Kent State University

About: Kent State University is a education organization based out in Kent, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Liquid crystal & Population. The organization has 10897 authors who have published 24607 publications receiving 720309 citations. The organization is also known as: Kent State & KSU.

RFID security without extensive cryptography

Abstract: A Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) allows effective identification of a large number of tagged objects without physical or visual contact. RFID systems are a promising technology for supply chain management and inventory control. As individual item tagging becomes a reality, privacy concerns over RFID use come to the fore. The shared radio medium allow eavesdropping and unauthorized tag reading which poses threats to individual's privacy. Moreover, due to the mode of use of RFIDs, new threats emerge. For example, an intruder may be able to track the movement of an individual by repeatedly querying an RFID attached to the item that this individual carries. The limited size and cost considerations do not allow to implement conventional cryptographic systems on RFIDs. In this paper we propose an efficient RFID tag identification algorithm that incorporates reader-authentication. Our algorithm is secure against the anticipated threats to RFID systems. Our algorithm does not require computationally expensive cryptographic mechanisms, it relies on rather simple matrix multiplication. To further enhance the utility of our algorithm we propose a scheme that allows for the algorithm to carry out secure identification of multiple tags simultaneously.

Physical and chemical properties of fruit and seeds eaten byPithecia andChiropotes in Surinam and Venezuela

Abstract: Pithecia pithecia andChiropotes satanas are seed predators that eat fruits with hard pericarps. We measured resistance to puncturing and crushing of fruit and seeds eaten by these two pitheciins at two localities: in evergreen rain forest at Raleighvallen-Voltzberg, Surinam, and in tropical dry/transitional moist forest on islands in Guri Lake, Venezuela. Average measurements of pericarp hardness were similar at both sites for fruit eaten byChiropotes, but a higher maximum value was obtained at the rainforest site.Chiropotes andPithecia both ate fruits that had harder pericarps than did fruits eaten byAteles paniscus, but crushing resistances of seeds eaten were lower than values forAteles. Thus, both pitheciins selected fruits with hard pericarps and soft seeds, although there were notable intergeneric differences in hardness of fruit ingested. When fruit became scarce,Pithecia ate more flowers, whileChiropotes continued to eat fruits with hard seed coverings. Chemical analysis of species of seeds eaten byPithecia suggests that they avoided seeds with extremely high tannin levels, though they tolerated moderate tannin levels in combination with high levels of lipids. We propose that sclerocarpic harvesting (the preparation and ingestion of fruit with a hard pericarp) allows pitheciin monkeys to obtain nutritious seeds, with reduced tannins, that are softer than those ingested by other frugivores.

Mathematical Models of Road Travel Distances

Abstract: Some management science models require estimates of distances between points in a road network based on the point coordinates. This paper evaluates the accuracy of a range of reasonable forms for distance estimating functions using samples of urban and rural road distances. The intent is to derive better distance estimating functions for analyzing systems with distance related performance measures. Contrary to a standard assumption, the rectangular distance function is inferior to the simple Euclidean metric in the urban samples. More general functions provide still greater improvement over the rectangular metric. Statistical significance accompanies these conclusions. One of the more general functions appears particularly suited to rural distances.

The Maka femur and its bearing on the antiquity of human walking: applying contemporary concepts of morphogenesis to the human fossil record.

Abstract: MAK-VP-1/1, a proximal femur recovered from the Maka Sands (ca. 3.4 mya) of the Middle Awash, Ethiopia, and attributed to Australopithecus afarensis, is described in detail. It represents the oldest skeletal evidence of locomotion in this species, and is analyzed from a morphogenetic perspective. X-ray, CT, and metric data are evaluated, using a variety of methods including discriminant function. The specimen indicates that the hip joint of A. afarensis was remarkably like that of modern humans, and that the dramatic muscle allocation shifts which distinguish living humans and African apes were already present in a highly derived form in this species. Its anatomy provides no indication of any form of locomotion save habitual terrestrial bipedality, which very probably differed only trivially from that of modern humans.

Patching the Pipeline: Reducing Educational Disparities in the Sciences Through Minority Training Programs.

Abstract: For more than 40 years, there has been a concerted national effort to promote diversity among the scientific research community. Yet given the persistent national-level disparity in educational achievements of students from various ethnic and racial groups, the efficacy of these programs has come into question. The current study reports results from a longitudinal study of students supported by a national National Institutes of Health–funded minority training program, and a propensity score matched control. Growth curve analyses using Hierarchical Linear Modeling show that students supported by Research Initiative for Science Excellence were more likely to persist in their intentions to pursue a scientific research career. In addition, growth curve analyses indicate that undergraduate research experience, but not having a mentor, predicted student persistence in science.