Authenticity and integrity of digital mammography images

Data security becomes more and more important in telemammography which uses a public high-speed wide area network connecting the examination site with the mammography expert center. Generally, security is characterized in terms of privacy, authenticity and integrity of digital data. Privacy is a network access issue and is not considered in this paper. We present a method, authenticity and integrity of digital mammography, here which can meet the requirements of authenticity and integrity for mammography image (IM) transmission. The authenticity and integrity for mammography (AIDM) consists of the following four modules. 1) Image preprocessing: To segment breast pixels from background and extract patient information from digital imaging and communication in medicine (DICOM) image header. 2) Image hashing: To compute an image hash value of the mammogram using the MD5 hash algorithm. 3) Data encryption: To produce a digital envelope containing the encrypted image hash value (digital signature) and corresponding patient information. 4) Data embedding: To embed the digital envelope into the image. This is done by replacing the least significant bit of a random pixel of the mammogram by one bit of the digital envelope bit stream and repeating for all bits in the bit stream. Experiments with digital IMs demonstrate the following. 1) In the expert center, only the user who knows the private key can open the digital envelope and read the patient information data and the digital signature of the mammogram transmitted from the examination site. 2) Data integrity can be verified by matching the image hash value decrypted from the digital signature with that computed from the transmitted image. 3) No visual quality degradation is detected in the embedded image compared with the original. Our preliminary results demonstrate that AIDM is an effective method for image authenticity and integrity in telemammography application.     

Hydrothermal syntheses, structures, and properties of [Cu3Cl2CN(pyrazine)] and copper(I) halide pyrazine polymers

Crystals of copper halide and pseudohalide compounds with pyrazine are synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. The title compound, [Cu3Cl2CNPz] (1) (Pz = pyrazine), is a new copper compound exhibiting an unusual -(Cu3Cl2)- polymeric stair structural motif and three-coordinate cyanide. Compound 1 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/m, with a = 3.6530(7) A, b = 17.160(3) A, c = 6.9800(14) A, beta = 90.58(3) degrees, and Z = 2. In addition, the series of complexes [Cu2X2Pz] for X = Cl (2), Br (3), and I (4) are also crystallized under hydrothermal conditions. The inorganic polymer [Cu2Br2Pz] (3) belongs to the triclinic space group P1, with a = 6.9671(14) A, b = 7.849(2) A, c = 8.099(2) A, alpha = 71.69(3) degrees, beta = 70.71(3) degrees, gamma = 85.43(3) degrees, and Z = 2. The structure of 3, is similar to the recently reported structure for [Cu2Cl2Pz] (2) (Kawata, S.; Kitagawa, S.; Kumagai, H.; Iwabuchi, S.; Katada, M. Inorg. Chim. Acta 1998, 267, 143). The third member of the series, [Cu2I2Pz], is found to be isostructural on the basis of X-ray powder diffraction results. The lattice parameters are refined from indexed reflections to a = 7.115(10) A, b = 8.321(19) A, c = 8.378(17) A, alpha = 71.1(3) degrees, beta = 67.3(1) degrees, and gamma = 83.0(2) degrees. Electronic spectra show that compounds 1-4 have optical band gaps in the range 2.2-2.4 eV. The infrared and Raman spectra as well as the thermal properties of all compounds are presented.     

The role of retroviral dUTPases in replication and virulence

Several retroviruses, including equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV), visna virus, caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) encode dUTPase. The role of this enzyme in the replication of these viruses has been scrutinized, with particular emphasis on potential roles for dUTPase in virulence and viral mutation rate. Overall, the results of these studies have indicated a central role for dUTPase in facilitating productive viral replication in non-dividing cells. The requirement for dUTPase in EIAV, which replicates exclusively in macrophages, may be the most stringent. Studies of dUTPase mutants of virulent EIAV clones suggest that the enzyme is a major determinant of virulence. In contrast, FIV readily replicates in dividing cell populations such as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and B cells as well as in non-dividing macrophages. Thus, the virus burden and disease sequelae are lowered in cats infected with a dUTPase-minus FIV relative to cats infected with wild type FIV, but not totally abrogated. Growth in macrophages is attenuated with the DU-minus FIV with evidence of a 5 to 8-fold increase in G-->A transition mutations in viral integrants present in macrophages. These findings are consistent with an increase in uracil misincorporation in the absence of dUTPase, resulting in transition mutations that cripple the virus. Effects on virus replication and disease production have also been noted for dUTPase-deleted CEAV and visna virus. While HIV and SIV do not encode dUTPase some reports suggest that other viral and host cell factors may substitute for its activity. Betaretroviruses also encode dUTPase and while several of these cause significant disease, the role of dUTPase in their replication and pathogenesis is currently unknown.     

Reactions of amino alcohols in superacid: the direct observation of dicationic intermediates and their application in synthesis

[reaction: see text]. The chemistry of amino alcohols has been studied in superacidic media, and these compounds have been found to ionize cleanly to the dication intermediates. Several dicationic species have been directly observed by low-temperature 13C NMR, including those from epinephrine (adrenaline) and synephrine. Amino alcohols react (70-99% yields) with C6H6 in triflic acid (CF3SO3H) by electrophilic aromatic substitution.     

Optimal cloning of coherent states with a linear amplifier and beam splitters

A transformation achieving the optimal symmetric N-->M cloning of coherent states is presented. Its implementation requires only a phase-insensitive linear amplifier and a network of beam splitters. An experimental demonstration of this continuous-variable cloner should therefore be in the scope of current technology. The link between optimal quantum cloning and optimal amplification of quantum states is also pointed out.     

Boron isotope effect in superconducting MgB2

We report the preparation method of and boron isotope effect for MgB2, a new binary intermetallic superconductor with a remarkably high superconducting transition temperature T(c)(10B) = 40.2 K. Measurements of both temperature dependent magnetization and specific heat reveal a 1.0 K shift in T(c) between Mg11B2 and Mg10B2. Whereas such a high transition temperature might imply exotic coupling mechanisms, the boron isotope effect in MgB2 is consistent with the material being a phonon-mediated BCS superconductor.     

Control of laser high-harmonic generation with counterpropagating light

Relatively weak counterpropagating light is shown to disrupt the emission of laser high-harmonic generation. Harmonic orders ranging from the teens to the low thirties produced by a 30-femtosecond pulse in a narrow argon jet are "shut down" with a contrast as high as 2 orders of magnitude by a chirped 1-picosecond counterpropagating laser pulse (60 times less intense). Alternatively, under poor phase-matching conditions, the counterpropagating light boosts harmonic production by similar contrast through quasiphase matching where out-of-phase emission is suppressed.