A New Seco-Abietanoid from the Bark of Cryptomeria japonica

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - A new seco-abietanoid, 12-hydroxy-6,7-seco-abieta-8,11,13-triene-6,7-dioic acid (1), was isolated from the methanol extract of the bark of Cryptomeria japonica. The...     

Seco-Abietanoids from Cryptomeria japonica and Their Inhibitory Activity Toward Xanthine Oxidase

Chemistry of Natural Compounds - A new seco-abietanoid, 12-methoxy-7-oxo-6,7-secoabieta-8,11,13-trien-6-oic acid (1), and a known seco-abietanoid,12-hydroxy-6,7-secoabieta-8,11,13-triene-6,7-dial...     

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.     

Theoretical and nonlinear behavior analysis of a flexible rotor supported by a relative short herringbone-grooved gas journal-bearing system

This paper considers the bifurcation and nonlinear behavior of a flexible rotor supported by a relative short herringbone-grooved gas journal bearing system. A numerical method is employed to a time-dependent mathematical model. A finite difference method with successive over relation method is employed to solve the Reynolds’ equation. The system state trajectory, Poincaré maps, power spectra, and bifurcation diagrams are used to analyze the dynamic behavior of the rotor and journal centers in the horizontal and vertical directions under different operating conditions. The analysis reveals a complex dynamic behavior comprising periodic and quasi-periodic response of the rotor and journal centers. It further shown the dynamic behavior of this type of system varies with changes in bearing number and rotor mass. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of herringbone-grooved gas journal bearing systems.     

A secure biometric-based remote user authentication with key agreement scheme using extended chaotic maps

Recently, biometric-based remote user authentication schemes along with passwords have drawn considerable attention in research. In 2011, Das proposed an improvement on an efficient biometric-based remote user authentication scheme using smart cards and claimed his scheme could resist various attacks. However, there are some weaknesses in Das’s scheme such as the privileged insider attack and the off-line password guessing attack. Besides, Das’s scheme also cannot provide user anonymity. To overcome these weaknesses, we shall propose a secure biometric-based remote user authentication with key agreement scheme using extended chaotic maps. The proposed scheme not only can resist the above-mentioned attacks, but also provide user anonymity.     

Application of a hybrid method to the nonlinear dynamic analysis of a flexible rotor supported by a spherical gas-lubricated bearing system

This paper employs a hybrid numerical method combining the differential transformation method and the finite difference method to study the nonlinear dynamic behavior of a flexible rotor supported by a spherical gas-lubricated bearing system. The analytical results reveal a complex dynamic behavior comprising periodic, sub-harmonic, and quasi-periodic responses of the rotor center and the journal center. Furthermore, the results reveal the changes which take place in the dynamic behavior of the bearing system as the rotor mass and bearing number are increased. The current analytical results are found to be in good agreement with those from other numerical methods. Therefore, the proposed method provides an effective means of gaining insights into the nonlinear dynamics of spherical gas film rotor–bearing systems.     

Multiharmonic-generation biopsy of skin

Because it avoids the in-focus photodamage and phototoxicity problem of two-photon-fluorescence excitation, multiharmonic-generation biopsy based on a 1200-1300-nm light source could provide a truly noninvasive and highly penetrative optical sectioning of skin. We study multiharmonic-generation biopsy of fixed mouse skin. Our preliminary study suggests that this technique could provide submicrometer-resolution deep-tissue noninvasive biopsy images in skin without the use of fluorescence and exogenous markers.     

An enhanced common path interference optic measurement system for refractive indices and thickness

This study proposes a common path interference optical system for the measurement of refractive indices and thickness of uniaxial crystal material. The measurement system comprises an accurate Mach–Zehnder laser interferometer, a single-axis rotary stepping motor, and a computer. The laser interferometer is composed of a single-frequency He–Ne laser, two-beam splitters and two reflectors. The Mach–Zehnder laser interferometer measures the optical length difference by using its linear measurement accuracy. The proposed solution procedure enables both the refractive indices and the thickness of the optical waveplate to be obtained. The proposed design differs from conventional designs in that it does not use a heterodyne modulator with a lock-in technique. It is shown that the refractive indices and thickness of the tested optical elements can be measured rapidly and accurately.     

Numerical investigation into nonlinear dynamic behavior of electrically-actuated clamped–clamped micro-beam with squeeze-film damping effect

A numerical investigation is performed into the nonlinear dynamic behavior of a clamped–clamped micro-beam actuated by a combined DC/AC voltage and subject to a squeeze-film damping effect. An analytical model based on a nonlinear deflection equation and a linearized Reynolds equation is proposed to describe the deflection of the micro-beam under the effects of the electrostatic actuating force. The deflection of the micro-beam is investigated under various actuating conditions by solving the analytical model using a hybrid numerical scheme comprising the differential transformation method and the finite difference approximation method. It is shown that the numerical results for the dynamic pull-in voltage of the clamped–clamped micro-beam deviate by no more than 2.04% from those presented in the literature based on the conventional finite difference scheme. The effects of the AC voltage amplitude, excitation frequency, residual stress, and ambient pressure on the center-point displacement of the micro-beam are systematically explored. Moreover, the actuation conditions which ensure the stability of the micro-beam are identified by means of phase portraits. Overall, the results presented in this study confirm that the hybrid numerical method provides an accurate means of analyzing the complex nonlinear behavior of common electrostatically-actuated microstructures.     

Local stimulation of cultured myocyte cells by femtosecond laser-induced stress wave

When an 800 nm femtosecond laser is tightly focused into cell culture medium a stress wave is generated at the laser focal point. Since the stress wave localizes in a few tens of μm, it is possible to locally stimulate single cells in vitro. In this work, several kinds of cultured mammalian cells, HeLa, PC12, P19CL6, and C2C12, were stimulated by the stress wave and the cell growth after the stress loading with the laser irradiation was investigated. In comparison with the control conditions, cell growth after the laser irradiation was enhanced for the cells of C2C12 and P19CL6, which can differentiate into myocytes, and suppressed for PC12 and HeLa cell lines. These results suggest a possibility of cell growth enhancement due to myogenic cells response to the femtosecond laser-induced stress.