Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions: Possibilities and Impossibilities

A Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) is a device with unique behaviour that is hard to clone hence providing a secure fingerprint. A variety of PUF structures and PUF-based applications have been explored theoretically as well as being implemented in practical settings. Recently, the inherent unclonability of quantum states has been exploited to derive the quantum analogue of PUF as well as new proposals for the implementation of PUF. We present the first comprehensive study of quantum Physical Unclonable Functions (qPUFs) with quantum cryptographic tools. We formally define qPUFs, encapsulating all requirements of classical PUFs as well as introducing a new testability feature inherent to the quantum setting only. We use a quantum game-based framework to define different levels of security for qPUFs: quantum exponential unforgeability, quantum existential unforgeability and quantum selective unforgeability. We introduce a new quantum attack technique based on the universal quantum emulator algorithm of Marvin and Lloyd to prove no qPUF can provide quantum existential unforgeability. On the other hand, we prove that a large family of qPUFs (called unitary PUFs) can provide quantum selective unforgeability which is the desired level of security for most PUF-based applications.Comment: 32 pages including the appendi

The Value of Occupational Therapy Student Participation in University-Based Student-Run Free Clinics in the United States

While student-run free clinic (SRFC) participation is well-documented among many health professions, no study has comprehensively characterized occupational therapy student participation. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand both the current presence as well as educational impact of occupational therapy student participation in university-based SRFCs in the United States (U.S). Data collection occurred through a national survey and semi-structured interviews. Surveys were sent to representatives (e.g. program directors, faculty advisors, and student leaders) at all 190 accredited occupational therapy schools. Of these, 118 responded, for an overall response rate of 62.1%. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of physician’s assistant, medical, pharmacy, and occupational therapy students (N=9). Results showed that 12.7% of schools contributed volunteers to at least one SRFC (N=15). Themes included that occupational therapy students provided a unique perspective to the interprofessional team, educated other students about occupational therapy’s scope, and demonstrated strong patient interviewing skills. They also learned from opportunities to explore future career possibilities, engage in interdisciplinary teamwork, and practice skills in a safe space. Occupational therapy programs have a relatively low rate of participation (12.7%) in SRFCs compared to other health professions nationally. However, occupational therapy and other health professional students report that occupational therapy student participation creates important educational opportunities. These opportunities may strengthen occupational therapy’s role in interprofessional team-based care, especially within the emerging practice area of primary care

Towards a Unified Quantum Protocol Framework: Classification, Implementation, and Use Cases

We present a framework for the unification and standardization of quantum network protocols, making their realization easier and expanding their use cases to a broader range of communities interested in quantum technologies. Our framework is available as an open-source repository, the Quantum Protocol Zoo. We follow a modular approach by identifying two key components: Functionality, which connects real-world applications; and Protocol, which is a set of instructions between two or many parties, at least one of which has a quantum device. Based on the different stages of the quantum internet and use-case in the commercialization of quantum communication, our framework classifies quantum cryptographic functionalities and the various protocol designs implementing these functionalities. Towards this classification, we introduce a novel concept of resource visualization for quantum protocols, which includes two interfaces: one to identify the building blocks for implementing a given protocol and another to identify accessible protocols when certain physical resources or functionalities are available. Such classification provides a hierarchy of quantum protocols based on their use-case and resource allocation. We have identified various valuable tools to improve its representation with a range of techniques, from abstract cryptography to graphical visualizations of the resource hierarchy in quantum networks. We elucidate the structure of the zoo and its primary features in this article to a broader class of quantum information scientists, physicists, computer science theorists and end-users. Since its introduction in 2018, the quantum protocol zoo has been a cornerstone in serving the quantum networks community in its ability to establish the use cases of emerging quantum internet networks. In that spirit we also provide some of the applications of our framework from different perspectives.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

The effect of the eight weeks of high intensity interval training and low intensity continuous training along with Citrus aurantium extract on tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 in soleus muscle tissue of aged female rats

immune system in elderly people. This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and low-intensity continuous training (LICT) along with Citrus aurantium (CA) extract on tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in soleus muscle tissue of aged female rats.  Materials and Methods: A total of 42 aged female rats were divided into (1) control (C), (2) LICT, (3) HIIT, (4) LICT+CA, (5) HIIT+CA, (6) CA, and (7) sham (normal-saline) groups. During eight weeks, HIIT was performed with an intensity of 85-90% of maximum speed and LICT with an intensity of 65% of maximum speed for five sessions per week, and 300 mg/kg/day of Citrus aurantium extract was daily intraperitoneally injected. The collected data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance with Tukey's post hoc statistical tests (P≤ 0.05). Results: TNF-α in LICT (P=0.001), HIIT+CA (P=0.004) and LICT+CA (P=0.007) groups were significantly lower than the C group. In the LICT group, TNF-α was significantly lower than the CA (P=0.001), HIIT (P=0.001), LICT+CA (P=0.02), and HIIT+CA (P=0.014) groups. It was also lower in the LICT+CA (P=0.007) and HIIT+CA (P=0.011) groups than the HIIT group. IL-6 levels in HIIT+CA group were significantly lower than the control group (P=0.02). Conclusion: It seems that the training (continuous and interval) along with CA extract has favorable effect on TNF-α compared to HIIT; however, investigating the mechanism of intensity and type of training as well as different dosage of CA on IL-6 requires further studies

Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions: Possibilities and Impossibilities

47 pages including the appendixPhysical Unclonable Functions (PUFs) are physical devices with unique behavior that are hard to clone. A variety of PUF schemes have been considered in theoretical studies as well as practical implementations of several security primitives such as identification and key generation. Recently, the inherent unclonability of quantum states has been exploited for defining (a partial) quantum analogue to classical PUFs (against limited adversaries). There are also a few proposals for quantum implementations of classical optical PUFs. However, none of these attempts provides a comprehensive study of Quantum Physical Unclonable Functions (QPUFs) with quantum cryptographic tools as we present in this paper. We formally define QPUFs, encapsulating all requirements of classical PUFs as well as introducing new ones inherent to the quantum setting such as testability. We develop a quantum game-based security framework for our analysis and define a new class of quantum attacks, called General Quantum Emulation Attack. This class of attacks exploits previously captured valid challenge-response pairs to emulate the action of an unknown quantum transformation on new input. We devise a concrete attack based on an existing quntum emulation algorithm and use it to show that a family of quantum cryptographic primitives that rely on unknown unitary transformations do not provide existential unforgeability while they provide selective unforgeability. Then, we express our results in the case of QPUF as an unknown unitary transformation