Information Storage Research Articles

Fog Computing: A Systematic Review of Architecture, IoT Integration, Algorithms and Research Challenges with Insights into Cloud Computing Integration

With the continuous evolution of technology, the prevalence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has grown significantly. However, with this rise comesa number of challenges for integrated Cloud Computing (CC), including security, performance, latency, and network issues. Fortunately, Fog Computing is a solution that addresses these concerns by bringing CC closer to IoT devices. Essentially, fog serves as a data hub that processes and stores information locally on the fog node, rather than sending it to a cloud server. This results in faster response times and higher- quality services compared to those offered by traditional cloud servers. Fog Computing can optimize service delivery for multiple IoT clients by allowing the administrationof services and resource provisioning outside of CC, nearer to devices, or at specific locations for Service Level Agreements (SLAs). It's important to note that Fog Computing is not intended to replace CC, but rather to complement itas a critical component. In this paper, we explore various computing paradigms, examine the features and architecture of Fog Computing, analyze its relationship with IoT, and assess differentalgorithms used in Fog Computing systems. Furthermore, we tackle the distinctive challenges that emerge with Fog Computing as an intermediate layer between IoT sensors/devices and data centers. Keywords: Fog Computing, Internet of Things(IOT), Cloud Computing (CC).

A comprehensive content analysis of 104 Chinese electronic cigarette manufacturing enterprise official websites

ObjectiveThe goal was to analyse website content of Chinese electronic (e) cigarette manufacturing enterprises and understand the marketing strategies to provide evidence for decision-makers to regulate manufacturers.MethodsThrough QCC.com, one of...

Slow Equilibrium Relaxation in a Chiral Magnet Mediated by Topological Defects.

We performed a pump-probe experiment on the chiral magnet Cu_{2}OSeO_{3} to study the relaxation dynamics of its noncollinear magnetic orders, employing a millisecond magnetic field pulse as the pump and resonant elastic x-ray scattering as the probe. Our findings reveal that the system requires ∼0.2 s to stabilize after the perturbation applied to both the conical and skyrmion lattice phase, which is significantly slower than the typical nanosecond timescale observed in micromagnetics. This prolonged relaxation is attributed to the formation and slow dissipation of local topological defects, such as emergent monopoles. By unveiling the experimental lifetime of these emergent singularities in a noncollinear magnetic system, our study highlights a universal relaxation mechanism in solitonic textures within the slow dynamics regime, offering new insights into topological physics and advanced information storage solutions.

Research on Key Technologies of Spatial Domain Image Steganography and Analysis of Typical Applications

In the digital age, secure storage and communication of information are crucial aspects of everyday life, drawing significant global interest. Steganography serves as a pivotal method for concealing private information within various media forms—such as images, videos, and text—enabling secure information transmission. This paper delineates the distinctions between information hiding and encryption and delves into image steganography. The focus here is on spatial-based image steganography techniques, which are broadly categorized into traditional and deep learning-based methods. Traditional methods rely on modifications to the pixel values of the host image, often resulting in minor but detectable changes if not carefully managed. On the other hand, deep learning-based methods leverage neural networks to learn how to encode data in an image in a way that is much harder to detect. A comprehensive performance analysis of these techniques is provided, complete with comparative tables to aid in clarity and reference. Additionally, this paper aims to guide researchers by charting current trends in the field and suggesting future research directions. By exploring these advanced techniques, the paper contributes to the broader discourse on enhancing the security and efficacy of steganographic practices.

Strategies and Trade-Offs for Controllability and Memory Time of Ultra-High-Quality Microwave Cavities in Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics

Three-dimensional microwave cavity resonators have been shown to reach lifetimes of the order of a second by maximizing the cavity volume relative to its surface, using better materials, and improving surface treatments. Such cavities represent an ideal platform for quantum computing with bosonic qubits, but their efficient control remains an outstanding problem since the large mode volume results in less efficient coupling to nonlinear elements used for their control. Moreover, this coupling induces additional cavity decay via the inverse Purcell effect that can easily destroy the advantage of a long intrinsic lifetime. Here, we discuss conditions on, and protocols for, efficient utilization of these ultra-high-quality microwave cavities as memories for conventional superconducting qubits. We show that, surprisingly, efficient write and read operations with ultra-high-quality cavities do not require similar quality factors for the qubits and other nonlinear elements used to control them. Through a combination of analytical and numerical calculations, we demonstrate that efficient coupling to cavities with second-scale lifetime is possible with state-of-the-art transmon and superconducting nonlinear asymmetric inductive element devices and outline a route towards controlling cavities with even higher quality factors. Our work explores a potentially viable roadmap towards using ultra-high-quality microwave cavity resonators for storing and processing information encoded in bosonic qubits. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Digital technology for the national sport development: Designing a database model to analyse elite sports data

