The simulation of cloth with rich folds and wrinkles is a computationally expensive process. In this paper, we introduce an example-based algorithm for fast animation of plausible cloth wrinkles. Our algorithm does not depend on a character's pose, therefore it is valid for loose dresses, curtains, etc., not just cloth defined by skinning techniques. Central to our approach is a correspondence between low and high-resolution cloth deformations, both at the training and synthesis stages. Based on this correspondence, we define an algorithm for synthesizing cloth wrinkles as a function of the deformation of a low-resolution cloth and a set of example poses. We demonstrate the animation of plausible high-resolution wrinkles at high frame rates, suitable for interactive applications such as video games.
Quantum-key-distribution (QKD) networks are gaining importance and it has become necessary to analyze the most appropriate methods for their long-distance interconnection. In this paper, four different methods of interconnecting remote QKD networks are proposed. The methods are used to link three different QKD testbeds in Europe, located in Berlin, Madrid, and Poznan. Although long-distance QKD links are only emulated, the methods used can serve as a blueprint for the secure interconnection of distant QKD networks in the future. Specifically, the presented approaches combine, in a transparent way, different fiber and satellite physical media, as well as common standards of key delivery interfaces. The testbed interconnections are designed to increase the security by utilizing multipath techniques and multiple hybridizations of QKD and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms.
We present a demonstration of software defined networking (SDN) services utilizing quantum key distribution (QKD) technology, fully integrated with standard telecommunication network connecting production facilities of Telefonica in Madrid. All communications “co-propagate” over the same fiber infrastructure.
The complexity of the human brain makes its understanding one of the biggest challenges that science is currently confronting. Due to its complexity, the brain has been studied at many different levels and from many disciplines and points of view, using a diversity of techniques for getting meaningful data at each specific level and perspective, producing sometimes data that are difficult to integrate. In order to advance understanding of the brain, scientists need new tools that can speed up this analysis process and that can facilitate integrating research results from different disciplines and techniques. Visualization has proved to be useful in the analysis of complex data, and this paper focuses on the design of visualization solutions adapted to the specific problems posed by brain research. In this paper, we propose a unified framework that allows the integration of specific tools to work together in a coordinated manner in a multiview environment, displaying information at different levels of abstraction and combining schematic and realistic representations. The two use cases presented here illustrate the capability of this approach for providing a visual environment that supports the exploration of the brain at all its organizational levels.
Optical communications providing huge capacity and low latency remain vulnerable to a range of attacks. In consequence, encryption at the optical layer is needed to ensure secure data transmission. In our previous work, we proposed LightPath SECurity (LPSec), a secure cryptographic solution for optical transmission that leverages stream ciphers and Diffie–Hellman (DH) key exchange for high-speed optical encryption. Still, LPSec faces limitations related to key generation and key distribution. To address these limitations, in this paper, we rely on Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks. Specifically, we focus on three meaningful scenarios: In Scenario A, the two optical transponders (Tp) involved in the optical transmission are within the security perimeter of the QKD network. In Scenario B, only one Tp is within the QKD network, so keys are retrieved from a QRNG and distributed using LPSec. Finally, Scenario C extends Scenario B by employing Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) by implementing a Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM) to secure key exchanges. The scenarios are analyzed based on their security, efficiency, and applicability, demonstrating the potential of quantum-enhanced LPSec to provide secure, low-latency encryption for current optical communications. The experimental assessment, conducted on the Madrid Quantum Infrastructure, validates the feasibility of the proposed solutions.
Within the Madrid Quantum Communication Infrastructure (MadQCI), a cloud-like, quantum-enabled network scenario has been commissioned to promote the growth of the quantum technology scientific community. This scenario is designed to provide both quantum communication primitives and quantum-enabled services to potential end users. This work focuses on exposing these quantum services in a user-friendly manner by abstracting the underlying technical complexity, letting end users operate without prior knowledge of implementation details. To this end, multiple quantum services—the SD-QKD software stack, QRNG, Quantum-Safe TLS, and Quantum-Safe IPsec as a Service—are offered following the cloud “anything as a service” (XaaS) model. The delivery of quantum-enabled services is therefore researched using an applied and transferable cloud-based paradigm.