On the security analysis of an image scrambling encryption of pixel bit and its improved scheme based on self-correlation encryption

An image scrambling encryption scheme for pixel bits was presented by Ye [Ye GD. Image scrambling encryption algorithm of pixel bit based on chaos map. Pattern Recognit Lett 2010;31:347-54], which can be seen as one kind of typical binary image scrambling encryption considering from the bit-plain of size M × (8N). However, recently, some defects existing in the original image encryption scheme, i.e., Ye’s scheme, have been observed by Li and Lo [Li CQ, Lo KT. Optimal quantitative cryptanalysis of permutation-only multimedia ciphers against plaintext attacks. Signal Process 2011;91:949-54]. In the attack proposed by Li and Lo at least 3 + ⌈log₂(MN)⌉ plain images of size M × N are used to reveal the permutation matrix W = [w(i, k)] (i ∈ {1, 2, … , M}; k ∈ {1, 2, … , 8N}) which can be applied to recover the exact plain image. In the current paper, at first, one type of special plain image/cipher image is used to analyze the security weakness of the original image scrambling scheme under study. The final encryption vectors TM and TN or the decryption vectors TM′ and TN′ are revealed completely according to our attack. To demonstrate the performance of our attack, a quantified comparison is drawn between our attack and the attack proposed by Li and Lo. Compared with Li and Lo’s attack, our attack is more efficient in the general conditions. In particular, when the sizes of images satisfy the condition M = N or M ? 8N, the number of the used plain images/cipher images is at most 9, which is sharply less than 3 + ⌈log₂(MN)⌉ when M and N are of large size. To overcome the weaknesses of the original scheme, in this paper, an improved image scrambling encryption scheme is proposed. In the improved scheme, the idea of the “self-correlation” method is used to resist the chosen-plaintext attack/known-plaintext attack. The corresponding simulations and analyses illustrate that the improved encryption method has good cryptographic properties, and can overcome the weakness of the original image encryption scheme. Finally, farther improvement is briefly presented for the future work.     

On Spectral Polynomials of the Heun Equation. II

The well-known Heun equation has the form

Circumventing air bubbles in microfluidic systems and quantitative continuous-flow PCR applications

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an essential part of research based on genomics or cell analysis. The development of a microfluidic device that would be suitable for high-temperature-based reactions therefore becomes an important contribution towards the integration of micro-total analysis systems (μTAS). However, problems associated with the generation of air bubbles in the microchannels before the introduction of the assay liquid, which we call the “initial start-up” in this study, made the flow irregular and unstable. In this report, we have tried to address these problems by adapting a novel liquid-flow method for high-temperature-based reactions. A PDMS-based microfluidic device was fabricated by soft-lithography techniques and placed on a cartridge heater. The generation of the air bubbles was prevented by introducing the fluorinated oil, an inert and highly viscous liquid, as the cap just before the introduction of the sample solutions into the microchannels. The technique was applied for continuous-flow PCR, which could perform PCR on-chip in a microfluidic system. For the evaluation of practical accuracy, plasmid DNA that serves as a reference molecule for the quantification of genetically modified (GM) maize was used as the template DNA for continuous-flow PCR. After PCR, the products were collected in a vial and analyzed by gel electrophoresis to confirm the accuracy of the results. Additionally, quantitative continuous-flow PCR was performed using TaqMan technology on our PCR device. A laser detection system was also used for the quantitative PCR method. We observed a linear relationship between the threshold cycle (Ct) and the initial DNA concentration. These results showed that it would be possible to quantify the initial copies of the template DNA on our microfluidic device. Accurate quantitative DNA analysis in microfluidic systems is required for the integration of PCR with μTAS, thus we anticipate that our device would have promising potential for applications in a wide range of research.     

Myrmekiosides a and b, novel mono-o-alkyl-diglycosylglycerols reversing tumor cell morphology of ras-transformed cells from a marine sponge of myrmekioderma sp

Novel mono-O-alkyl-diglycosylglycerols named myrmekiosides A (1) and B (2) were isolated from a marine sponge of Myrmekioderma sp. and their absolute stereostructures were elucidated on the basis of chemical and physicochemical evidence. Myrmekiosides A (1) and B (2) reversed the phenotype of melanoma H-ras transformed NIH3T3 cells at 5 μg/ml.     

Reuse of chiral cationic Pd-phosphinooxazolidine catalysts in ionic liquids: highly efficient catalytic asymmetric Diels-Alder reactions

Chiral cationic palladium-phosphinooxazolidine catalysts in ionic liquid afforded excellent enantioselectivity in Diels-Alder reactions and the catalyst was easily recycled eight times without any significant decrease in chemical yields or enantioselectivity (89-99%, 88-99% ee).     

