Cryptanalysis of a Chaotic Image Encryption Algorithm Based on Information Entropy

Recently, a chaotic image encryption algorithm based on information entropy (IEAIE) was proposed. This paper scrutinizes the security properties of the algorithm and evaluates the validity of the used quantifiable security metrics. When the round number is only one, the equivalent secret key of every basic operation of IEAIE can be recovered with a differential attack separately. Some common insecurity problems in the field of chaotic image encryption are found in IEAIE, e.g. the short orbits of the digital chaotic system and the invalid sensitivity mechanism built on information entropy of the plain image. Even worse, each security metric is questionable, which undermines the security credibility of IEAIE. Hence, IEAIE can only serve as a counterexample for illustrating common pitfalls in designing secure communication method for image data.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, IEEE Access, 201

An Empirical Analysis of IPO Underpricing in Chinese A-Share MarketFrom 2003 to 2006

Abstract This dissertation conducts an empirical analysis on the explaining variables and the degree of IPO underpricing in the Chinese A-share market. The STATA 11 is employed as the tool to apply the regression analysis on the empirical models. There are 250 IPOs listed on the Chinese A-share market from 2003 to 2006 including in the sample data. The degree of IPO underpricing in the Chinese IPO market from 2003 to 2006 is found to be 73% in this dissertation. The agency cost is found to be significantly affects the level of IPO underpricing during this period. Other variables in this dissertation are found to be insignificant in the regression analysis or can only explain the IPO underpricing for a particular time period and specific industry. The reasons for the insignificant results are discussed in detail in this dissertation. Additionally, the impact of using the book building pricing method from 2005 is also examined and the result shows that this new pricing method is not the factor that affects the level of IPO underpricing in China. Finally, the most popular industry on the Chinese IPO market which are manufacturing and energy are also investigated. The result concludes that the investors in these two industries are more rational than other investors. After the analysis in this dissertation, it is concluded that the advance variables and models are expected to explain the IPO uderpricing with the changes interms of institutional settings, pricing method and offering mechanism. Key word: IPO underpricing, book building method, manufacturing and energy industr

Cryptanalyzing an image encryption algorithm based on autoblocking and electrocardiography

This paper performs a thorough security analysis of a chaotic image encryption algorithm based on autoblocking and electrocardiography from the view point of modern cryptography. The algorithm uses electrocardiography (ECG) signals to generate the initial key for a chaotic system and applies an autoblocking method to divide a plain image into blocks of certain sizes suitable for subsequent encryption. The designers claimed that the proposed algorithm is “strong and flexible enough for practical applications”. We find it is vulnerable to the known plaintext attack: based on one pair of a known plain-image and its corresponding cipher-image, an adversary is able to derive a mask image, which can be used as an equivalent secret key to successfully decrypt other cipher images encrypted under the same key with a non-negligible probability of 1/256. Using this as a typical counterexample, we summarize some security defects existing in many image encryption algorithms

Mechanism of In-Situ Catalytic Cracking of Biomass Tar over Biochar with Multiple Active Sites

Biomass tar is the bottleneck in the development of efficient utilization of biomass syngas. The in-situ catalytic cracking biomass tar with multi-active biochar is investigated in a two-stage fluidized bed-fixed bed reactor. It indicates that adding H2O or CO2 is found to improve the homogeneous and heterogeneous cracking of biomass tar. Activation of biochar by H2O or CO2 impacted the morphology of biochar surface and distribution of metal species. H2O or CO2 affects the creation and regeneration of pore structures, influencing the biochar structure and dynamical distribution of alkali and alkaline earth metal species (AAEMs), which ensure enough surface active sites to maintain the catalytic activity of biochar. The tar cracking into low-quality tar or small-molecule gas may be catalyzed by K, while the combination of tar with biochar would be promoted by Ca. The volatilizations of K and Ca, due to their reaction with volatiles, are to a large extent in accordance with their valences and boiling points. The subsequent transformation from the small aromatic ring systems to the larger ones occurs due to the volatile-biochar interaction. During tar cracking over biochar, K and Ca act as the active sites on biochar surface to promote the increase of active intermediates (C▬O bonds and C▬O▬K/Ca)

