Highly Reliable Quadruple-Node Upset-Tolerant D-Latch

This work was supported in part by the Spanish MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER under Grant PID2020-117344RB-I00, and in part by the Regional Government under Grant P20_00265 and Grant P20_00633.As CMOS technology scaling pushes towards the reduction of the length of transistors, electronic circuits face numerous reliability issues, and in particular nodes of D-latches at nano-scale confront multiple-node upset errors due to their operation in harsh radiative environments. In this manuscript, a new high reliable D-latch which can tolerate quadruple-node upsets is presented. The design is based on a low-cost single event double-upset tolerant (LSEDUT) cell and a clock-gating triple-level soft-error interceptive module (CG-SIM). Due to its LSEDUT base, it can tolerate two upsets, but the combination of two LSEDUTs and the triple-level CG-SIM provides the proposed D-latch with remarkable quadruple-node upsets (QNU) tolerance. Applying LSEDUTs for designing a QNU-tolerant D-latch improves considerably its features; in particular, this approach enhances its reliability against process variations, such as threshold voltage and (W/L) transistor variability, compared to previous QNU-tolerant D-latches and double-node-upset tolerant latches. Furthermore, the proposed D-latch not only tolerates QNUs, but it also features a clear advantage in comparison with the previous clock gating-based quadruple-node-upset-tolerant (QNUTL-CG) D-latch: it can mask single event transients. Speci c gures of merit endorse the gains introduced by the new design: compared with the QNUTL-CG D-latch, the improvements of the maximum standard deviations of the gate delay, induced by threshold voltage and (W/L) transistors variability of the proposed D-latch, are 13.8% and 5.7%, respectively. Also, the proposed D-latch has 23% lesser maximum standard deviation in power consumption, resulting from threshold voltage variability, when compared to the QNUTL-CG D-latch.Spanish MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER under Grant PID2020-117344RB-I00Regional Government under Grant P20_00265 and Grant P20_0063

Efficient Implementation on Low-Cost SoC-FPGAs of TLSv1.2 Protocol with ECC_AES Support for Secure IoT Coordinators

Security management for IoT applications is a critical research field, especially when taking into account the performance variation over the very different IoT devices. In this paper, we present high-performance client/server coordinators on low-cost SoC-FPGA devices for secure IoT data collection. Security is ensured by using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol based on the TLS_ECDHE_ECDSA_WITH_AES_128_CBC_SHA256 cipher suite. The hardware architecture of the proposed coordinators is based on SW/HW co-design, implementing within the hardware accelerator core Elliptic Curve Scalar Multiplication (ECSM), which is the core operation of Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems (ECC). Meanwhile, the control of the overall TLS scheme is performed in software by an ARM Cortex-A9 microprocessor. In fact, the implementation of the ECC accelerator core around an ARM microprocessor allows not only the improvement of ECSM execution but also the performance enhancement of the overall cryptosystem. The integration of the ARM processor enables to exploit the possibility of embedded Linux features for high system flexibility. As a result, the proposed ECC accelerator requires limited area, with only 3395 LUTs on the Zynq device used to perform high-speed, 233-bit ECSMs in 413 µs, with a 50 MHz clock. Moreover, the generation of a 384-bit TLS handshake secret key between client and server coordinators requires 67.5 ms on a low cost Zynq 7Z007S device

An Innovative Strategy Based on Secure Element for Cyber–Physical Authentication in Safety-Critical Manufacturing Supply Chain

This research has been founded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation program under grant agreement No. 871518, a project named, A COmprehensive cyber-intelligence framework for resilient coLLABorative manufacturing Systems, COLLABS [55].The accurate tracking of every production step and related outcome in a supply chain is a stringent requirement in safety-critical sectors such as civil aviation. In such a framework, trusted traceability and accountability can be reliably and securely managed by means of blockchain-based solutions. Unfortunately, blockchain cannot guarantee the provenance and accuracy of the stored information. To overcome such a limitation, this paper proposes a secure solution to strongly rely on the tracking information of the physical assets in the supply chain. The proposed solution exploits Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) to provide required cryptographic primitives through a Near-Field Communication (NFC) connection. In our approach, each transfer of the assets is authenticated, verified, and recorded in the blockchain through the HSM. Transaction entries are signed, thus providing a guarantee of ownership and authenticity. The proposed infrastructure has been subject of an exhaustive security analysis and proved resilient against counterfeiting attempts, stakeholder repudiations, and misleading information.Horizon 2020 Framework Programme 871518 H202

