Discrete-Time Chaotic-Map Truly Random Number Generators: Design, Implementation, and Variability Analysis of the Zigzag Map

In this paper, we introduce a novel discrete chaotic map named zigzag map that demonstrates excellent chaotic behaviors and can be utilized in Truly Random Number Generators (TRNGs). We comprehensively investigate the map and explore its critical chaotic characteristics and parameters. We further present two circuit implementations for the zigzag map based on the switched current technique as well as the current-mode affine interpolation of the breakpoints. In practice, implementation variations can deteriorate the quality of the output sequence as a result of variation of the chaotic map parameters. In order to quantify the impact of variations on the map performance, we model the variations using a combination of theoretical analysis and Monte-Carlo simulations on the circuits. We demonstrate that even in the presence of the map variations, a TRNG based on the zigzag map passes all of the NIST 800-22 statistical randomness tests using simple post processing of the output data.Comment: To appear in Analog Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing (ALOG

Passive Remote Sensing of Lake Ice and Snow using Wideband Autocorrelation Radiometer (WiBAR).

Snow cover plays a vital role in providing the water supplies for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Conventionally, differential scatter darkening technique is used to detect the snow thickness. This technique is region specific and depends on the statistics of snow grain sizes. Ice formation process and ice thickness monitoring are important parameters in analyzing the overall pressure exerted to the off-shore structures such as wind farms. The traditional method for measuring the lake ice thickness is by a cumbersome drilling process through the ice. For future in-situ or remote planetary applications, the detection and analysis of ice sheets on or near the surface is one of the primary objectives of many planetary exploration missions. These applications demonstrate the requirement for an accurate remote sensing instrument, which can estimate the ice thickness without disturbing or breaking the ice. In this work, a novel microwave remote sensing technique to accurately estimate the thickness of any layered low-absorbing media including snow pack and fresh water ice using wideband autocorrelation radiometer (WiBAR) is presented. This technique relies on finding the autocorrelation response of the upwelling brightness temperature. The autocorrelation response provides enough information to estimate the microwave travel time delay of the doubly reflected thermal emission between the top and bottom interfaces an consequently the thickness of the snow or ice layer can be obtained. Several post processing techniques are developed to capture the periodicity of the ripples in the power spectral density domain. These techniques are capable of detecting very weak ripples deeply buried under noise. A compressive sensing based algorithm is also developed for detecting the thickness of ice/snow layers using 1/10 of the Nyquist rate samples. We have successfully designed, implemented, and tested a handheld ground base ice/snow thickness sensor in the frequency range of 1-3GHz or 7-10GHz under several scenarios including snow on top of undulated and vegetation covered terrain, ice over the lake water, air gap above a water surface and below a dielectric sheet, and snow cover under the forest canopy in the presence of radio frequency interference (RFI) with accuracy of within 1.5cm.PhDElectrical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110419/1/hnejati_1.pd

A New Approach for Measurement of Tensile Strength of Concrete

Tensile strength is one of the important mechanical properties of concrete. Indirect methods have been used up till now for its measurement. These methods though widely accepted, do not furnish the true tensile strength of concrete. In this paper, a compression to tensile load transformer device is developed to determine direct tensile strength of concrete. The cubic concrete samples with dimension of 15*19*6 cm containing internal hole with dimension of 75mm is prepared using the mixture of cement, fine sand and water. This model is subjected to direct tensile loading by special loading device. A series of finite element analysis were performed using FRANC2D to analyse the effect of hole diameter on the stress concentration around the hole and to render a suitable criteria for determination of real tensile strength of concrete. Concurrent with direct tensile test, Brazilian test is performed to compare the results of two methods. Results obtained by this test are quite encouraging and shows that the direct tensile strength is clearly lower than the Brazilian test. The dierence between the Brazilian and direct tensile strengths is about 33%

Quality of life in the Iranian Blind War Survivors in 2007: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quality of Life measurements are necessary tools for effectively evaluating health services. In the population of patients afflicted with war-related blindness in Iran, such measurements have yet to be documented and utilized. "The design and implementation of this study involved the determination of a baseline score for QOL in a population of Iranian blinded in the Iraq-Iran war in order to facilitate the design of interventions intended to improve the population's QOL."</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional study of a representative population of 250 war victims blind in both eyes at a 14-day recreational conference.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Participants had a mean age of 43.20(SD8.34) and their composition was 96.5% male and 3.5% female with a mean SF-36 QOL score of 59.20(SD22.80). An increasing level of education among the participants correlated with a higher QOL score (p = 0.006). The QOL also has a significant correlation to number of injuries (p < 0.0001). High systolic and diastolic blood pressure, hearing loss, and tinnitus had negative individual correlations to QOL (p = 0.016, 0.016, 0.005, p < 0.0001). The male sexual disorders of erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation both had significant correlations to QOL (p = 0.026, p < 0.0001). Hypercholesterolemia showed significant correlation to QOL (p = 0.021).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>As blind war survivors' age, they will present with a greater set of burdens despite their relatively better QOL in the physical component scale when compared with lower limb amputees. Risk factors of cardiovascular attack such as high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia were present and need future interventions.</p> <p>Key words</p> <p>Quality of life, blindness, SF36, health</p

High dose vitamin D supplementation can improve menstrual problems, dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome in adolescents

Vitamin D has a crucial role in female reproduction, possibly through its effects on calcium homeostasis, cyclic sex steroid hormone fluctuations, or neurotransmitter function. We have assessed the effects of vitamin D supplementation on dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in adolescents. In this study, 897 adolescent girls living in Mashhad and Sabzevar, Iran, received 9 high-dose vitamin D supplements (as 50000 IU/ week of cholecalciferol) and were followed up over 9 weeks. We evaluated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on individuals in 4 categories: those with only PMS; individuals with only dysmenorrhea; subjects with both PMS and dysmenorrhea and normal subjects. The prevalence of PMS after the intervention fell from 14.9% to 4.8% (P<0.001). Similar results were also found for the prevalence of subjects with dysmenorrhea (35.9% reduced to 32.4%), and in subjects with both PMS and dysmenorrhea (32.7% reduced 25.7%). Vitamin D supplementation was associated with a reduction in the incidence of several symptoms of PMS such as backache and tendency to cry easily as well decrement in pain severity of dysmenorrhea (P<0.05). High dose vitamin D supplementation can reduced the prevalence of PMS and dysmenorrhea as well has positive effects on the physical and psychological symptoms of PMS

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe