An extended chaotic-maps-based protocol with key agreement for multiserver environments

Due to the rapid development and growth of computer networks, there have been greater and greater demands for remote password authentication protocols. Recently, the focus has been on protocols for multiserver environments that run on smart cards. These protocols typically count on the nonce or timestamp to provide protection against the replay attack. However, as Tsaur et al. pointed out, these protocols have some security issues such as disturbance in clock synchronization and vulnerability to the man-in-the-middle attack. In order to solve the above problems, Tsaur et al. proposed a multiserver authentication scheme with key agreement in 2012, and they claimed that their scheme could effectively achieve password-authenticated key agreement while getting around the technical difficulty of implementing clock synchronization in multiserver environments. Unfortunately, we found out that Tsaur et al.’s protocol still has the following weaknesses: (1) inability to resist privileged insider attack, (2) inability to resist known-plaintext attack, (3) inability to provide user anonymity, and (4) lack of perfect forward secrecy. To fix these secure flaws of Tsaur et al.’s protocol, in this paper, we shall propose an improved multiserver authentication protocol with key agreement based on extended chaotic maps. We shall also offer formal proof of smooth execution of the improved authenticated key agreement protocol.     

Necessary and Suffcient Conditions for Distinguishability of Linear Control Systems

Distinguishability plays a crucial rule in studying observability of hybrid system such as switched system. Recently, for two linear systems, Lou and Si gave a condition not only necessary but also sufficient to the distinguishability of linear systems. However, the condition is not easy enough to verify. This paper will give a new equivalent condition which is relatively easy to verify.     

Ideal Free Distribution in Two Patches

In this paper, the formats of Julia sets for a class of nonlinear complex dynamic systems with variable coefficients were studied under certain conditions. For the complex dynamic systems in piecewise cases, we proposed some methods to control the forms of their Julia sets and stable domains analytically. What’s more, we illustrated that our methods worked well by computational simulations. Our work provides a better understanding about how to control the Julia sets of certain complex dynamic systems.     

Enhanced Solution and Solid-State Emission and Tunable White-Light Emission Harvested by Supramolecular Approaches

Organic luminescent materials with high quantum yields and/or white-light-emitting properties in particular play a crucial role in labeling and optoelectronic devices. In this work we have synthesized a new 2,3,6,7-tetramethoxy-9,10-di-p-tolylanthracene-bridged pillar[5]arene dimer with persistent mazarine blue fluorescent emission and much higher quantum yields in both solution and the solid state in comparison with its corresponding emissive linker without pillarene units, which exhibits typical aggregation-caused quenching. According to the fluorescence data and single-crystal analyses, their contrasting fluorescent performances can be rationally ascribed to their different stacking structures and intermolecular interactions. Three fluorescent guests containing different chromophores and/or terminal binding sites have also been synthesized to interact with the pillar[5]arene dimer to construct supramolecular ensembles with highly controllable luminescence, taking advantage of the stimuli-responsive properties of the supramolecular host–guest interactions. Intriguingly, multicolor fluorescence, including white-light emission (0.31, 0.35), which is in high demand, has been achieved by tuning the molar ratio of the host and guest and/or by changing the solvent system. This strategy holds great potential for the design and development of fluorescent materials with high quantum yields, controllable emission wavelength, and good stimuli-responsiveness.     

Alkaloids from Juglans Mandshurica maxim induce distinctive cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

The aim of this work was to further investigate the anticancer potential of Juglans mandshurica Maxim, including the separation of active constituents and their anti-proliferative effects with underlying mechanism of action. Five alkaloids (1–5) were isolated from the bark of J. mandshurica. Among them, 1 showed the highest cytotoxic activities against Hep3B and HepG2 cells with an IC50 values of 61.80 and 56.24 μM, respectively. Therefore, the cellular mechanism involved 1 was subsequently studied. Our results showed that 1 markedly caused apoptosis and autophagy, but without cell cycle arrest in HepG2 cells. Interestingly, only autophagic cell death was induced in 1-treated Hep3B cells. It is concluded that the isolated alkaloids exerted a certain anti-hepatoma potential, and our results may provide a basis for the further investigation of the alkaloids extracted from J. mandshurica.     

Controlling domain orientation of liquid crystalline block copolymer in thin films through tuning mesogenic chemical structures

Controlling the macroscopic orientation of nanoscale periodic structures of amphiphilic liquid crystalline block copolymers (LC BCPs) is important to a variety of technical applications (e.g., lithium conducting polymer electrolytes). To study LC BCP domain orientation, a series of LC BCPs containing a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) block as a conventional hydrophilic coil block and LC blocks containing azobenzene mesogens is designed and synthesized. LC ordering in thin films of the BCP leads to the formation of highly ordered, microphase‐separated nanostructures, with hexagonally arranged PEO cylinders. Substitution on the tail of the azobenzene mesogen is shown to control the orientation of the PEO cylinders. When the substitution on the mesogenic tails is an alkyl chain, the PEO cylinders have a perpendicular orientation to the substrate surface, provided the thin film is above a critical thickness value. In contrast, when the substitution on the mesogenic tails has an ether group the PEO cylinders assemble parallel to the substrate surface regardless of the film thickness value. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2017 , 55, 532–541     

A zigzag path through quantum crystallography

A brief discussion is given here of recollections related to development of quantum crystallography from a personal point of view of the author.     

Lipid Switches: Stimuli-Responsive Liposomes through Conformational Isomerism Driven by Molecular Recognition

Advancements in the field of liposomal drug carriers have culminated in greatly improved delivery properties. An important aspect of this work entails development of designer liposomes for release of contents triggered by environmental changes. The majority of these systems are driven by chemical reactions in the presence of different stimuli. However, a promising new paradigm instead focuses on molecular recognition events as the impetus for content release. In certain cases, these platforms exploit synthetic lipid switches designed to undergo conformational changes upon binding to target ions or molecules that perturb membrane assembly, thereby triggering cargo release. Examples of this approach reported thus far showcase how rational design of lipid switches can result in dramatic changes in lipid assembly properties. These strategies show great promise for opening up new pathophysiological stimuli that can be harnessed for programmed content release in drug delivery applications.     

Influence of synthesis methods on ettringite dehydration

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Ettringite is an important cement hydration product and has a significant effect on cement performance. H-ettringite (synthesized by hydration...