A System-Level Throughput Model for Quantum Key Distribution

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is an innovative technology which exploits the laws of quantum mechanics to generate and distribute shared secret keying material. QKD systems generate and distribute key by progressing through a number of distinct phases, typically in a serial manner. The purpose of this research is to identify these phases, their relationships to each other, as well as their relationship to time, memory space, computational requirements, and hardware resources. A mathematical model is developed which enables the study of critical system parameters, identifies and demonstrates potential bottlenecks that affect the overall key generation rate of serial implementations, and facilitates the analysis of design trade-offs in terms of parameters associated with specific implementations. Existing models of throughput performance make use of secure key rate equations which do not account for detailed system parameters and performance characteristics, particularly in the post-processing phases. In this research we build a model that is abstract enough to be applied to a wide range of QKD system configurations. The results of the model form an accurate prediction of throughput. The analysis contained herein provides QKD practitioners guidance in system analysis and design

The Catholic Character of Catholic Universities

The signs of the times, that we are living in the midst of, are dramatic, suggesting perhaps radical challenges, but potentially wonderful opportunities, for humanity and the Church, e.g., globalization; the pervasiveness of secularization in the Western world; the encounter with Islam and the increased importance of inter-religious dialogue; the geographical shift of the center of Catholicism; the scientific-technological revolution; the reality of the poor; and the emerging crisis of global warming are among the most significant. As the Catholic Church emerges as a truly global church, Catholic universities have an essential role to play in its mission in the world. The long history of Catholic universities ought to give us confidence in their abilities to assist in that mission

The Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University: An Example of Fostering Dialogue and Understanding

Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, 1965), and subsequent documents, Guidelines and Suggestions (1974), Notes on the Correct Way to Present the Jews and Judaism in Preaching and Catechesis in the Catholic Church (1985), and We Remember: A Reflection on the Shoah (1998), prepared the path for a theological and educational agenda that was both corrective (the purging of anti-Jewish material from textbooks, catechisms, and preaching) and provided an opportunity for renewal, especially in the growth in theological study and dialogue between Christians and Jews. Since the founding of the first Interfaith Center in 1953, the Institute for Judeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University (IJCS), dialogue between Christians and Jews has become an essential priority of Christian churches. Today, there are twenty-seven centers of interreligious dialogue and education operating in the United States. The history of the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding of Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, provides a good view of the way such centers have engaged in interreligious dialogue and education

Reading the Signs of the Times: An Ongoing Task of the Church in the World

In calling the Second Vatican Council, Pope John XXIII invited the Church not only to renew herself but also to renew her relationship to the world so as to be of better service to the entire human family on its journey to God. The Council was to do this by understanding better the great events occurring in history and by listening to the voice of the Lord in these signs of the times. In so doing, the Council gave the Church a continuing way to assess its mission in the world. The primary purpose of this chapter will be to examine how the bishops at the Vatican Council read the signs of the times in their historical context. It will also briefly describe several other examples of how this method of theological reflection has been used since the Council and will draw some conclusions for the ongoing work of the Church in the world. What did the bishops mean when they used the term “signs of the times”? It seems to me that what they meant were those significant events, phenomena, or movements that characterize an era and that bring about or reveal new awareness and, therefore, call forth new action in human history

Examining Nostra Aetate After 40 Years: Catholic-Jewish Relations in Our Time

On October 28, 1965, the Catholic bishops of the world voted to approve the shortest and perhaps most controversial document of Vatican II, Nostra Aetate, which addresses the relationship of the Catholic Church to non-Christians. Significantly, it signaled to the Jewish people and to the world that the Catholic Church was rethinking its attitudes, teachings and practices regarding Jews. More than 40 years later, editor Anthony J. Cernera, Ph.D., former president of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, presents a volume of essays describing the past, present and future of the Nostra Aetate story. It calls attention to the pioneers and pivotal events that have paved the way to where we are now and what needs to be done as we forge ahead and make Nostra Aetate into a lasting reality.https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/shupress_bks/1014/thumbnail.jp

Toward Greater Understanding: Essays in Honor of John Cardinal O\u27Connor

This Festschrift celebrates His Eminence John Cardinal O\u27Connor\u27s seventy-fifth birthday. Contributed by an extraordinary variety of distinguished scholars, statesmen, and church and synagogue leaders, the essays explore the many challenges of deepening the dialogue between Christians and Jews.https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/shupress_bks/1018/thumbnail.jp

Lay Leaders in Catholic Higher Education: An Emerging Paradigm for the Twenty-first Century