Relational database models offer a pathway for the storage, standardization, and analysis of factors influencing national sports development. While existing research delves into the factors linked with sporting success, there remains an unexplored avenue for the design of databases that seamlessly integrate quantitative analyses of these factors. This study aims to design a relational database to store and analyse quantitative sport development data by employing information technology tools. The database design was carried out in three phases: (i) exploratory study for context analysis, identification, and delimitation of the data scope; (ii) data extraction from primary sources and cataloguing; (iii) database design to allow an integrated analysis of different dimensions and production of quantitative indicators. An entity-relationship diagram and an entity-relationship model were built to organize and store information relating to sports, organizations, people, investments, venues, facilities, materials, events, and sports results, enabling the sharing of data across tables and avoiding redundancies. This strategy demonstrated potential for future knowledge advancement by including the establishment of perpetual data updates through coding and web scraping. This, in turn, empowers the continuous evaluation and vigilance of organizational performance metrics and sports development policies, aligning seamlessly with the journal’s focus on cutting-edge methodologies in the realm of digital technology.

Photo‐Induced Ultrafast Charge Transfer and Air‐Stable Radical Formation in Tetraphenylpyrene Derivatives

AbstractStable organic radicals generated by photo‐excitation hold applications in molecular switching devices and information storage. It remains challenging to develop photo‐generated radical materials with rapid response and air stability in the solid state. Here, we report a structure based on 1,3,6,8‐tetraphenylpyrene derivative (Py‐TTAc) displaying photo‐induced radicals with air stability in the solid state. Photo‐induced electron transfer, exposed to a 365 nm ultraviolet lamp for 1 minute, affords radicals in Py‐TTAc powder as confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The maximum radical concentration reaches 2.21 % after continuous irradiation for 1 hour and recurs more than 10 times without any chemical degradation. The mechanistic study according to the femtosecond transient absorption (fsTA) and X‐ray technology suggests that the radicals are derived from photo‐induced symmetry‐breaking charge separation (SB‐CS) and stabilized through non‐covalent interactions. The photo‐generated stable radical system is employed in anti‐counterfeiting paper and optoelectronic device applications. This study will provide insights into the development of photoactive organic radical materials.

The Molecular Design and Electroluminescent Performance of Near-Infrared (NIR) Iridium(III) Complexes Bearing Isoquinoline-, Phthalazine- and Phenazine-Based Ligands.

Near-infrared (NIR) light has characteristics of invisibility to human eyes, less background interference, low light scattering, and strong cell penetration. Therefore, NIR luminescent materials have significant applications in imaging, sensing, energy, information storage and display. The development of NIR luminescent materials thus has emerged as a highly dynamic area of research in the realm of contemporary materials. To date, NIR luminescent materials are roughly divided into inorganic materials and organic materials. Compared with inorganic materials, organic NIR luminescent materials have become a hot research topic in recent years due to their rich sources, easy control of structure, simple preparation process, low cost, and good film-forming properties. Among them, iridium(III) [Ir(III)] complexes exhibit excellent properties such as thermal stability, simple synthesis, easy color modulation, short excited state lifetimes, and high brightness, thus becoming one of the ideal luminescent material systems for preparing high-quality organic light-emitting diodes. Therefore, how to obtain Ir(III) complexes with NIR emission and high efficiency through molecular design is a necessary and promising research topic. This work reviews the research progress of representative NIR Ir(III) complexes bearing isoquinoline-, phenazine-, and phthalazine-based ligands reported in recent years and introduces the design strategies and electroluminescent performances of NIR Ir(III) complexes.

Photo-Induced Ultrafast Charge Transfer and Air-Stable Radical Formation in Tetraphenylpyrene Derivatives.

Stable organic radicals generated by photo-excitation hold applications in molecular switching devices and information storage. It remains challenging to develop photo-generated radical materials with rapid response and air stability in the solid state. Here, we report a structure based on 1,3,6,8-tetraphenylpyrene derivative (Py-TTAc) displaying photo-induced radicals with air stability in the solid state. Photo-induced electron transfer, exposed to a 365 nm ultraviolet lamp for 1 minute, affords radicals in Py-TTAc powder as confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The maximum radical concentration reaches 2.21 % after continuous irradiation for 1 hour and recurs more than 10 times without any chemical degradation. The mechanistic study according to the femtosecond transient absorption (fsTA) and X-ray technology suggests that the radicals are derived from photo-induced symmetry-breaking charge separation (SB-CS) and stabilized through non-covalent interactions. The photo-generated stable radical system is employed in anti-counterfeiting paper and optoelectronic device applications. This study will provide insights into the development of photoactive organic radical materials.