On a problem of Henning and Yeo about the transversal number of uniform linear systems whose 2-packing number is fixed

For $r\geq2$, let $(P,\mathcal{L})$ be an $r$-uniform linear system. The transversal number $\tau(P,\mathcal{L})$ of $(P,\mathcal{L})$ is the minimum number of points that intersect every line of $(P,\mathcal{L})$. The 2-packing number $\nu_2(P,\mathcal{L})$ of $(P,\mathcal{L})$ is the maximum number of lines such that the intersection of any three of them is empty. In [Discrete Math. 313 (2013), 959--966] Henning and Yeo posed the following question: Is it true that if $(P,\mathcal{L})$ is a $r$-uniform linear system then $\tau(P,\mathcal{L})\leq\displaystyle\frac{|P|+|\mathcal{L}|}{r+1}$ holds for all $k\geq2$?. In this paper, some results about of $r$-uniform linear systems whose 2-packing number is fixed which satisfies the inequality are given

Seasonal and spatial variations of heavy metalsin surface sediments collected from the BaoxiangRiver in the Dianchi Watershed, China

To explore potential ecological hazards due to heavy metals in the Dianchi Lake Watershed, a three-stage European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure was applied to examine the spatial distributions and relative speciation ratios of Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cr in Baoxiang River sediments during wet and dry seasons. The metal species have similar spatial variations during different seasons. In the upstream reaches of the Baoxiang River, heavy metals reside primarily in the non-extractable residual fraction (72&ndash;90%). In the midstream, the residual fraction (35&ndash;89%) remains dominant, but the extractable fraction increases, featuring especially notable increases in the reducible fraction (5&ndash;40%). Downstream, the Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cr residual fractions remain high (46&ndash;80%) and the extractable fractions increase rapidly; the Zn extractable fraction is quite high (65.5%). Anthropogenic sources drive changes in heavy metal speciation. Changes in the river environment, such as pH and oxidation-reduction potential, also affect speciation. The reducible fraction of heavy metals in Baoxiang River sediments is most sensitive to pH. Potential ecological risk assessments for these five elements indicate that risks from Zn and Pb are mild to moderate in the middle and lower reaches of the river.<br style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-size-adjust: auto;" /

The Synergistic Effect of Valsartan and LAF237 [(S)-1-[(3-Hydroxy-1-Adamantyl)Ammo]acetyl-2-Cyanopyrrolidine] on Vascular Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Type 2 Diabetic Mice

Aim. To investigate the combination effects and mechanisms of valsartan (angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker) and LAF237 (DPP-IV inhibitor) on prevention against oxidative stress and inflammation injury in db/db mice aorta. Methods. Db/db mice (n = 40) were randomized to receive valsartan, LAF237, valsartan plus LAF237, or saline. Oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction in diabetic mice aorta were examined. Results. Valsartan or LAF237 pretreatment significantly increased plasma GLP-1 expression, reduced apoptosis of endothelial cells isolated from diabetic mice aorta. The expression of NAD(P)H oxidase subunits also significantly decreased resulting in decreased superoxide production and ICAM-1 (fold change: valsartan : 7.5 ± 0.7, P < 0.05; LAF237: 10.2 ± 1.7, P < 0.05), VCAM-1 (fold change: valsartan : 5.2 ± 1.2, P < 0.05; LAF237: 4.8 ± 0.6, P < 0.05), and MCP-1 (fold change: valsartan: 3.2 ± 0.6, LAF237: 4.7 ± 0.8; P < 0.05) expression. Moreover, the combination treatment with valsartan and LAF237 resulted in a more significant increase of GLP-1 expression. The decrease of the vascular oxidative stress and inflammation reaction was also higher than monotherapy with valsartan or LAF237. Conclusion. These data indicated that combination treatment with LAF237 and valsartan acts in a synergistic manner on vascular oxidative stress and inflammation in type 2 diabetic mice

