Performance Analysis and Optimization of the Winnow Secret Key Reconciliation Protocol

Currently, private communications in public and government sectors rely on methods of cryptographic key distribution that will likely be rendered obsolete the moment a full-scale quantum computer is realized, or efficient classical methods of factoring are discovered. There are alternative methods for distributing secret key material in a post-quantum era. One example of a system capable of securely distributing cryptographic key material, known as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), is secure against quantum factorization techniques as its security rests on generally accepted laws of quantum physics. QKD protocols typically include a phase called Error Reconciliation, a clear-text classical-channel discussion between legitimate parties of a QKD protocol by which errors introduced in the quantum channel are corrected and the legitimate parties ensure they share identical key material. This work improves one such reconciliation protocol, called Winnow, by examining block-size choices for Winnow and thus increasing QKD key rate. Block sizes are chosen to maximize the probability that each block contains exactly one error. Further analyses of Winnow are provided to characterize the effects of different error distributions on protocol operation and shed light on the time and communication complexities of the Winnow secret key reconciliation protocol

Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide

Coral reef restoration is a rapidly growing movement galvanized by the accelerating degradation of the world's tropical coral reefs. The need for concerted and collaborative action focused on the recovery of coral reef ecosystems coalesced in the creation of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) in 2017. In March 2020, the CRC leadership team met for a biennial review of international coral reef restoration efforts and a discussion of perceived knowledge and implementation bottlenecks that may impair scalability and efficacy. Herein we present six priorities wherein the CRC will foster scientific advancement and collaboration to: (1) increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment; (2) scale up larval-based coral restoration efforts, emphasizing recruit health, growth, and survival; (3) ensure restoration of threatened coral species proceeds within a population-genetics management context; (4) support a holistic approach to coral reef ecosystem restoration; (5) develop and promote the use of standardized terms and metrics for coral reef restoration; and (6) support coral reef restoration practitioners working in diverse geographic locations. These priorities are not exhaustive nor do we imply that accomplishing these tasks alone will be sufficient to restore coral reefs globally; rather these are topics where we feel the CRC community of practice can make timely and significant contributions to facilitate the growth of coral reef restoration as a practical conservation strategy. The goal for these collective actions is to provide tangible, local-scale advancements in reef condition that offset declines resulting from local and global stressors including climate change

Six priorities to advance the science and practice of coral reef restoration worldwide

Coral reef restoration is a rapidly growing movement galvanized by the accelerating degradation of the world's tropical coral reefs. The need for concerted and collaborative action focused on the recovery of coral reef ecosystems coalesced in the creation of the Coral Restoration Consortium (CRC) in 2017. In March 2020, the CRC leadership team met for a biennial review of international coral reef restoration efforts and a discussion of perceived knowledge and implementation bottlenecks that may impair scalability and efficacy. Herein we present six priorities wherein the CRC will foster scientific advancement and collaboration to: (1) increase restoration efficiency, focusing on scale and cost-effectiveness of deployment; (2) scale up larval-based coral restoration efforts, emphasizing recruit health, growth, and survival; (3) ensure restoration of threatened coral species proceeds within a population-genetics management context; (4) support a holistic approach to coral reef ecosystem restoration; (5) develop and promote the use of standardized terms and metrics for coral reef restoration; and (6) support coral reef restoration practitioners working in diverse geographic locations. These priorities are not exhaustive nor do we imply that accomplishing these tasks alone will be sufficient to restore coral reefs globally; rather these are topics where we feel the CRC community of practice can make timely and significant contributions to facilitate the growth of coral reef restoration as a practical conservation strategy. The goal for these collective actions is to provide tangible, local-scale advancements in reef condition that offset declines resulting from local and global stressors including climate change

Foreign policy and globalization theory: The case of Israel

Since the early 1990s, international relations has witnessed a stimulating debate on globalization. This debate laid the foundations for globalization theory (GT), providing the tools for an empirical examination of the globalization of multiple activities: from politics and organized violence, to finance, trade and production, through culture and environmental degradation. However, examination of what appear to be the best-known works on globalization reveals that foreign policy has been virtually excluded from GT. In this context, based on what is described here as a synergistic transformationalist approach (STA) to globalization, I provide a critique of GT. The critique is geared towards examining why foreign policy hitherto has been overlooked by contemporary GT. I expose the problems this generates and address them by exploring how STA enables GT to incorporate foreign policy. I use the case of Israel heuristically to elicit how incorporating foreign policy into GT may provide a better understanding of the relationship between foreign policy and globalization. Three themes are highlighted: the role of foreign policy in inducing and reproducing globalization; determining the mutually constitutive relationship between globalization and the state; and shaping the interfacing between international politics and globalization

Extensive transcriptional variation poses a challenge to thermal stress biomarker development for endangered corals

As climate changes, sea surface temperature anomalies that negatively impact coral reef organisms continue to increase in frequency and intensity. Yet, despite widespread coral mortality, genetic diversity remains high even in those coral species listed as threatened. While this is good news in many ways it presents a challenge for the development of biomarkers that can identify resilient or vulnerable genotypes. Taking advantage of three coral restoration nurseries in Florida that serve as long-term common garden experiments, we exposed over thirty genetically distinct Acropora cervicornis colonies to hot and cold temperature shocks seasonally and measured pooled gene expression responses using RNAseq. Targeting a subset of twenty genes, we designed a high-throughput qPCR array to quantify expression in all individuals separately under each treatment with the goal of identifying thermal stress biomarkers. We observed extensive transcriptional variation in the population, suggesting abundant raw material is available for adaptation via natural selection. However, this high variation made it difficult to correlate gene expression changes with colony performance metrics such as growth, mortality, and bleaching susceptibility. Nevertheless, we identified several promising biomarkers for acute thermal stress that may improve coral restoration and climate change mitigation efforts in the future.</jats:p

Acropora Cervicornis Data Coordination Hub, an Open Access Database for Evaluating Genet Performance

Once one of the predominant reef-building corals in the region, Acropora cervicornis is now a focal species of coral restoration efforts in Florida and the western Caribbean. Scientists and restoration practitioners have been independently collecting phenotypic data on genets of A. cervicornis grown in restoration nurseries. While these data are important for understanding the intraspecific response to varying environmental conditions, and thus the potential genetic contribution to phenotypic variation, in isolation these observations are of limited use for large-scale, multi- institution restoration efforts that are becoming increasingly necessary. Here, we present the Acropora cervicornis Data Coordination Hub, a web-accessible relational database to align disparate datasets to compare genet-specific performance. In this data descriptor, we release data for 248 genets evaluated across 38 separate traits. We present a framework to align datasets with the ultimate goal of facilitating informed, data-driven restoration throughout the Caribbean