A Practical Quantum Bit Commitment Protocol

In this paper, we introduce a new quantum bit commitment protocol which is practically secure against entanglement attacks. A general cheating strategy is discussed and shown to be practically ineffective against the proposed approach

Relationship between Atomic Structure, Composition, and Dielectric Constant in Zr-SiO2 Glasses

[EN]Computational methods, or computer-aided material design (CAMD), used for the analysis and design of materials have a relatively long history. However, the applicability of CAMD has been limited by the scales of computational resources generally available in the past. The surge in computational power seen in recent years is enabling the applicability of CAMD to unprecedented levels. Here, we focus on the CAMD for materials critical for the continued advancement of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) semiconductor technology. In particular, we apply CAMD to the engineering of high-permittivity dielectric materials. We developed a Reax forcefield that includes Si, O, Zr, and H. We used this forcefield in a series of simulations to compute the static dielectric constant of silica glasses for low Zr concentration using a classical molecular dynamics approach. Our results are compared against experimental values. Not only does our work reveal numerical estimations on ZrO2-doped silica dielectrics, it also provides a foundation and demonstration of how CAMD can enable the engineering of materials of critical importance for advanced CMOS technology nodes.This research was enabled in part by support provided by Compute Canada (www.computecanada.ca). Computations were performed on the Niagara supercomputer at the SciNet HPC Consortium. SciNet is funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Government of Ontario, Ontario Research Fund.Research Excellence, and the University of Toronto

Prognostic significance of endogenous adhesion/growth-regulatory lectins in lung cancer

Objective: To determine the expression of endogenous adhesion/growth-regulatory lectins and their binding sites using labeled tissue lectins as well as the binding profile of hyaluronic acid as an approach to define new prognostic markers. Methods: Sections of paraffin-embedded histological material of 481 lungs from lung tumor patients following radical lung excision processed by a routine immunohistochemical method (avidin-biotin labeling, DAB chromogen). Specific antibodies against galectins-1 and - 3 and the heparin-binding lectin were tested. Staining by labeled galectins and hyaluronic acid was similarly visualized by a routine protocol. After semiquantitative assessment of staining, the results were compared with the pT and pN stages and the histological type. Survival was calculated by univariate and multivariate methods. Results: Binding of galectin-1 and its expression tended to increase, whereas the parameters for galectin-3 decreased in advanced pT and pN stages at a statistically significant level. The number of positive cases was considerably smaller among the cases with small cell lung cancer than in the group with non-small-cell lung cancer, among which adenocarcinomas figured prominently with the exception of galectin-1 expression. Kaplan-Meier computations revealed that the survival rate of patients with galectin-3-binding or galectin-1-expressing tumors was significantly poorer than that of the negative cases. In the multivariate calculations of survival lymph node metastases ( p < 0.0001), histological type ( p = 0.003), galectin-3-binding capacity ( p = 0.01), galectin-3 expression ( p = 0.03) and pT status ( p = 0.003) proved to be independent prognostic factors, not correlated with the pN stage. Conclusion: The expression and the capacity to bind the adhesion/growth regulatory galectin-3 is defined as an unfavorable prognostic factor not correlated with the pTN stage. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

An investigation of age-causing molecular phenomena at the gate-dielectric channel interface of MOSFET devices

Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) scaling has led to numerous reliability challenges. A major source of such challenges is the molecular phenomena at the channel/dielectric interface in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFET). In this work, MOSFET dielectric/channel interface is investigated, and hydrogen diffusion as the cause behind one of the major MOSFET reliability issues (namely NBTI) is characterized. Within the realm of device simulation, classical molecular dynamics bridges the gap between accurate but complex quantum chemical methods and crude but straightforward statistical/Monte-Carlo methods. In particular, classical molecular dynamics alongside customized forcefield parameters were used to study hydrogen dissociation and diffusion at the silicon/ silicon dioxide interface. Such processes govern BTI-like MOSFET aging. For the first time, a full molecular-level characterization of hydrogen dissociation and diffusion at the gate-dielectric/channel interface was developed. We also showed how some mechanical alterations may improve the MOSFET devices resilience to longterm NBTI aging. Further, new forcefield parameters were developed and used to predict some of the characteristics of high-k dielectrics and their interface with silicon dioxide. This work sets the grounds for a systematic, simulation-driven approach towards engineering reliable nano-scale MOSFET devices.Applied Science, Faculty ofElectrical and Computer Engineering, Department ofGraduat

Simultaneous Actuator Fault Estimation and Fault-tolerant Tracking Control for Multi-agent Systems: A Sliding-mode Observer-based Approach

This study is concerned with the design of a distributed simultaneous fault estimation and fault-tolerant control scheme for linear multi-agent systems subject to actuator faults. For each agent, a sliding-mode observer-based estimator/controller module is proposed that uses the available local relative output measurements and the information transmitted from the neighboring agents. By considering the (Formula presented.) performance index and using the linear matrix inequality technique, the parameters of the observers are designed such that the fault estimation is robust against disturbances and at the same time, a robust leader-following mission in the presence of actuator fault is guaranteed. As the fault estimator and fault tolerant controller are integrated in the proposed strategy, there is no need for separate design of these units. Moreover, the proposed method improves the existing fault estimation techniques in terms of both complexity and performance. Two simulation examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology.Scopu

Actuator Fault Estimation for Multi-agent Systems: A Sliding-mode Observer-based Approach

This study is concerned with the design of a distributed fault estimation scheme for linear multi-agent systems subject to actuator faults. For each agent, a sliding-mode observer-based estimator module is proposed that uses the available local relative output measurements and the information transmitted from the neighboring agents. By considering the H? performance index and using the linear matrix inequality technique, the parameters of the observers are designed such that the fault estimation is robust against disturbances. The proposed method improves the existing fault estimation techniques in terms of both complexity and performance. A simulation example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. - 2019 IEEE.Scopu

Distributed simultaneous fault detection and leader-following consensus control for multi-agent systems

In this paper, the problem of distributed simultaneous fault detection and leader-following consensus control (SFDLCC) in a multi-agent network is investigated. In the proposed method, instead of designing two separate units for fault detection and control objectives, a single module is used that conducts both tasks. Based on the extended linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, an SFDLCC module is designed for each agent which utilizes both the data received from the neighboring agents as well as the available local relative measurements. The SFDLCC unit in each agent generates both the control input and the residual signal such that the effect of the unknown inputs including faults, disturbances and noises on the tracking error and the effect of disturbances and noises on the residual signal are attenuated using finite frequency H? performance index. On the other hand, the effect of fault inputs on the residual signals is enhanced using the finite frequency H? performance index. Moreover, in the proposed algorithm, the group can not only isolate the faulty agent but also determine whether the fault is in the sensors or actuators. Finally, to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a simulation study is provided.Scopu