Since the Second Vatican Council, lay women and men are assuming greater responsibility for guiding the mission of the Catholic Church in the modern world. This is particularly the case in institutions of Catholic higher education in the United States. The eighteen essays in this volume, based on presentations at a conference sponsored by Sacred Heart University and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, examine the many challenges facing lay leaders of Catholic institutions of higher learning. The volume begins with a report on a detailed study of the background of lay leaders; the essays that follow address such topics as spirituality and lay leadership, the relationship between a school and its sponsors, cultivating Catholic identity on campus, and defining and implementing the mission of a school. Although the volume will be of particular interest to Catholic educators, its examination of broad topics such as academic and administrative leadership geared to public service as well as faith will be useful to all those working to shape the colleges and universities of the twenty-first century into communities of social engagement as well as personal growth. Table of contents: Leadership and the age of the laity : emerging patterns in Catholic higher education / Melanie M. Morey and Dennis H. Holtschneider -- Responses to Melanie M. Morey and Dennis H. Holtschneider / John J. DeGioia, Marilou Eldred, Alice B. Hayes -- Sent out to serve : disciples of Jesus as leaders of Catholic colleges and universities in a new era / Anthony J. Cernera -- Responses to Anthony J. Cernera / John E. Thiel, Diana L. Hayes -- Spirituality and lay leaders in academe / Lawrence S. Cunningham -- Responses to Lawrence S. Cunningham / Zeni Fox, Monika K. Hellwig -- Trustess [i.e., Trustees] and leadership for mission / Charles L. Currie -- Sponsorship and the religious congregation / Karen M. Kennelly -- Sponsorship in the twenty-first century / Sheila Megley -- Catholic through and through / William J. Sneck -- Cultivating Catholic identity on campus / Kevin E. Mackin -- The mission of the College of New Rochelle / Joan E. Bailey -- Expanding notions of Catholic identity / Sally M. Furay -- Shaping leaders for the future : Native American students at Creighton / Tami Buffalohead-McGill and Raymond A. Bucko.https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/shupress_bks/1024/thumbnail.jp

The Latin Liturgy and the Jews

Pope Benedict XVI\u27s recent letter to bishops authorizing wider use of the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly referred to as the Latin Mass, has provoked strong reactions from Jews and Catholics worldwide who are committed to furthering the historic work of reconciliation begun at the Second Vatican Council with the “Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions” (Nostra Aetate, 1965). Many are concerned that some language in the missal harkens back to the Adversus Judaeos tradition within Christianity, which for some 18 centuries saw Jews as a threat to Christian society. This tradition was forthrightly and courageously rejected at Vatican II. Yet we and many others in the interfaith community believe these issues can be addressed while still honoring the pope’s laudable desire to reach out to those Catholics who feel a special connection to the Latin rite. There is much to learn from the present controversy. Indeed, it is a crucial moment in the history of Jewish-Catholic dialogue, a test of how far our relations have progressed

Towards in situ measurements of platinum dissolution using metallothionein-based biosensor

Platinum-based (Pt) electrodes are used ubiquitously in neurostimulation for their high charge capacity and safety. However, Pt electrodes are known to dissolve during stimulation in the presence of chloride (Cl) to form Pt-Cl byproducts. These byproducts may have deleterious effects on surrounding tissue by preventing cell division and causing apoptosis. Several studies have quantified the amount of neurostimulation-induced Pt dissolution in vivo using various analytical methods; however, these approaches require disruptive sampling of tissue. Periodic measurements from a stimulating electrode using an in situ sensor may provide additional insights into Pt dissolution process. To create the sensor for detecting Pt dissolution, metallothionein (MT), a protein with high affinity for heavy metals, and MT-antibody were incorporated into a mixture of graphite powder and mineral oil. The mixture was packed into pipette tips to create carbon paste electrodes (CPE). These electrodes were connected to a potentiostat with stainless steel wires. Four solutions were created with varying cisplatin concentrations (0, 10, 50, 100 µg/mL). Square wave voltammetry (SWV) using a potentiostat (SP-200, Bio-Logic, Knoxville, TN) and EC-Lab software (v.10.40, Bio-Logic, Knoxville, TN) was performed for each electrode at each concentration. SWV was swept from -1.2 V to 1.2 V vs Ag/AgCl sat. with a 25 mV pulse height, 5.0 ms pulse width and 0.5 mV step height. Overall, the peak currents between -0.6 V to -0.4 V seem to linearly correlate with concentration of cisplatin. This data suggests that the electrodes modified with MT may be used for detecting cisplatin due to neuromodulation dissolution, but further evaluation is needed to understand the reproducibility of the electrodes and to understand the complexes present in current solutions