The neotropical Gran Sabana region: palaeoecology and conservation

The Gran Sabana (GS) is a key region for understanding the origin of neotropical savannas and is an ideal location to test ecological hypotheses on long-term vegetation dynamics under the action of natural and anthropogenic drivers. The conservation of the GS is a controversial issue because of the confluence of disparate cultural and socio-economic interests, with a strong debate surrounding fire practices by indigenous people. Late glacial to Holocene pollen and charcoal records obtained thus far in this region have documented the main palaeoecological trends along with the climatic and anthropogenic (mostly fire) drivers involved. Here we discuss how these records can be used to inform conservation and restoration practices in the GS. The main points of the discussion are the local vs. regional character of palaeoecological evidence, the support provided by this evidence for the existing fire management proposals and the role of spatiotemporal environmental and ecological heterogeneity in the definition and evaluation of realistic restoration targets. A general conclusion is that past ecological reconstructions do not fully support either of the current options for fire management, i.e., either total fire suppression or the continuity of indigenous fire practices. It is recommended to replace this dual and rigid conservation framework with a more diverse and flexible approach that considers the complex spatiotemporal heterogeneity documented in palaeoecological records

Control System in Open-Source FPGA for a Self-Balancing Robot

Computing in technological applications is typically performed with software running on general-purpose microprocessors, such as the Computer Processing Unit (CPU), or specific ones, like the Graphical Processing Unit (GPU). Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are an interesting option when speed and reliability are required, but development costs are usually high. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) combine the flexibility of software with the high-speed operation of hardware, and can keep costs low. The dominant FPGA infrastructure is proprietary, but open tools have greatly improved and are a growing trend, from which robotics can benefit. This paper presents a robotics application that was fully developed using open FPGA tools. An inverted pendulum robot was designed, built, and programmed using open FPGA tools, such as IceStudio and the IceZum Alhambra board, which integrates the iCE40HX4K-TQ144 from Lattice. The perception from an inertial sensor is used in a PD control algorithm that commands two DC motors. All the modules were synthesized in an FPGA as a proof of concept. Its experimental validation shows good behavior and performance.This work was partially funded by the Community of Madrid through the RoboCity2030-III project (S2013/MIT-2748) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the RETOGAR project (TIN2016-76515-R)

Neotropical vegetation responses to Younger Dryas climates as analogs for future climate change scenarios and lessons for conservation.

The Younger Dryas (YD) climatic reversal (12.86-11.65 cal ky BP), especially the warming initiated at ∼12.6 cal ky BP, and the associated vegetation changes have been proposed as past analogs to forecast the potential vegetation responses to future global warming. In this paper, we applied this model to highland and midland Neotropical localities. We used pollen analysis of lake sediments to record vegetation responses to YD climatic changes, which are reconstructed from independent paleoclimatic proxies such as the Mg/Ca ratio on foraminiferal tests and Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) for paleotemperature, and grayscale density and Titanium content for paleoprecipitation. Paleoclimatic reconstructions at both highlands and midlands showed a clear YD signal with a conspicuous warming extending into the early Holocene. A small percentage of taxa resulted to be sensitive to these YD climate changes. Response lags were negligible at the resolution of the study. However, changes in the sensitive taxa were relevant enough to determine changes in biodiversity and taxonomic composition. Highland vegetation experienced mainly intra-community reorganizations, whereas midland vegetation underwent major changes leading to community substitutions. This was explained in terms of threshold-crossing non-linear responses in which the coupling of climatic and other forcings (fire) was proposed as the main driving mechanism. Paleoecology provides meaningful insights on the responses of highland and midland Neotropical vegetation to the YD climatic reversal. Biotic responses at both individual (species) and collective (assemblage) levels showed patterns and processes of vegetation change useful to understand its ecological dynamics, as well as the mechanisms and external drivers involved. The use of paleoecological methods to document the biotic responses to the YD climate shifts can be useful to help forecasting the potential consequences of future global warming. Due to its quasi-global character, the YD reversal emerges as a well suited candidate for providing useful insights of global scope by analyzing the corresponding biotic responses virtually at any geographical and biological setting

