Quantum cryptography: a practical information security perspective

Quantum Key Exchange (QKE, also known as Quantum Key Distribution or QKD) allows communicating parties to securely establish cryptographic keys. It is a well-established fact that all QKE protocols require that the parties have access to an authentic channel. Without this authenticated link, QKE is vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Overlooking this fact results in exaggerated claims and/or false expectations about the potential impact of QKE. In this paper we present a systematic comparison of QKE with traditional key establishment protocols in realistic secure communication systems.Comment: 5 pages, new title, published version, minor changes onl

Competitiveness through responsible supply chains and resource efficiency: a regional outlook

This report describes an independent analysis by the University of Derby Business School (DBS) of surveys conducted by the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce (EMCC) in 2017 and 2015. Whilst the surveys were part of the EMCC’s routine quarterly engagement with local businesses that dealt with a range of traditional business interests, this analysis focuses upon a series of questions that addressed companies’ awareness and engagement with resource efficiency and the degree to which they supply and benefit from low carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS). Respondents to the EMCC survey were evenly balanced across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and the three major cities therein. Similarly, there was a good balance between SMEs and larger businesses represented in the survey sample. The study shows that the number of businesses supplying low carbon and environmental goods and services (LCEGS) across the East Midlands is growing - with 24% of companies surveyed by EMCC in 2017 deriving some degree of turnover from LCEGS, compared with 16% in 2015. 12% of businesses surveyed generated more than 20% of their turnover from LCEGS in 2017, compared with only 8% of business in this category in 2015. According to the survey data, micro and small sized businesses have shown the greatest growth in LCEGS sector activity between 2015-2017. Both these categories of businesses show a significant increase in the number of businesses generating a proportion of their turnover from LCEGS (8.8% and 9.1% respectively). On the other hand, slightly more medium-sized businesses in 2017 said they derived no turnover from LCEGS (81.4%) compared with 2015 (79.7%). Whilst none of the large businesses in the sample generated their entire turnover from LCEGS in 2017, they increased the proportion of their LCEGS turnover in the 20-49% and 50-79% categories (by 9.6% and 6.1% respectively). Countering this trend, however, was a 2.6% decrease in large businesses deriving 80-100% of turnover from LCEGS. The three top manufacturing sectors in the region by contribution to the LCEGS sector in both 2015 and 2017 samples are: construction, engineering & manufacturing and the energy and water supply sectors. The top three services sectors across the region, by their contribution to the LCEGS sector are: professional services, transport and logistics, and retail sectors. Compared with other key sectors in the region, the construction sector alongside energy and water services derive the largest proportion of turnover from LCEGS. However, engineering & manufacture, transport & logistics, retail and professional services companies are all showing significant growth in LCEGS business. On average, in 2017 manufacturing sector companies generated more annual turnover from LCEGS than companies operating in the services sector. This is a 20% improvement on 2015 figures, which indicate that over the last two years more and more regional businesses in the manufacturing sectors successfully supply LCEGS. Businesses operating in the various services sector are significantly lagging behind this trend with little increase in the supply of low carbon environmental services over the last two years.N/

Behavioural competencies of sustainability leaders: An empirical investigation

Purpose: Our world faces greater environmental, social and governance challenges than ever before and a growing number of organisations are establishing sustainability functions, strategies and plans in an effort to address these complex issues. However, limited research exists on the critical behavioural competencies required to maximise leadership impact on sustainability initiatives. With the stakes so high and the task so complex, this empirical study identifies key behavioural competencies of corporate sustainability leaders and sets out a model for assessing these behavioural competencies. Design: Based on a review of the empirical literature, the study sets out five competency groupings, which informed a hypothesis. This was tested quantitatively via a self-report tool that enabled a quantitative analysis of behavioural competencies. Contributions from 97 participants were triangulated with data collected from colleagues who rated the participants on the same set of competencies. Findings: Ten critical and ten prominent behaviours of Sustainability Leaders in five competency groupings were idenified. The analysis also explored how the business sector, location, years of experience and level of qualification impacted upon the sample Sustainability Leaders’ perceived effectiveness. Research limitiation/implications: The sample size means that the competency model derived from the findings should be seen as propositional and requiring further validation. Impact measures would add considerable robustness to the findings. Practical implications: The research offers a means to better focus and tailor leadership development experiences and as a tool for the recruitment of Sustainability Leaders. Originality/value: The study is based on a robust quantitative approach, and the behavioural competency model developed as a result provides a tool for Sustainability Leaders to map current behaviours and monitor their progress over time. Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; sustainability; leadership; behavioural competency; leadership development Paper type: Research paperN/