Non-volatile and Secure Optical Storage Medium with Multilevel Information Encryption.

Non-volatile photomemory based on photomodulated luminescent materials offers unique advantages over voltage-driven memory, including low residual crosstalk and high storage speed. However, conventional materials have thus far been volatile and insecure for data storage because of low trap depth and single-level storage channels. Therefore, the development of a novel non-volatile multilevel storage medium for data encryption remains a challenge. Herein, a robust, non-volatile, multilevel optical storage medium is reported, based on a photomodulated Ba3MgSi2O8:Eu3+, which combined the merits of light-induced valence (Eu3+ → Eu2+) and photochromic phenomena using optical stimulation effects, accompanied by larger luminescent and color contrasts (>90%). These two unique features provided dual-level storage channels in a single host, significantly improving the data storage security. Notably, dual-level optical signals could be written and erased simultaneously by alternating 265 and 365 nm light stimuli. Theoretical calculations indicated that robust color centers induced by intrinsic interstitial Mg and vacancy defects with suitable trap depths enable excellent reversibility and long-term storage capability. By relying on different luminescent readout mechanisms, the encrypted dual-level information can be accurately decrypted by separately probing the Eu2+ and Eu3+ signals, thus ensuring information security. This study proposes a novel approach for constructing multilevel information storage channels for information security.

Harmonic flow-field representations of quantum bits and gates

We describe a general procedure for mapping arbitrary n-qubit states to two-dimensional (2D) vector fields. The mappings use complex rational function representations of individual qubits, producing classical vector field configurations that can be interpreted in terms of 2D inviscid fluid flows or electric fields. Elementary qubits are identified with localized defects in 2D harmonic vector fields, and multiqubit states find natural field representations via complex superpositions of vector field products. In particular, separable states appear as highly symmetric flow configurations, making them both dynamically and visually distinct from entangled states. The resulting real-space representations of entangled qubit states enable an intuitive visualization of their transformations under quantum logic operations. We demonstrate this for the quantum Fourier transform and the period finding process underlying Shor's algorithm, along with other quantum algorithms. Due to its generic construction, the mapping procedure suggests the possibility of extending concepts such as entanglement or entanglement entropy to classical continuum systems, and thus may help guide new experimental approaches to information storage and nonstandard computation. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Flexible X-ray Imaging and Stable Information Storage of SrF2:Eu Based on Radio-Photoluminescence.

X-ray imaging has garnered widespread interest in biomedical diagnosis and nondestructive detection. The exploration of radio-photoluminescence has hastened the advancement of X-ray information storage. However, significant challenges persist in achieving the prolonged imaging of curved objects without attenuation. Here, europium-doped strontium fluoride (SrF2:Eu) is meticulously created to exhibit a linear response to an extensive range of X-ray doses (maximum dose > 5000 Gy), showcasing excellent X-ray information reading/erasing reusability properties (10 cycles). This is accompanied by a red-to-blue emission transition under UV excitation, sustaining for 150 days without attenuation. To elucidate the phenomena of irradiated photoluminescent discoloration and the reversible X-ray storage of SrF2:Eu, we propose an electron-vacancy trap (valence conversion) mechanism, information stably retained by the SrF2:Eu-based device under ambient conditions due to high energy barriers. The time-lapse readout capability is further demonstrated for three-dimensional imaging of curved objects (10 lp mm-1) based on SrF2:Eu embedded within a polydimethylsiloxane (SrF2:Eu@PDMS). The SrF2:Eu demonstrates time-lapse imaging, reversible radio-photoluminescence, and recoverable X-ray storage, offering a promising avenue for optical information encryption and anticounterfeiting applications.

Transparent Photochromic Coatings for Smart Windows and Information Storage

AbstractOrganic–inorganic composite photochromic coatings receive significant attention in energy utilization and conservation due to their easy application and rapid photoresponse. However, their high sensitivity to moisture limits practical applications. This study fabricates organic–inorganic composite functional coatings using a simple one‐pot method, producing materials with excellent photoresponsive, water resistance, and thermal insulation. Unmodified phosphotungstic acid serves as the inorganic photochromic filler, while methacrylate derivatives act as the polymer matrix, resulting in coatings with high initial transparency (over 85%). After 5 min of UV exposure, the samples shift to nearly non‐transmittable states in the visible range and maintain color depth through 14 coloring‐erasing cycles. Unlike polyvinylpyrrolidone substrates, which absorb moisture and soften quickly, this coating has a static water contact angle of up to 91.7°, showing excellent water resistance. Additionally, the composite material provides effective heat insulation in simulated chamber experiments, lowering the temperature by 15 °C compared to untreated chambers. In summary, this composite coating, with its excellent thermal insulation, rapid light responsiveness, stable cycling performance, and outstanding waterproof capabilities, proves highly suitable for applications such as smart windows, information storage, and building energy efficiency.

