Abstract: A method for producing a protected optical fiber with distributed sensors includes heating an optical fiber preform and drawing the heated optical fiber preform to form a drawn optical fiber. The method also includes coating the drawn optical fiber with a carbon coating after the optical fiber is drawn to provide a carbon coated optical fiber and then writing a series of fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) into the carbon coated optical fiber to provide a carbon coated optical fiber with FBGs. The method further includes coating the carbon coated optical fiber with FBGs with one or more layers of a polymer to provide the protected optical fiber with distributed sensors, wherein the heating, drawing, carbon coating the drawn optical fiber, writing, coating the carbon coated optical fiber are performed in that sequence while the protected optical fiber is being produced.

Abstract: A method for encryption and decryption of data items is provided by defining a cipher key based on variables in a Chaotic Equation. The method includes selecting a Chaotic Equation (110) from a set of Chaotic Equations, defining starting conditions of the variables of the equation (140), and applying the equation to each data item (120). The real and imaginary parts of the result of the iteration of the Chaotic Equation are combined with the data item by an arithmetic operation, for example, an XOR operation (120). Data items in a continuous stream with a rate dependency can be encrypted and decrypted on an item by item basis. The input or cipher key changes for each byte of the data encryption. Blocks of data (700, 701, 702, 703, 704) can be encrypted using the method with an identifier of the order of the blocks in the data stream. If blocks are received out of sequence, the identifiers can be used to maintain the correct decryption order.

Abstract: There is provided a method for data entry comprising: receiving an original data string entered by a user; requesting that a user input a verification data string; receiving verification data string characters as they are input by the user in response to the request for input; and providing audio or visual verification feedback of a comparison of the original data string with each verification data string character as it is received. The solution provides feedback on a verification data string (also know as a confirmation input) for corresponding original input data just entered by a user. Optionally, the data strings are masked so that the original data string and the verification data string are not visible to the user.

Abstract: A data processing system for controlling access of at least one user to stored data is provided. The system comprises means, responsive to a request from the user to access a set of the stored data, for authenticating the user. The system also comprises means, responsive to successful authentication, for decrypting an encrypted data structure associated with the user. The data structure comprises data associated with the set (e.g. location of the set). The system also comprises means, responsive to successful decryption, for accessing the set.