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Authentication and authorization constitute the essential security component, access control, for preventing unauthorized access to cloud services in mobile cloud computing (MCC) environments. Traditional centralized access control models relying on third party trust face a critical challenge due to a high trust cost and single point of failure. Blockchain can achieve the distributed trust for access control designs in a mutual untrustworthy scenario, but it also leads to expensive storage overhead. Considering the above issues, this work constructed an authentication and authorization scheme based on blockchain that can provide a dynamic update of access permissions by utilizing the smart contract. Compared with the conventional authentication scheme, the proposed scheme integrates an extra authorization function without additional computation and communication costs in the authentication phase. To improve the storage efficiency and system scalability, only one transaction is required to be stored in blockchain to record a user’s access privileges on different service providers (SPs). In addition, mobile users in the proposed scheme are able to register with an arbitrary SP once and then utilize the same credential to access different SPs with different access levels. The security analysis indicates that the proposed scheme is secure under the random oracle model. The performance analysis clearly shows that the proposed scheme possesses superior computation and communication efficiencies and requires a low blockchain storage capacity for accomplishing user registration and updates.

The Chinese species of Lilioceris are revised, and three new species are described from Tibet, China: Lilioceris zhentangensis Xu & Liang, sp. nov. , Lilioceris medogensis Xu & Liang, sp. nov. and Lilioceris zayuensis Xu & Liang, sp. nov. Five species of Lilioceris are reported for China as new records: L. dromedarius (Baly, 1861), L. pulchella (Baly, 1859), L. semicostata (Jacoby, 1908), L. unicolor (Hope, 1831) and L. nepalensis Takizawa, 1989. Lilioceris seminigra (Jacoby, 1889) is proposed as a junior synonym of L. unicolor Hope, 1831. Redescriptions, habitus photographs, geographic distributions, host plants (if available) and habitats are provided for these species.

Brain extraction is an important prerequisite for the automated diagnosis of intracranial lesions and determines, to a certain extent, the accuracy of subsequent lesion identification, localization, and segmentation. To address the problem that the current traditional image segmentation methods are fast in extraction but poor in robustness, while the Full Convolutional Neural Network (FCN) is robust and accurate but relatively slow in extraction, this paper proposes an adaptive mask-based brain extraction method, namely AMBBEM, to achieve brain extraction better. The method first uses threshold segmentation, median filtering, and closed operations for segmentation, generates a mask for the first time, then combines the ResNet50 model, region growing algorithm, and image properties analysis to further segment the mask, and finally complete brain extraction by multiplying the original image and the mask. The algorithm was tested on 22 test sets containing different lesions, and the results showed MPA = 0.9963, MIoU = 0.9924, and MBF = 0.9914, which were equivalent to the extraction effect of the Deeplabv3+ model. However, the method can complete brain extraction of approximately 6.16 head CT images in 1 second, much faster than Deeplabv3+, U-net, and SegNet models. In summary, this method can achieve accurate brain extraction from head CT images more quickly, creating good conditions for subsequent brain volume measurement and feature extraction of intracranial lesions.

Due to their frequent use in unattended and hostile deployment environments, the security in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has attracted much interest in the past two decades. However, it remains a challenge to design a lightweight authentication protocol for WSNs because the designers are confronted with a series of desirable security requirements, e.g., user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, resistance to de-synchronization attack. Recently, the authors presented two authentication schemes that attempt to provide user anonymity and to resist various known attacks. Unfortunately, in this work we shall show that user anonymity of the two schemes is achieved at the price of an impractical search operation—the gateway node may search for every possible value. Besides this defect, they are also prone to smart card loss attacks and have no provision for perfect forward secrecy. As our main contribution, a lightweight anonymous authentication scheme with perfect forward secrecy is designed, and what we believe the most interesting feature is that user anonymity, perfect forward secrecy, and resistance to de-synchronization attack can be achieved at the same time. As far as we know, it is extremely difficult to meet these security features simultaneously only using the lightweight operations, such as symmetric encryption/decryption and hash functions.

Background Visceral adiposity index (VAI) and lipid accumulation product (LAP) are comprehensive indicators to evaluate visceral fat and determine the metabolic health of individuals. Carotenoids are a group of naturally occurring antioxidants associated with several diseases. The purpose of this investigation was to explore the association between serum carotenoid concentration and VAI or LAP. Methods The data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2001 and 2006. The levels of serum carotenoids were evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Multivariate linear regression models were employed to investigate the relationship between levels of serum carotenoids and VAI or LAP. The potential non-linear relationship was determined using threshold effect analysis and fitted smoothing curves. Stratification analysis was performed to investigate the potential modifying factors. Results In total, 5,084 participants were included in this population-based investigation. In the multivariate linear regressions, compared to the lowest quartiles of serum carotenoids, the highest quartiles were significantly associated with VAI, and the effect size (β) and 95% CI was − 0.98 (− 1.34, − 0.62) for α-carotene, − 1.39 (− 1.77, − 1.00) for β-carotene, − 0.79 (− 1.18, − 0.41) for β-cryptoxanthin, − 0.68 (− 0.96, − 0.39) for lutein/zeaxanthin, and − 0.88 (− 1.50, − 0.27) for trans-lycopene. Using piece-wise linear regression models, non-linear relationships were found between β­carotene and trans-lycopene and VAI with an inflection point of 2.44 (log2-transformed, ug/dL) and 3.80 (log2-transformed, ug/dL), respectively. The results indicated that α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, and lutein/zeaxanthin were linearly associated with VAI. An inverse association was also found between serum carotenoids and LAP after complete adjustments. Conclusion This study revealed that several serum carotenoids were associated with VAI or LAP among the general American population. Further large prospective investigations are warranted to support this finding.