Opto/Thermoresponsive Multimode Luminescence in Eu- and Er-Activated CaF2 Phosphor for High-Security Anticounterfeiting.

As the landscape of information storage and security continues to evolve, the deployment of sophisticated anticounterfeiting strategies with robust security features and multimodal luminescent capabilities becomes imperative. In this work, Eu3+ and Er3+ ions are codoped into CaF2 phosphors to achieve multimodel optical output. The self-reduction of Eu3+ within the CaF2 matrix gives rise to the coexistence of Eu3+ and Eu2+ ions, which manifests as a color transition from orange to blue as the excitation wavelength is varied from 300 to 335 nm. Moreover, the distinct temperature-dependent behaviors of Eu3+ and Eu2+ ions underscore the material's visible temperature-sensitive luminescence properties, characterized by remarkable thermal sensitivity (Sa = 0.0156 K-1, Sr = 0.83%K-1). Additionally, the strategic introduction of Er3+ ions adds an extra dimension, enabling the realization of color-tunable upconversion luminescence through the fine-tuning of Er3+ concentration. This synergistic integration culminates in the establishment of an efficient three-path authentication model within the CaF2 host matrix, facilitating a dynamic multicolor response to changes in the excitation wavelength and temperature. By harnessing these diverse luminescent modalities, the study delivers a versatile and potent anticounterfeiting solution, advancing the frontiers of information security.

Laser assembly of CeO2 nanobrushes and their resistive switching performance

Memristors in a metal/oxide/metal configuration emerge as an advanced non-volatile information storage technology due to their high operating speed and low power consumption. Understanding the role of the microstructure of the active oxide layer in its resistive switching (RS) performance is scientifically important for revealing the conduction mechanism of oxides, and technically critical for the development of high-performance memristors. Here, self-assembly of vertically aligned CeO2 nanobrushes, a typical RS material, is demonstrated in pulsed laser epitaxy. The growth map of CeO2 is fully explored, and optimized growth conditions for CeO2 nanobrushes are established. Microstructure and crystallinity characterizations reveal the single-crystalline epitaxy nature of CeO2 nanobrushes. A nanobrush memristor exhibits a threshold switching feature with an On/Off ratio of 50, as 16 times high as a thin-film memristor, and excellent endurance of up to 500 cycles and retention time of up to 104 seconds. Theoretical fitting of the I-V curves of the thin-film and nanobrush memristors show interfacial switching in the thin-film memristor and filamentary switching in the nanobrush memristor. The distinct RS mechanisms between thin films and nanobrushes suggest the fundamental role of the structural design of active oxide layers in the RS performance of oxide-based memristors.

Subtraction-based DNA Origami Cryptography by using Structural Defects for Information Encryption.

Conventional cryptographic methods rely on increased computational complexity to counteract the threat posed by growing computing power for sustainable protection. DNA cryptography circumvents this threat by leveraging complex DNA recognition to maintain information security. Specifically, DNA origami has been repurposed for cryptography, using programmable folding of the long scaffold strand carrying additional tagged strands for information encryption. Herein, a subtraction-based cryptographic strategy is presented that uses structural defects on DNA origami to contain encrypted information. Designated staple strands are removed from the staple pool with "hook" strands to create active defect sites on DNA origami for information encryption. These defects can be filled by incubating the structures with the intact pool of biotinylated staple strands, resulting in biotin patterns that can be used for protein-binding steganography. The yields of individual protein pixels reached over 91%, and self-correction codes are implemented to aid the information recovery. Furthermore, the encrypted organization of defective DNA origami structures is investigated to explore the potential of this method for scalable information storage. This method uses DNA origami to encrypt information in hidden structural features, utilizing subtraction for robust cryptography while ensuring the safety and recovery of data.

