Higher-Order DCA Attacks on White-Box Implementations with Masking and Shuffling Countermeasures

On white-box implementations, it has been proven that differential computation analysis (DCA) can recover secret keys without time-costly reverse engineering. At CHES 2021, Seker et al. combined linear and non-linear masking protections (SEL masking) to prevent sensitive variables from being predicted by DCA. At Eurocrypt 2021, Biryukov and Udovenko introduced a public dummy shuffling construction (BU shuffling) to protect sensitive functions. In this paper, we extend higher-order DCA (HO-DCA) to higher-degree context for exploiting the vulnerabilities against the state-of-the-art countermeasures. The data-dependency HO-DCA (DDHO-DCA), which is proposed at CHES 2020, is improved to successfully recover the correct key of SEL masking. In specific, our improved DDHO-DCA can also enhance the attack result of #100 which is the third winning challenge in WhibOx 2019. Since the XOR phase plays the same role as linear masking, we prove that a specific BU shuffling is vulnerable to HO-DCA attacks. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the combination of SEL masking and the specific BU shuffling still cannot defeat our higher-degree HO-DCA and improved DDHO-DCA attacks

Integrative analysis of the role of BOLA2B in human pan-cancer

Objective:BOLA2B is a recently discovered protein-coding gene. Here, pan-cancer analysis was conducted to determine the expression patterns of BOLA2B and its impact on immune response, gene mutation, and possible molecular biological mechanisms in different tumors, together with investigating its potential usefulness for cancer prognosis.Methods: Data on BOLA2B expression and mutations were downloaded from TCGA and GTEx databases. Clinical survival data from TCGA were used to analyze the prognostic value of BOLA2B. TIMER and ESTIMATE algorithms were used to assess correlations between BOLA2B and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, immune cytokines, and immune scores.Results: BOLA2B was found to be highly expressed at both mRNA and protein levels in multiple tumors, where it was associated with worse overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) in all cancers apart from ovarian cancer. BOLA2B was also found to be positively correlated with copy number variation (CNV), and mutations in TP53, TTN, and MUC16 were found to influence BOLA2B expression. Post-transcriptional modifications, including m5C, m1A, and m6A, were observed to regulate BOLA2B expression in all cancers. Functional analysis showed that BOLA2B was enriched in pathways associated with iron–sulfur cluster formation, mTOR-mediated autophagy, and cell cycle inhibition. Decreased BOLA2B expression induced the proliferation of breast cancer cells and G2/M cell cycle arrest.Conclusion:BOLA2B was found to be highly expressed in malignant tumors and could be used as a biomarker of poor prognosis in multiple cancers. Further investigation into BOLA2B’s role and molecular functions in cancer would provide new insights for cancer diagnosis and treatment

Optimization on the jet characteristics of the main nozzle of hot-blowing snow removal device

The exhaust devices used by snow removal vehicles are mainly based on hot-blowing snow removal. Due to the inherent characteristics of the turbojet engine such as low flow rate and high exhaust temperature, the modified hot-blowing snow removal device has problems of low snow removal efficiency and the possibility of ablation and damage to the road surface. In order to solve the problem, transforming the turbofan engine with a high flow rate and a low exhaust temperature into a hot-blowing snow removal device is an important improvement to achieve efficient and safe snow removal operations. In order to convert a medium bypass ratio turbofan engine into a hot-blowing snow removal device, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software CFX was used to analyze the internal and external flow field characteristics of the main nozzle of an exhaust device under the 60 % rated condition of the engine. The effective area sizes of the jet velocity and temperature predicted by the external flow field were used to optimize the layout of the main nozzle

Liposomal Curcumin Targeting Endometrial Cancer Through the NF-κB Pathway

Background/Aims: Emerging evidence suggests that curcumin possesses chemopreventive properties against various cancers. However, its poor bioavailability limits its clinical application. In this study, we aimed to utilize encapsulation in liposomes (Lipo) as a strategy for the clinical administration of curcumin for endometrial carcinoma (EC). Methods: Curcumin was encapsulated in a liposomal delivery system to prepare a formulation of liposomal curcumin (LC). EC cell lines Ishikawa and HEC-1 were treated with the compound and cell proliferation was measured using MTT assay. Hoechst 33258 staining assay and flow cytometry were used to detect apoptosis of the cells. Wound healing and cell invasion assays were employed to monitor cell motility. Underlying target signaling, such as NF-κB, caspases, and MMPs, were further studied via qRT-PCR and western blot. Thereafter, a zebrafish model was used to assess the toxicity of LC. Finally, a zebrafish transplantation tumor model of EC was grown and treated with LC. Tumors were monitored and harvested to study the expression of NF-κB. Results: The formation of LC was successfully developed with excellent purity and physical properties. In vitro, LC resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and suppression of Ishikawa and HEC-1 cell motility. LC treatment also suppressed the activation and/or expression of NF-κB, caspase-3, and MMP-9. No demonstrable toxicity was found in the zebrafish model and tumors were suppressed after treatment with LC. PCR analysis also showed down-regulated expression of NF-κB. Conclusions: LC was successfully prepared and played biological roles against EC probably through negative regulation of the NF-κB pathway in vitro and in vivo, which demonstrates its potential therapeutic effects in EC

Investigation of nonlinear wave-induced seabed response around mono-pile foundation