Application of negative chemical ionization mass spectrometry to the structure elucidation of perfluorochemicals and related compounds

The negative chemical ionization mass spectra of representative perfluorinated alkanes, cycloalkanes, ethers and tertiary amines have been examined, using Ar at about 0.5 torr as the reagent gas. The compounds chosen are typical of those under study as components of fluorochemical emulsion blood substitutes. Many such PFC's, particularly those with cyclic or branched structures, give intense molecular ions; most give simple spectra with a few major fragment ions at high mass, in marked contrast to the EI spectra which are dominated by m/e 69 (CF₃+) and 131 (C₃F₅+) of no value for structure elucidation. NCI-GC/MS is more sensitive than conventional EI-GC/MS and promises to be more generally useful for structure determination. Specific examples from the various classes will be presented, and their NCI and EI mass spectra compared.     

Short-chain model studies on emission properties of poly(9-vinylphenanthrene-co-p-N,N-dimethylaminostyrene): Exciplex quenching and subsequent formation of another fluorescent exciplex

The emission properties of 1-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-3-(9-phenanthryl)propane, Ph(CH₂)₃ DMA, and 1,3-di-(9-phenanthyrl)propane, Ph(CH₂)₃Ph, were studied in comparison with those of poly(9-vinylphenanthrene-co-p-N,N-dimethylaminostyrene). Ph(CH₂)₃DMA showed an intense intramolecular exciplex fluorescence in dioxane. Ph(CH₂)₃Ph did not exhibit a clear intramolecular excimer fluorescence. The quenching of the intramolecular exciplex by several electron acceptors was studied. As a result moderate electron acceptors, such as cyanobenzene, methyl benzoate, and acrylonitrile, selectively quenched the intramolecular exciplex, and in the case of cyanobenzene the subsequent formation of another fluorescent exciplex was observed. The results were discussed in terms of the reduction potentials of electron accepting quenchers.     

Direct and selective benzylic oxidation of alkylarenes via C-H abstraction using alkali metal bromides

A direct benzylic oxidation of alkylarenes via C-H bond abstraction was developed using alkali metal bromides and oxidants under mild conditions. This reaction proceeded with excellent selectivity by thermal oxidation or photooxidation to provide a broad range of carbonyl compounds containing electron-deficient aryl carbonyl compounds in high yields.     

Oxidation of annelated diarylamines: analysis of reaction pathways to nitroxide diradical and spirocyclic products

Oxidation of diaryldiamine 2, a tetrahydrodiazapentacene derivative, provides diarylnitroxide diradical 1 accompanied by an intermediate nitroxide monoradical and a multitude of isolable diamagnetic products. DFT-computed tensors for EPR spectra and paramagnetic (1)H NMR isotropic shifts for nitroxide diradical 1 show good agreement with the experimental EPR spectra in rigid matrices and paramagnetic (1)H NMR spectra in solution, respectively. Examination of the diamagnetic products elucidates their formation via distinct pathways involving C-O bond-forming reactions, including Baeyer-Villiger-type oxidations. An unusual diiminoketone structure and two spirocyclic structures of the predominant diamagnetic products are confirmed by either X-ray crystallography or correlations between DFT-computed and experimental spectroscopic data such as (1)H, (13)C, and (15)N NMR chemical shifts and electronic absorption spectra.     

Effect of interfacial proteins on osteoblast-like cell adhesion to hydroxyapatite nanocrystals

A quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique was employed to detecting the protein adsorption and subsequent osteoblast-like cell adhesion to hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals. The interfacial phenomena with the preadsorption of three proteins (albumin (BSA), fibronectin (Fn), and collagen (Col)), the subsequent adsorption of fetal bovine serum (FBS), and the adhesion of the cells were investigated. The QCM-D measured the frequency shift (Δf) and dissipation energy shift (ΔD), and the viscoelastic properties of the adlayers were evaluated using ΔD-Δf plot and Voigt-based viscoelastic model. The Col adsorption significantly showed higher Δf, ΔD, elasticity, and viscosity values as compared to the BSA and Fn adsorption, and the subsequent FBS adsorption depended on the preadsorbed proteins. The ΔD-Δf plot of the cell adhesion also showed a different behavior depending on the surfaces, and the Fn- and Col-modified surfaces showed the rapid mass and ΔD changes by forming the viscous interfacial layers with cell adhesion, indicating that the processes were affected by the cellular reaction through the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. The confocal laser scanning microscope images of adherent cells showed a different morphology and pseudopod on the surfaces. The cells adhered to the surfaces modified with the Fn and Col had significantly uniaxially expanded shapes and fibrous pseudopods, and those modified with the BSA had a round shape. Therefore, the different cell-protein interactions would cause the arrangement of the ECM and the cytoskeleton changes at the interfaces, and these phenomena were successfully detected by the QCM-D and Voigt-based model.