A new species group of the genus Lilioceris Reitter, 1913 is proposed and reviewed, the sinica group. It includes six species: L. gressitti Medvedev, 1958; L. rugata (Baly, 1865); L. sieversi (Heyden, 1887); L. sinica (Heyden, 1887); L. theana (Reitter, 1898) stat. nov. ; and L. thibetana (Pic, 1916). Among them, L. theana is resurrected as a valid species from synonymy with L. rugata , and is newly reported from China. Redescriptions, an identification key, figures of habitus and male and female genitalia, geographic distributions, host plants, and habitats (if known) are provided for these species.

BackgroundAlbuminuria is a critical prognostic indicator for adverse outcomes (eg, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular events) in adults with hypertension. While healthy dietary patterns are linked to improved renal and cardiovascular health, the association between overall healthy eating (assessed by a comprehensive index) and albuminuria in this population remains insufficiently investigated.ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the association between the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and albuminuria in US adults with hypertension using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2020 data.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional analysis of data from the NHANES 2007–2020. Participants aged ≥20 years with hypertension defined in accordance with the American Heart Association (AHA) clinical guidelines were included. HEI-2015 score was evaluated from dietary intake data collected by conducting 24-hour dietary recall interviews. Albuminuria was defined as a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) ≥30 mg/g. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline analysis were used to evaluate the association between HEI-2015 and albuminuria.ResultsA total of 12 829 US adults with hypertension were included, with 2163 (16.86%) having albuminuria. The weighted mean HEI-2015 score was 53.9, and the weighted mean UACR was 60.6 mg/g. In the fully adjusted logistic regression model (model 3), compared with Q1 (reference), the OR of albuminuria for Q4 was 0.75 (95% CI 0.59 to 0.95, p=0.02). For each 13-point increase in HEI-2015, the OR of albuminuria was 0.91 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.99, p=0.04) in model 3. Restricted cubic spline analysis showed a linear association between HEI-2015 and albuminuria (P for non-linearity=0.239, P overall <0.001). Stratified analyses (by age, sex, race, body mass index, etc) showed no significant interaction (all P for interaction >0.05).ConclusionHigher HEI-2015 scores (indicating healthier dietary patterns) are significantly associated with a lower prevalence of albuminuria in US adults with hypertension. These findings support healthy eating as a potential strategy for preventing albuminuria in hypertensive populations.

We investigate the relationship between confluent Heun functions and the eigenvalue spectra of infinite matrices related to the semi-classical and quantum Rabi models, revealing distinct connections in each case. In the semi-classical model, the eigenvalues are explicitly expressed through confluent Heun functions, whereas in the quantum Rabi model, they are determined by zeros of a condition involving confluent Heun functions. Our findings establish a unified framework for solving the eigenvalue problem of infinite-dimensional unbounded matrices related to the Rabi models. We derive some new identities for confluent Heun functions, enabling simplifications and broader applications in mathematics and physics. The explicit eigenvalue expressions in the semi-classical case align with approximate results from earlier studies, while the derived conditions for the quantum model provide a concise and unified form, encompassing special cases that are typically treated as exceptions. We also discuss the energy spectrum of the quantum Rabi model, uncovering intriguing phenomena and patterns. Our results deepen the understanding of Rabi models and extend their potential applications in quantum optics and quantum information.

Nuclear mitochondrial DNA sequences (NUMTs) are mitochondrial DNA fragments in the nuclear genome, and their unclear distribution in Chrysomelidae species hinders the selection of accurate molecular markers for species identification and phylogenetic analysis. Our study presents a genome-wide survey of NUMTs in 32 Chrysomelidae species. Filtering strategies based on sequence length and open reading frame (ORF) features were employed to identify mitochondrial protein-coding genes (PCGs) minimally affected by NUMTs. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred from both mitochondrial PCG datasets and a COX1 dataset containing NUMTs. Our results show that NUMTs are chromosomally specific, species-specific, and widely distributed. ATP8, COX1, ND1, and ND4 are identified as relatively reliable molecular markers. Phylogenetic analysis is influenced by NUMTs and other factors such as sequence type and saturation. A total of 66 independent COX1 gene nuclear integration events were estimated across 32 species, mostly from distinct mitochondrial lineages. These findings suggest that NUMTs reflect key evolutionary processes such as gene flow and mitochondrial lineage diversification. Their prevalence emphasizes the need for refined molecular markers in species identification and phylogenetic analysis, while also highlighting the importance of NUMTs in understanding mitochondrial DNA integration and their contribution to species’ evolutionary history.

A new species group of Lilioceris Reitter, 1913 is proposed and reviewed, the semipunctata group. It includes eleven species: L. atrilateralis Kimoto & Takizawa, 1973, L. consentanea (Lacordaire, 1845), L. dentifemoralis Long, 1988, L. discrepens (Baly, 1879), L. jianfenglingensis Long, 1988, L. latissima (Pic, 1932), L. lianzhouensis Long, 2000a, L. rondoni Kimoto & Gressitt, 1979, L. rufometallica (Pic, 1923), L. semipunctata (Fabricius, 1801), and L. yuae Long, 2000b. Lilioceris discrepens and L. rondoni were new records from China. Two synonyms are proposed: Lilioceris xinglongensis Long, 1988, syn. nov. of L. consentanea (Lacordaire, 1845), and Crioceris rufimembris Pic, 1921, syn. nov. of L. semipunctata . An identification key, descriptions, habitus photographs, geographic distributions, host plants and habitats (if available), are provided for these species.