Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to a tactical load-bearing system comprising a vest and a supporting waist belt. A rigid rear frame comprising a spine extension, and a pair of shoulder panels, enables a load transfer from a user's shoulders to the supporting waist belt via the spine extension. A plurality of fabric panels including pockets for housing ballistic plates and attachment mechanisms for coupling together may also be quickly decoupled by a quick-release mechanism that comprises one or more quick-release cables. The rigid rear frame may include a rigging system or a rack system, enabling a user to carry additional equipment on the vest, such as a radio, battery, etc. A fine adjustment mechanism includes a tension cable routed through a pair of waist panels and coupled with a pair of tension plates located adjacent a back end of each waist panel.

Abstract: Examples related to the universal serial bus (USB) protocol are provided. In one example, a computer or other device includes USB controllers according to at least two different protocols. A first of the USB controllers is coupled to communicate directly with one or more USB ports. A second of the USB controllers is coupled to communicate with one or more USB ports by way of a USB hub.

Abstract: In an encrypted storage system employing data deduplication, encrypted data units are stored with the respective keyed data digests. A secure equivalence process is performed to determine whether an encrypted data unit on one storage unit is a duplicate of an encrypted data unit on another storage unit. The process includes an exchange phase and a testing phase in which no sensitive information is exposed outside the storage units. If duplication is detected then the duplicate data unit is deleted from one of the storage units and replaced with a mapping to the encrypted data unit as stored on the other storage unit. The mapping is used at the one storage unit when the corresponding logical data unit is accessed there.

Abstract: Methods, computer program products, and systems are provided for using a single shared secured connection among all servers in a cluster by efficiently establishing and securely disseminating a shared key between the servers. In particular, this is done by using a Diffie-Hellman key agreement scheme among the servers using an ordered list of servers generated on-the-fly.

Abstract: A method of encrypting an optical communications signal involves determining an encryption function, filtering an electrical input signal using the encryption function to generate an encrypted electrical signal, and modulating an optical source using the encrypted electrical signal to generate a corresponding encrypted optical signal. This is then transmitted through an optical communications system. The encryption is selected such as to substantially remove symbol definition from the optical signal. This method provides digital signal processing of an electrical input signal in order to derive a signal for controlling an optical modulator in such a way that the optical signal transmitted over the link is a continuous analogue signal rather than a series of discrete symbols which alternate between well-defined signal values. This makes it difficult for a third party to derive the binary bit sequence encoded by the optical signal.

Abstract: A method, integrated circuit chip, and computer program product for cryptographically processing an input value with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) using ECC scalar multiplication are provided. The ECC scalar multiplication is performed with the use of an enhanced acceleration table (EAT). The EAT uses multiple running totals with multiples above 2. The EAT, in some embodiments, uses reference values other than 0 and 2^window size.

Abstract: A method, integrated circuit chip, and computer program product for cryptographically processing an input value with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) using ECC scalar multiplication are provided. The ECC scalar multiplication is performed with the use of an enhanced acceleration table (EAT). The EAT uses multiple running totals, at least one of which has a multiplier above 2.

Abstract: A computer program product and method are provided for optimizing the size of an Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) scalar multiplication table. Steps include (a) receiving, from a user interface, a set of integer multipliers, (b) choosing a subset of a given set of target integers, the chosen subset defining an index set, such that elements of the index set generate all elements of the given set of target integers using a target generation function, and (c) modifying the index set by removing an element from the index set which is not necessary to generate an element of the given set of target integers using the target generation function. Additional steps are also included depending on the embodiment.

Abstract: An improved technique involves dynamic generation of at least a portion of an acceleration table for use in elliptic curve cryptography. Such dynamic generation is capable of providing savings with regard to carrying out elliptic curve cryptography without an acceleration table. Furthermore, once the portion of the acceleration table is dynamically generated and stored (e.g., in a high speed cache), the portion of the acceleration table is capable of being used on subsequent elliptic curve cryptography operations as well thus enabling the cost of dynamically generating the acceleration table to be amortized across multiple elliptic curve cryptography operations.

Abstract: A method for facilitating handling of exceptions in object code transformed from a 1-to-1 threading model to a M-to-N threading model comprises transforming object code having a 1-to-1 threading model to a M-to-N threading model, saving context of a Runnable section of the object code into a context object in response to an exception occurring and rethrowing the exception after performing the saving. The transforming includes creating a Boolean enable value in a method context for an exception handler in the method context, mapping an exception type to the exception handler and wrapping a Runnable section of the object code within a respective synthetic exception handler. The respective synthetic exception handler is configured for saving context of the object code Runnable into a context object in response to an exception occurring and rethrowing the exception after performing the saving.