Rejuvenation Effect of Aged SBS-Modified Asphalt Utilizing Molecule Analysis

The Performance of Styrene-Butadiene-Styrene Modified Asphalt (SBSMA) is Significantly Impacted by its Aging and Regeneration. in This Research, the Molecular Dynamics Simulation Was Utilized to Investigate the Rejuvenation Effect of Active Reagents on Aged SBS Modified Asphalt through the Following Tasks: 1) Verifying the Accuracy of the Asphalt Model by Density and Solubility Parameters; 2) Assessing the Changes in the Rejuvenated Asphalt Model\u27s Energetic Parameters and Volume Parameters, 3) Studying the Interaction Energy between SBS Molecules and Asphalt Molecule Models, and 4) Evaluating the Relative Concentration, Interfacial Interaction Energy, and Diffusion Effect of the Asphalt-Asphalt Models. the Results Indicated that the Restored Broken SBS Molecule Substantially Impacted the Functionality of the Rejuvenated Asphalt Binder. for Methylene-Bis(4-Cyclohexylisocyanate) (HMDI) and 1,6-Hexanediol Diglycidyl Ether (HDE) Rejuvenated Asphalts, the Non-Bond Energy Decreased Gradually with the Repair of Broken SBS Molecular Structures. the Free Volume Fraction of Rejuvenated Binders Was Lower Than that of SBSMA, indicating that the Compactness and Packing Degree of the Rejuvenated Asphalt Were Increased. the Interaction Energy between SBS and Asphalt Molecules in Rejuvenated Asphalt Increased Because of the Enhanced Van Der Waals Interaction between the Reconstructed SBS Molecule and Rejuvenated Binders. the Free HDE Molecular Chain Reduced the Interaction Energy between SBS and Asphalt Molecules. for the Asphalt-Asphalt Models, the Diffusion Coefficient of the SBSMA-Rejuvenated Asphalt Model Was Lower Than that of the SBSMA-SBSMA Model. the HDE Rejuvenated Asphalt Showed Better Diffusion Behavior Than SBSMA, and SBS Molecules Repaired by HDE Had Excellent Fluidity. the Interfacial Interaction Energy of the SBSMA-Rejuvenated Asphalt Model Was Higher Than that of the SBSMA-SBSMA Model. with the Repair of the Broken SBS Molecular Chain, the Interfacial Interaction Energy between HMDI Rejuvenated Asphalt and SBSMA Increased Gradually. in Contrast, the Interfacial Interaction Energy between HDE Rejuvenated Asphalt and SBSMA Decreased Gradually. the Fully Restored SBS Molecular Structure Had Stable Thermodynamic Properties and Could Accelerate the Diffusion Effect of Rejuvenated Asphalt

Industry 4.0-Oriented Turnkey Project: Rapid Configuration and Intelligent Operation of Manufacturing Systems

More extensive personalized product requirements and shorter product life cycles have put forward higher requirements for the rapid establishment, commissioning, and operation of corresponding manufacturing systems. However, the traditional manufacturing system development process is complicated, resulting in a longer delivery time. Many manufacturing enterprises, especially small and micro enterprises, may not have the necessary manufacturing knowledge or capabilities to meet these requirements. Therefore, it is essential to promote the construction of turnkey projects under the paradigm of Industry 4.0, parallelizing and integrating the existing manufacturing system development process based on mass manufacturing equipment to quickly provide turnkey solutions for manufacturing systems’ configuration and implementation for these enterprises. This paper aims to extract and refine the configuration and operation key views of the Industry 4.0-oriented Turnkey Project (I4TP) from Reference Architecture Model Industrie 4.0 (RAMI4.0) and use it to guide the development of key functional processes of turnkey projects to achieve rapid configuration and efficient operation management of manufacturing systems. The turnkey project platform in the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (AMTC) is taken as a demonstration case to provide a reference idea for the rapid configuration and intelligent operation of the turnkey manufacturing system