with toughened glass on the entire surface. Up to the present, it seems to be common to use double glazing with DSSC modules, with air gaps between the glass pane and the DSSC modules. Few studies have been conducted on the characteristics of various glazing methods with DSSC modules. This paper proposes a paneling method that uses silicone encapsulant, analyzing the performance through experimentation. Compared to a multilayered DSSC panel with an air gap, the encapsulant-applied panel showed 6% higher light transmittance and 7% higher electrical efficiency. The encapsulant also prevented electrolyte leakage by strengthening the seals in the DSSC module

The State-of-the-Art Practices of the Internet Banking in Taiwan

This paper reports an investigation into the state-of-the-art practices of Internet banking in Taiwan. Emphasis is focused on the adoption of security technology. Three kinds of security utilities—SSL, SET, and Non-SET—are compared in terms of risks and supported functions. The author also analyzes factors that influence the development of Internet banking. The Ministry of Finance of the Taiwanese government has adopted a policy that fosters the development of Internet banking. However, understanding security technologies demands in-depth expert knowledge, and goes beyond the capacity of general citizens. The authors suggest that the first priority is given to the authority’s promulgation of laws and guidelines. Second, the banking industry needs to integrate the security mechanisms of Internet banking services with the existing environment. Finally, a risk allotment policy would help to remove fear and doubt from customer’s minds

Spare Line Borrowing Technique for Distributed Memory Cores in SoC

In this paper, a new architecture of distributed embedded memory cores for SoC is proposed and an effective memory repair method by using the proposed Spare Line Borrowing (software-driven reconfiguration) technique is investigated. It is known that faulty cells in memory core show spatial locality, also known as fault clustering. This physical phenomenon tends to occur more often as deep submicron technology advances due to defects that span multiple circuit elements and sophisticated circuit design. The combination of new architecture & repair method proposed in this paper ensures fault tolerance enhancement in SoC, especially in case of fault clustering. This fault tolerance enhancement is obtained through optimal redundancy utilization: Spare redundancy in a fault-resistant memory core is used to fix the fault in a fault-prone memory core. The effect of Spare Line Borrowing technique on the reliability of distributed memory cores is analyzed through modeling and extensive parametic simulation

Negotiating Asian American Identities: Collaborative Self-Study of Korean Immigrant Scholars’ Reading Group on AsianCri

The purpose of this study is to understand how Korean immigrant women early career scholars in higher education in the United States explore their Asian American identities in the identity-based community space. The study considered qualitative data generated by five authors in a collaborative reading group learning more about AsianCrit literature. Our analysis revealed that AsianCrit was used as a tool for revisiting our racialized experiences, negotiating tensions around key constructs of AsianCrit informed by transnational perspectives, and embracing Asian American identities in pursuit of solidarity. The findings contribute to expanding the scholarship of AsianCrit by highlighting its utility and possibilities to support transnational or first-generation Asian immigrants’ identity exploration in higher education. Moreover, the findings signify the identity-informed peer mentoring as a way to build Asian solidarity. Includes Appendix A and Appendix B