Abstract: A 3D scanning apparatus configured to image a physical entity comprises a radiation projector for projecting a plurality of radiation stripes onto the physical entity, a detector for detecting striped radiation received from the physical entity; and a data storage device for storing the received radiation as a pixellated bitmap image, the apparatus characterised in that the physical entity, the radiation projector and the detector are geometrically arranged to constrain the number of times that each received stripe is permitted to occur in a given pixel row of the bitmap, the geometrica) constraint determining a stored occlusion classification comprising a plurality of types of occlusions and the apparatus additionally comprising an occlusion type processing means configured to utilise the classification for detecting the various types of occlusions in said received image data.

Abstract: A transmitter for an optical transmission system transmits an optical sub carrier multiplexed signal comprising number of sub-carriers, onto an optical transmission path, and provides spectral shaping by different magnitudes of the sub-carriers, or different modulation formats for different sub carriers. This spectral shaping can reduce performance degradation by Kerr effect optical non linearities. This can mean higher input powers may be launched. The magnitudes can provide a signal spectrum which is lower near a center of a band of sub carriers than near an edge of the band. Such spectral shaping can be provided in the receiver either to undo the pre emphasis in the transmitter, or to reduce non linearities from components at the receiving side.

Abstract: An optical communications system has a plurality of spans between a transmitter and a receiver. The receiver has optical to electrical conversion circuitry for converting the received optical signal to an electric signal, analogue to digital conversion circuitry and digital signal processing means for analysing the electrical digital signal. The digital signal processing means derives information concerning characteristics of individual spans from the electrical digital signal. This enables parameters such as per-span variations in provisioned power, local dispersion and span loss to be measured. In-service measurements of system characteristics can be used to enable optimisation of the network operation.

Abstract: A 3D scanning apparatus configured to image a physical entity comprises a radiation projector for projecting a plurality of radiation stripes onto the physical entity, a detector for detecting striped radiation received from the physical entity; and a data storage device for storing the received radiation as a pixellated bitmap image, the apparatus characterised in that the physical entity, the radiation projector and the detector are geometrically arranged to constrain the number of times that each received stripe is permitted to occur in a given pixel row of the bitmap, the geometrica) constraint determining a stored occlusion classification comprising a plurality of types of occlusions and the apparatus additionally comprising an occlusion type processing means configured to utilise the classification for detecting the various types of occlusions in said received image data.

Abstract: An optical receiver for receiving an optical differential phase shift keyed signal has an optical component sensitive to the optical phase of the signal, such as an interferometer, a device arranged to generate a control signal by non linear limiting of an output of the optical component, such as an RF amplifier arranged to operate in a region near saturation point, and a phase controller for tuning a phase response of the optical component to the received signal according to the control signal.

Abstract: A polarization diversity receiver has an optical section for converting the received optical signal into four or five polarization diverse component optical signals that substantially represent amplitude and polarization state information of the received optical signal, by respective polarization transformations to respective points on a Poincaré sphere, the points being equally spaced apart to maximize polarization diversity, even in the worst case input polarization state. Detectors produce component electrical signals from each of the component optical signals, for electronic processing to compensate for PMD. By reducing the number of component optical signals significant cost and size reductions are enabled. The need for precise polarization tracking in the receiver can be reduced or eliminated completely. Balanced detectors can be used to reduce the number of electrical signals. The electrical processing can use sequence detection.

Abstract: An optical fiber for communications systems, the fiber being designed to ensure a compensation of Kerr effects. The fiber has a profile which ensures that changes in power produce changes in distribution of power between core and cladding, such that the phase change associated with the changed spatial distribution of the power, is equal and opposite to the phase change due to Kerr Effect.

Abstract: A silver-platinum alloy formulated to provide improved tarnish resistance and hardness as compared to sterling silver. The alloy can be incorporated in various jewelry, flatware, and like articles. The alloy generally includes silver and platinum, with silver being the predominant component. In certain applications, the alloy includes about 90–95.5% silver and about 0.5–6% platinum. A small amount of gallium can also be added to the composition to provide ease of manufacture of the alloy. The resulting alloy has the favorable properties afforded by sterling silver, but also has brighter surface finish, greater tarnish resistance and increased hardness as compared to traditional sterling silver.

Abstract: A transmitter for an optical transmission system transmits an optical sub carrier multiplexed signal comprising number of sub-carriers, onto an optical transmission path, and provides spectral shaping by different magnitudes of the sub-carriers, or different modulation formats for different sub carriers. This spectral shaping can reduce performance degradation by Kerr effect optical non linearities. This can mean higher input powers may be launched. The magnitudes can provide a signal spectrum which is lower near a centre of a band of sub carriers than near an edge of the band. Such spectral shaping can be provided in the receiver either to undo the pre emphasis in the transmitter, or to reduce non linearities from components at the receiving side.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of balancing the power level of an optical signal within an aggregate of optical signals in an amplified dense wavelength division multiplexing DWDM optical network, as well as power balancing apparatus therefor.