ImpaCT2: learning at home and school: case studies

Strand 3 explored the nature of teaching and learning involving ICT in various settings, with a focus on the views of pupils, teachers, and parents. Working in 15 of the 60 schools selected for Strands 1 and 2, this project focused on: learning and teaching environments; learning and teaching styles; and the impact of networked technologies on the perceptions of teachers, managers, pupils and parents. ImpaCT2 was a major longitudinal study (1999-2002) involving 60 schools in England, its aims were to: identify the impact of networked technologies on the school and out-of-school environment; determine whether or not this impact affected the educational attainment of pupils aged 8 - 16 years (at Key Stages 2, 3, and 4); and provide information that would assist in the formation of national, local and school policies on the deployment of ICT

Green Jobs and Green Skills in the East Midlands

This Race to Zero White Paper explores the different definitions of ‘green jobs’ and ‘green skills’ and sets out what we know about the current state of ‘green collar’ jobs in the East Midlands and how the University of Derby is supporting the shift towards a sustainable economy.N/

The influence of policy, public service and local politics on the shift to a low carbon economy in the East Midlands.

This chapter charts the shift from sustainable development policy drivers, through the emergence of climate policy and its impact on public service managers, to the more recent development of low-carbon policy. We also explore the relationship between local business, the local political ‘regime’, the national and European political ‘landscape’ and implications for local actors in the East Midlands; arguing that while low-carbon policy might be more in tune with political realities than attempts at wholesale reductions of carbon emissions, it has brought into question the viability of existing carbon reduction targets. In doing this, we explore the tensions between the ‘grand challenge’ of climate change, the difficult details of policy implementation and the pragmatic reality of business practice.N/

Pro-environmental business and clean growth trends for the East Midlands 2020

Based on responses to the East Midlands Chamber (EMC) Quarterly Economic Survey (Feb 2020): The percentage of businesses in the East Midlands deriving turnover from low carbon and pro-environmental goods and services has nearly doubled between 2015 and 2020: increasing from 16% in 2015 to 31% in 2020. 36% of businesses say their environmental strategy is strongly linked with their business growth strategy. However, four in ten firms do not feel well informed about support for clean growth and more than a quarter (26%) are not engaging with the clean growth agenda.East Midlands Chambe

Electrically tunable laser based on oblique heliconical cholesteric liquid crystal

Acknowledgments We are grateful to V. A. Belyakov and S. V. Shiyanovskii for useful discussions and to G. Cukrov for the measurements of refractive indices. CB9CB was synthesized by the Organic Synthesis Facility at the Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State University. This work was supported by National Science Foundation DMR 1410378.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

‘Priming’ exercise and O2 uptake kinetics during treadmill running

We tested the hypothesis that priming exercise would speed kinetics during treadmill running. Eight subjects completed a square-wave protocol, involving two bouts of treadmill running at 70% of the difference between the running speeds at lactate threshold (LT) and max, separated by 6-min of walking at 4 km h−1, on two occasions. Oxygen uptake was measured breath-by-breath and subsequently modelled using non-linear regression techniques. Heart rate and blood lactate concentration were significantly elevated prior to the second exercise bout compared to the first. However, kinetics was not significantly different between the first and second exercise bouts (mean ± S.D., phase II time constant, Bout 1: 16 ± 3 s vs. Bout 2: 16 ± 4 s; slow component amplitude, Bout 1: 0.24 ± 0.10 L min−1vs. Bout 2: 0.20 ± 0.12 L min−1; mean response time, Bout 1: 34 ± 4 s vs. Bout 2: 34 ± 6 s; P > 0.05 for all comparisons). These results indicate that, contrary to previous findings with other exercise modalities, priming exercise does not alter kinetics during high-intensity treadmill running, at least in physically active young subjects. We speculate that the relatively fast kinetics and the relatively small slow component in the control (‘un-primed’) condition negated any enhancement of kinetics by priming exercise in this exercise modality