The Devil Behind the Mirror: Tracking the Campaigns of Cryptocurrency Abuses on the Dark Web

The dark web has emerged as the state-of-the-art solution for enhanced anonymity. Just like a double-edged sword, it also inadvertently becomes the safety net and breeding ground for illicit activities. Among them, cryptocurrencies have been prevalently abused to receive illicit income while evading regulations. Despite the continuing efforts to combat illicit activities, there is still a lack of an in-depth understanding regarding the characteristics and dynamics of cryptocurrency abuses on the dark web. In this work, we conduct a multi-dimensional and systematic study to track cryptocurrency-related illicit activities and campaigns on the dark web. We first harvest a dataset of 4,923 cryptocurrency-related onion sites with over 130K pages. Then, we detect and extract the illicit blockchain transactions to characterize the cryptocurrency abuses, targeting features from single/clustered addresses and illicit campaigns. Throughout our study, we have identified 2,564 illicit sites with 1,189 illicit blockchain addresses, which account for 90.8 BTC in revenue. Based on their inner connections, we further identify 66 campaigns behind them. Our exploration suggests that illicit activities on the dark web have strong correlations, which can guide us to identify new illicit blockchain addresses and onions, and raise alarms at the early stage of their deployment

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Habenaria dentata (Orchidaceae)

Habenaria dentata is a rare species with high ornamental value in China. In this study, we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of H. dentata using the Illumina sequencing data. The total genome of H. dentata is 153,682 bp in length and the GC content is 36.62%, with a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) regions of 26,339 bp each, a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,963 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,041 bp. The cp genome encoded 133 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes (PCG), eight rRNA genes, and 38 tRNA genes. The maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on 12 cp genomes showed that H. dentata was sister to Habenaria chejuensis and Habenaria ciliolaris. This work will be valuable for genetic and phylogenetic studies on H. dentata

Aristolochia yachangensis, a new species of Aristolochiaceae from limestone areas in Guangxi, China

Aristolochia yachangensis B.G.Huang, Yan Liu & Y.S.Huang, a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically most similar to A. fangchi Y.C.Wu ex L.D.Chow & S.M.Hwang, A. petelotii O.C. Schmidt and A. championii Merr. & Chun in shape of leaf blade, anther, gynostemium and inflorescence on old woody stems. However, it can be easily distinguished from the latter by shape of inflorescence, length of upper and lower portions of perianth tube, colour of the limb and throat. A table and a key to distinguish the new species from other morphologically similar Aristolochia species are also provided

Aristolochia yachangensis, a new species of Aristolochiaceae from limestone areas in Guangxi, China

Aristolochia yachangensis B.G.Huang, Yan Liu & Y.S.Huang, a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically most similar to A. fangchi Y.C.Wu ex L.D.Chow & S.M.Hwang, A. petelotii O.C. Schmidt and A. championii Merr. & Chun in shape of leaf blade, anther, gynostemium and inflorescence on old woody stems. However, it can be easily distinguished from the latter by shape of inflorescence, length of upper and lower portions of perianth tube, colour of the limb and throat. A table and a key to distinguish the new species from other morphologically similar Aristolochia species are also provided

Comparative study on leaf anatomical structures and photosynthetic characteristics of three Geodorum species

To explore leaf anatomical structures and photosynthetic characteristics of Geodorum plant, the anatomical structure of leaves, daily variation of photosynthesis, light response curve, CO2 response curve, chlorophyll content and other indexes of the narrowly endangered Geodorum eulophioides and widely spread G. densiflorum and G. attenuatum were measured. The results were as follows: (1) Three species of Geodorum did not have spongy and fenestrated tissue differentiation in their chloroplasts, and stomata were distributed only in the lower epidermis. Compared with G.densiflorum and G.eulophioides, G. attenuatum had a greater leaf thickness and smaller stomatal density, exhibiting structural characteristics that were more adaptable to low light environments. (2) The daily changes of net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of three species of Geodorum showed a “bimodal” curve, and the photosynthetic “lunch break” was mainly caused by non-stomatal limitation. The daily mean values of Pn and water use efficiency (WUE) showed that G. attenuatum > G.densiflorum > G.eulophioides, which indicated that G.eulophioides had a weaker ability of accumulating photosynthesis products, and its adaptive capacity to the arid environment was probably poorer. (3) Three species of Geodorum were all shade plants. G.densiflorum had the smallest light compensation point (LCP) and the largest light saturation point (LSP), and had a wider range of adaptation to light intensity; G. attenuatum had a high maximum net photosynthetic rate (Pmax) and apparent quantum efficiency (AQY), and its photosynthetic capacity was stronger; G.eulophioides had the smallest Pmax and the potential maximum net photosynthetic rate (Amax), and its photosynthetic capacity and CO2 utilization capacity were weaker. (4) The chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b) and total chlorophyll (Chl) contents of G.densiflorum and G. attenuatum were significantly (P<0.05) higher than those of G.eulophioide. (5) There were significant (P<0.05) correlations between the leaf thickness, mesophyll thickness, chlorophyll content, and Pmax of three species of Geodorum. It was concluded that the photosynthetic capacity and adaptability of G.eulophioides were poorer compared with G.densiflorum and G. attenuatum, which might be greatly related to its endangerment; appropriate shading and increased CO2 concentration favored photosynthesis in three species of Geodorum. The results of this study provide a reference for the analysis of the endangered causes of G. eulophioides and the conservation of germplasm resources of three Geodorum species