YesStability and safety of offshore wind turbines with mono-pile foundations, affected by nonlinear wave effect and dynamic seabed response, are the primary concerns in offshore foundation design. In order to address these problems, the nonlinear wave effect on dynamic seabed response in the vicinity of mono-pile foundation is investigated using an integrated model, developed using OpenFOAM, which incorporates both wave model (waves2Foam) and Biot’s poro-elastic model. The present model was validated against several laboratory experiments and promising agreements were obtained. Special attention was paid to the systematic analysis of pore water pressure as well as the momentary liquefaction in the proximity of mono-pile induced by nonlinear wave effects. Various embedment depths of mono-pile relevant for practical engineering design were studied in order to attain the insights into nonlinear wave effect around and underneath the mono-pile foundation. By comparing time-series of water surface elevation, inline force, and wave-induced pore water pressure at the front, lateral, and lee side of mono-pile, the distinct nonlinear wave effect on pore water pressure was shown. Simulated results confirmed that the presence of mono-pile foundation in a porous seabed had evident blocking effect on the vertical and horizontal development of pore water pressure. Increasing embedment depth enhances the blockage of vertical pore pressure development and hence results in somewhat reduced momentary liquefaction depth of the soil around the mono-pile foundation.Energy Technology Partnership (ETP), Wood Group Kenny, and University of Aberdeen; the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (51425901) and the 111 project (B12032)

Are climate warming and enhanced atmospheric deposition of sulfur and nitrogen threatening tufa landscapes in Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China?

Massive deposition of calcium carbonate in ambient temperature waters (tufa) can form magnificent tufa landscapes, many of which are designated as protected areas. However, tufa landscapes in many areas are threatened by both local anthropogenic activities and climate change. This study, for the first time, posed the question whether the tufa landscape degradation (characterized by tufa degradation and increased biomass of green algae) in Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve of China is partially caused by regional air pollution and climate warming. The results indicate that wet deposition (including rain and snow) polluted by anthropogenic SO2, NOx, and NH3 emissions dissolves exposed tufa and may considerably reduce tufa deposition rate and even cause tufa dissolution within shallow waters. These effects of wet deposition on tufa enhanced as pH of wet deposition decreased from 8.01 to 5.06. Annual Volume Weighted Mean concentration of reactive nitrogen (including NH4+ and NO3-) in wet deposition (26.1 μmol L-1) was 1.8 times of the corresponding value of runoff (14.8 μmol L-1) and exceeded China's national standard of total nitrogen in runoff for nature reserves (14.3 μmol L-1), indicating a direct nitrogen fertilization effect of wet deposition on green algae. As water temperature is the major limiting factor of algal growth in Jiuzhaigou and temperature in the top layer (0-5 cm) of runoff (depth < 1 m, no canopy coverage of trees and shrubs) was significantly higher at the sites with increased biomass of green algae (p < 0.05), climate warming in this region would favor algal growth. In sum, this study suggests that climate warming and enhanced sulfur and nitrogen deposition have contributed to the current degradation of tufa landscape in Jiuzhaigou, but in order to quantify the contributions, further studies are needed, as many other anthropogenic and natural processes also influence tufa landscape evolution

Polymorphisms in thymidylate synthase gene and susceptibility to breast cancer in a Chinese population: a case-control analysis

BACKGROUND: Accumulative evidence suggests that low folate intake is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. Polymorphisms in genes involved in folate metabolism may influence DNA methylation, nucleotide synthesis, and thus individual susceptibility to cancer. Thymidylate synthase (TYMS) is a key enzyme that participates in folate metabolism and catalyzes the conversion of dUMP to dTMP in the process of DNA synthesis. Two potentially functional polymorphisms [a 28-bp tandem repeat in the TYMS 5'-untranslated enhanced region (TSER) and a 6-bp deletion/insertion in the TYMS 3'-untranslated region (TS 3'-UTR)] were suggested to be correlated with alteration of thymidylate synthase expression and associated with cancer risk. METHODS: To test the hypothesis that polymorphisms of the TYMS gene are associated with risk of breast cancer, we genotyped these two polymorphisms in a case-control study of 432 incident cases with invasive breast cancer and 473 cancer-free controls in a Chinese population. RESULTS: We found that the distribution of TS3'-UTR (1494del6) genotype frequencies were significantly different between the cases and controls (P = 0.026). Compared with the TS3'-UTR del6/del6 wild-type genotype, a significantly reduced risk was associated with the ins6/ins6 homozygous variant genotype (adjusted OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.35–0.97) but not the del6/ins6 genotype (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.82–1.46). Furthermore, breast cancer risks associated with the TS3'-UTR del6/del6 genotype were more evident in older women, postmenopausal subjects, individuals with a younger age at first-live birth and individuals with an older age at menarche. However, there was no evidence for an association between the TSER polymorphism and breast cancer risks. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the TS3'-UTR del6 polymorphism may play a role in the etiology of breast cancer. Further larger population-based studies as well as functional evaluation of the variants are warranted to confirm our findings

Higher-Order DCA Attacks on White-Box Implementations with Masking and Shuffling Countermeasures

On white-box implementations, it has been proven that differential computation analysis (DCA) can recover secret keys without time-costly reverse engineering. At CHES 2021, Seker et al. combined linear and non-linear masking protections (SEL masking) to prevent sensitive variables from being predicted by DCA. At Eurocrypt 2021, Biryukov and Udovenko introduced a public dummy shuffling construction (BU shuffling) to protect sensitive functions. In this paper, we extend higher-order DCA (HO-DCA) to higher-degree context for exploiting the vulnerabilities against the state-of-the-art countermeasures. The data-dependency HO-DCA (DDHO-DCA), which is proposed at CHES 2020, is improved to successfully recover the correct key of SEL masking. In specific, our improved DDHO-DCA can also enhance the attack result of #100 which is the third winning challenge in WhibOx 2019. Since the XOR phase plays the same role as linear masking, we prove that a specific BU shuffling is vulnerable to HO-DCA attacks. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the combination of SEL masking and the specific BU shuffling still cannot defeat our higher-degree HO-DCA and improved DDHO-DCA attacks