Blockchain-Based Services Implemented in a Microservices Architecture Using a Trusted Platform Module Applied to Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Microservice architectures exploit container-based virtualized services, which rarely use hardware-based cryptography. A trusted platform module (TPM) offers a hardware root for trust in services that makes use of cryptographic operations. The virtualization of this hardware module offers high usability for other types of service that require TPM functionalities. This paper proposes the design of TPM virtualization in a container. To ensure integrity, different mechanisms, such as attestation and sealing, have been developed for the binaries and libraries stored in the container volumes. Through a REST API, the container offers the functionalities of a TPM, such as key generation and signing. To prevent unauthorized access to the container, this article proposes an authentication mechanism based on tokens issued by the Cognito Amazon Web Service. As a proof of concept and applicability in industry, a use case for electric vehicle charging stations using a microservice-based architecture is proposed. Using the EOS.IO blockchain to maintain a copy of the data, the virtualized TPM microservice provides the cryptographic operations necessary for blockchain transactions. Through a two-factor authentication mechanism, users can access the data. This scenario shows the potential of using blockchain technologies in microservice-based architectures, where microservices such as the virtualized TPM fill a security gap in these architectures.Infineon TechnologiesProgram “Digitalisierung der EnergiewendeBundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und EnergieTrusted Blockchains fur das offene, intelligente Energienetz der Zukunft (tbiEnergy)FKZ 03EI6029DEuropean Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) program under Grant Agreement No 101092950 (EDGELESS project)FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Transformacion Economica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades under Project B-TIC-588-UGR20

Low-Cost Soft Error Robust Hardened D-Latch for CMOS Technology Circuit

In this paper, a Soft Error Hardened D-latch with improved performance is proposed, also featuring Single Event Upset (SEU) and Single Event Transient (SET) immunity. This novel D-latch can tolerate particles as charge injection in different internal nodes, as well as the input and output nodes. The performance of the new circuit has been assessed through different key parameters, such as power consumption, delay, Power-Delay Product (PDP) at various frequencies, voltage, temperature, and process variations. A set of simulations has been set up to benchmark the new proposed D-latch in comparison to previous D-latches, such as the Static D-latch, TPDICE-based D-latch, LSEH-1 and DICE D-latches. A comparison between these simulations proves that the proposed D-latch not only has a better immunity, but also features lower power consumption, delay, PDP, and area footprint. Moreover, the impact of temperature and process variations, such as aspect ratio (W/L) and threshold voltage transistor variability, on the proposed D-latch with regard to previous D-latches is investigated. Specifically, the delay and PDP of the proposed D-latch improves by 60.3% and 3.67%, respectively, when compared to the reference Static D-latch. Furthermore, the standard deviation of the threshold voltage transistor variability impact on the delay improved by 3.2%, while its impact on the power consumption improves by 9.1%. Finally, it is shown that the standard deviation of the (W/L) transistor variability on the power consumption is improved by 56.2%

Discriminant ability for caries risk of modified colorimetric tests

Objetive: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the caries risk in children over a two-year period and their baseline caries status, salivary levels of mutans streptococci and lactobacilli, and results of the Alban test and modifications thereof using different substrates. Study design: Ninety-five children aged 6-7 were examined in Granada (southern Spain) for dental caries at baseline and every six months. Stimulated saliva was sampled and inoculated in 7 colorimetric tests based on Snyder's medium with different sugars and polyalcohols. A mutans streptococci and lactobacilli count was performed (Dentocult SM strip® and Dentocult LB®). Caries risk proportions were contrasted against the potential predictor variables, i.e., basal caries history and salivary tests, by means of the Mantel Haenszel test for linear association, based on a chi-square distribution with 1 degree of freedom (df). Results: Caries index, lactobacillus count and colorimetric tests showed significant, but limited, and non-different discriminant abilities. Increasing values of all predictor variables, except for Dentocult SM®, were related to increasing caries risk proportions. Conclusion: Colorimetric test results and caries history showed similar correlation values as caries predictors. © Medicina Oral S. L