Issues of personal data protection when using cloud technologies

It is indicated that in today’s digital world, where the amount of stored and processed data is growing at a frantic pace, issues of personal data protection are becoming increasingly important. With the proliferation of cloud technologies that allow companies and individuals to store and process information on remote servers, a new spectrum of threats to data privacy and security is emerging. The article examines the issue of personal data protection when using cloud technologies, in particular, the need to integrate legal and technological aspects to ensure comprehensive protection. The impact of international regulatory acts, such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Protection Act), on cloud data protection processes is analyzed. Particular attention is paid to problems arising from differences in the legal regimes of different countries, which complicate data management at the international level. The article examines in detail modern technical solutions, such as data encryption and multi­factor authentication, which are key elements in protecting confidential information. These technologies have been found to provide a high level of protection, but also have their vulnerabilities. Based on this, it is proposed to invest in the latest technologies, in particular quantum encryption and artificial intelligence, to improve the effectiveness of data protection. Practical cases of data leaks are separately considered, which emphasize the importance of proper configuration of security systems and regular monitoring. Analysis of the results of empirical research shows the need to adapt business processes to changes in the regulatory environment and introduce new technologies to reduce risks. Based on the received data, recommendations for organizations are formulated, which include reviewing data protection policies, investing in modern technologies and training employees. The conclusions of the article emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach to ensuring the protection of personal data in cloud environments. This involves taking into account both modern technologies and current legal requirements to ensure adequate data protection and minimize possible risks.

Danish and Swedish National Data Collections for Cancer – Solutions for Radiotherapy

Collecting large amounts of radiotherapy (RT) data from clinical systems is known to be a challenging task. Still, data collections outside the original RT systems are needed to follow-up on the quality of cancer care and to improve RT. This paper aims to describe how RT data is collected nationally in Denmark and Sweden for this purpose and gives an overview of the stored information in both countries' national data sources.Although both countries have clinical national quality registries with broad coverage and completeness for many cancer diagnoses, some were initiated already in the seventies, and less than one in ten includes quantitative information on RT to a level of detail useful for more than basic descriptive statistics. Detailed RT data can, however, be found in Denmark's DICOM Collaboration (DcmCollab) database, initiated in 2009 and in Sweden's quality registry for RT launched in 2023 (SKvaRT). Denmark has collected raw DICOM data for all patients enrolled in clinical trials, with files being directly and automatically transferred to DcmCollab from the original data sources at each RT centre. Sweden collects aggregated RT data into SKvaRT for all patients undergoing RT in Sweden, with DICOM files being transferred and selected alpha-numeric variables forwarded via a local intermediate storage database (MIQA) at each hospital. In designing their respective solutions, both countries have faced similar challenges regarding which RT variables to collect and how to technically link clinical systems to their data repositories. General lessons about how flexibility currently is balanced with storage requirements and data standards are presented here together with future plans to harvest real-world RT data.

Blockchain Scalability with Proof of Descriptor

Blockchain networks use consensus mechanisms so that participants can exchange transactions without the need to rely on a trusted third party. Consensus mechanisms using Proof of Work burn significant energy to select a block miner, and this delay limits performance. Other consensus mechanisms such as Proof of Stake or Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance still designate a single validator to append a block to the chain, preventing blocks from being built and published in parallel. In this paper we introduce a new consensus mechanism, Proof of Descriptor, enabling clients to work together to publish blockchain transactions using a descriptor object which stores information on the cooperative parallel execution of transactions. Proof of Descriptor consensus allows commutative transactions to be mined concurrently. It does not require a single leader to append transactions to the ledger, enabling clients to cooperate on publishing transactions. We also propose a novel graph-based ledger with multiple entry points to facilitate the scalability of Proof of Descriptor, as well as a secure hashing scheme to resist long-range-attacks. We demonstrate that our approach is as secure as related works with respect to a malicious leader, 51% attack, and other known blockchain vulnerabilities. Furthermore, our experimental evaluation shows that our approach scales with the size of the network, experiencing up to a 4x improvement in throughput over the fastest sequential blockchain, Solana .

Deep silicification–assisted long-term preservation of structural and genomic information across biospecies: From micro to macro

The concurrent preservation of morphological, structural, and genomic attributes within biological samples is paramount for comprehensive insights into biological phenomena and disease mechanisms. However, current preservation methodologies (e.g., cryopreservation, chemical reagent fixation, and bioplasticization) exhibit limitations in simultaneously achieving these critical combined goals. To address this gap, inspired by natural fossilization, here we propose "deep silicification," a room temperature technology that eliminates fixation requirements and overcomes the cold chain problem. By harnessing the synergy between ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide, deep silicification significantly enhances silica penetration and accumulation within bioorganisms, thereby reinforcing structural integrity. This versatile and cost-effective approach demonstrates remarkable efficacy in preserving organismal morphology across various scales. Accelerated aging experiments underscore a 4,723-fold enhancement in genomic information storage over millennia, with whole-genome sequencing confirming nearly 100% fidelity. With its simplicity and reliability, "deep silicification" represents a paradigm shift in biological sample storage.