Security Analysis and Enhancements of an Effective Biometric-Based Remote User Authentication Scheme Using Smart Cards

Recently, many biometrics-based user authentication schemes using smart cards have been proposed to improve the security weaknesses in user authentication system. In 2011, Das proposed an efficient biometric-based remote user authentication scheme using smart cards that can provide strong authentication and mutual authentication. In this paper, we analyze the security of Das’s authentication scheme, and we have shown that Das’s authentication scheme is still insecure against the various attacks. Also, we proposed the enhanced scheme to remove these security problems of Das’s authentication scheme, even if the secret information stored in the smart card is revealed to an attacker. As a result of security analysis, we can see that the enhanced scheme is secure against the user impersonation attack, the server masquerading attack, the password guessing attack, and the insider attack and provides mutual authentication between the user and the server

Design of ITER divertor VUV spectrometer and prototype test at KSTAR tokamak

Design and development of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer have been performed from the year 1998, and it is planned to be installed in the year 2027. Currently, the design of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer is in the phase of detail design. It is optimized for monitoring of chord-integrated VUV signals from divertor plasmas, chosen to contain representative lines emission from the tungsten as the divertor material, and other impurities. Impurity emission from overall divertor plasmas is collimated through the relay optics onto the entrance slit of a VUV spectrometer with working wavelength range of 14.6–32 nm. To validate the design of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer, two sets of VUV spectrometers have been developed and tested at KSTAR tokamak. One set of spectrometer without the field mirror employs a survey spectrometer with the wavelength ranging from 14.6 nm to 32 nm, and it provides the same optical specification as the spectrometer part of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer system. The other spectrometer with the wavelength range of 5–25 nm consists of a commercial spectrometer with a concave grating, and the relay mirrors with the same geometry as the relay mirrors of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer. From test of these prototypes, alignment method using backward laser illumination could be verified. To validate the feasibility of tungsten emission measurement, furthermore, the tungsten powder was injected in KSTAR plasmas, and the preliminary result could be obtained successfully with regard to the evaluation of photon throughpu

Design of ITER divertor VUV spectrometer and prototype test at KSTAR tokamak

Design and development of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer have been performed from the year 1998, and it is planned to be installed in the year 2027. Currently, the design of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer is in the phase of detail design. It is optimized for monitoring of chord-integrated VUV signals from divertor plasmas, chosen to contain representative lines emission from the tungsten as the divertor material, and other impurities. Impurity emission from overall divertor plasmas is collimated through the relay optics onto the entrance slit of a VUV spectrometer with working wavelength range of 14.6–32 nm. To validate the design of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer, two sets of VUV spectrometers have been developed and tested at KSTAR tokamak. One set of spectrometer without the field mirror employs a survey spectrometer with the wavelength ranging from 14.6 nm to 32 nm, and it provides the same optical specification as the spectrometer part of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer system. The other spectrometer with the wavelength range of 5–25 nm consists of a commercial spectrometer with a concave grating, and the relay mirrors with the same geometry as the relay mirrors of the ITER divertor VUV spectrometer. From test of these prototypes, alignment method using backward laser illumination could be verified. To validate the feasibility of tungsten emission measurement, furthermore, the tungsten powder was injected in KSTAR plasmas, and the preliminary result could be obtained successfully with regard to the evaluation of photon throughpu

Diagnostic Mirrors for ITER: Research in the Frame of International Tokamak Physics Activity

Mirrors will be used as first plasma-viewing elements in optical and laser-based diagnostics in ITER. Deterioration of the mirror performance due to e.g. sputtering of the mirror surface by plasma particles or deposition of impurities will hamper the entire performance of the affected diagnostic and thus affect ITER operation. The Specialists Working Group on First Mirrors (FM SWG) in the Topical Group on Diagnostics of the International Tokamak Physics Activity (ITPA) plays an important role in finding solutions for diagnostic first mirrors. Sound progress in research and development of diagnostic mirrors in ITER was achieved since the last overview in 2009. Single crystal (SC) rhodium (Rh) mirrors became available. SC rhodium and molybdenum (Mo) mirrors survived in conditions corresponding to ~200 cleaning cycles with a negligible degradation of reflectivity. These results are important for a mirror cleaning system which is presently under development. The cleaning system is based on sputtering of contaminants by plasma. Repetitive cleaning was tested on several mirror materials. Experiments comprised contamination/cleaning cycles. The reflectivity SC Mo and Rh mirrors has changed insignificantly after 80 cycles. First in situ cleaning using radiofrequency (RF) plasma was conducted in EAST tokamak with a mock-up plate of ITER edge Thomson Scattering (ETS) with five inserted mirrors. Contaminants from the mirrors were removed. Physics of cleaning discharge was studied both experimentally and by modeling. Mirror contamination can also be mitigated by protecting diagnostic ducts. A deposition mitigation (DeMi) duct system was exposed in KSTAR. The real-time measurement of deposition in the diagnostic duct was pioneered during this experiment. Results evidenced the dominating effect of the wall conditioning and baking on contamination inside the duct. A baffled cassette with mirrors was exposed at the main wall of JET for 23,6 plasma hours. No significant degradation of reflectivity was measured on mirrors located in the ducts. Predictive modeling was further advanced. A model for the particle transport, deposition and erosion at the port-plug was used in selecting an optical layout of several ITER diagnostics. These achievements contributed to the focusing of the first mirror research thus accelerating the diagnostic development. Modeling requires more efforts. Remaining crucial issues will be in a focus of the future work of the FM SWG

Novel hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha) inhibitors for angiogenesis-related ocular diseases: Discovery of a novel scaffold via ring-truncation strategy

Ocular diseases featuring pathologic neovascularization are the leading cause of blindness, and anti-VEGF agents have been conventionally used to treat these diseases. Recently, regulating factors upstream of VEGF, such as HIF-1 alpha, have emerged as a desirable therapeutic approach because the use of anti-VEGF agents is currently being reconsidered due to the VEGF action as a trophic factor. Here, we report a novel scaffold discovered through the complete structure-activity relationship of ring-truncated deguelin analogs in HIF-1 alpha inhibition. Interestingly, analog 6i possessing a 2-fluorobenzene moiety instead of a dimethoxybenzene moiety exhibited excellent HIF-1 alpha inhibitory activity, with an IC50 value of 100 nM. In particular, the further ring-truncated analog 34f, which showed enhanced HIF-la inhibitory activity compared to analog 2 previously reported by us, inhibited in vitro angiogenesis and effectively suppressed hypoxia-mediated retinal neovascularization. Importantly, the heteroatom-substituted benzene ring as a key structural feature of analog 34f was identified as a novel scaffold for HIF-1 alpha inhibitors that can be used in lieu of a chromene ring.N