Multi-round encryption for COVID-19 data using the DNA key

The need for a reliable and fast encryption algorithm to encrypt medical data for patients is an extremely important topic to be considered especially during pandemic times such as the pandemic COVID-19. This pandemic forced governments and healthcare institutions to monitor COVID-19 patients. All the patient's data or records are also shared among healthcare researchers to be used to help them find vaccines or cures for this pandemic. Therefore, protecting such data (images, text) or records face an everincreasing number of risks. In this paper, a novel multi-round encryption algorithm based on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is proposed. The significance of the proposed algorithm comes from using a different random key to perform simple and fast encryption operations on multiple rounds to achieve a high level of confusion and diffusion effects in encrypted data. Experiments were conducted using a set of datasets of various types such as Excel sheets, images, and database tables. The experiments were conducted to test the performance and security level of the proposed encryption algorithm against well-known algorithms such as data encryption standard (DES) and advanced encryption standard (AES). The experiments show an outstanding performance regarding the encryption time, key size, information entropy, and the avalanche effects.

Co-Diffusion Effects in Software Sourcing Arrangements

This study analyzes the temporal diffusion of software sourcing arrangements by applying innovation diffusion theories. The study tests the co-diffusion effects 1) between onshoring and offshoring and 2) between insourcing and outsourcing. The results from the analysis indicate the existence of one-way complementary co-diffusion effects between on-shoring and offshoring and between outsourcing and in-housing. Positive, significant effects of innovation were found for in-housed, on-shored, and offshored software projects. Furthermore, a negative, significant effect of imitation was found for outsourced software projects. Indications were co-diffusion effects are stronger than diffusion effects.

Inflation is always semi-classical: diffusion domination overproduces Primordial Black Holes

We use the Hamilton-Jacobi (H-J) formulation of stochastic inflation to describe the evolution of the inflaton during a period of Ultra-Slow Roll (USR), taking into account the field's velocity and its gravitational backreaction. We demonstrate how this formalism allows one to modify existing slow-roll (SR) formulae to be fully valid outside of the SR regime. We then compute the mass fraction, β, of Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) formed by a plateau in the inflationary potential. By fully accounting for the inflaton velocity as it enters the plateau, we find that PBHs are generically overproduced before the inflaton's velocity reaches zero, ruling out a period of free diffusion or even stochastic noise domination on the inflaton dynamics. We also examine a local inflection point and similarly conclude that PBHs are overproduced before entering a quantum diffusion dominated regime. We therefore surmise that the evolution of the inflaton is always predominantly classical with diffusion effects always subdominant. Both the plateau and the inflection point are characterized by a very sharp transition between the under- and over-production regimes. This can be seen either as severe fine-tunning on the inflationary production of PBHs, or as a very strong link between the fraction β and the shape of the potential and the plateau's extent.

In Vitro Antioxidant Properties, Glucose-Diffusion Effects, α-Amylase Inhibitory Activity, and Antidiabetogenic Effects of C. Europaea Extracts in Experimental Animals

Caralluma europaea (Guss.) N.E.Br. (C. europaea), is a medicinal plant used traditionally to treat diabetes mellitus (DM) in Morocco. This study aimed to investigate the in vitro antioxidant properties, glucose diffusion effects, α-amylase inhibitory activity, and pancreatic protective effects of C. europaea in experimental alloxan-induced diabetes in mice. Total phenolic contents were determined by Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric method, total flavonoid contents were measured by aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, and tannins contents were determined by employing the vanillin method. C. europaea ethyl acetate fraction exhibited high antioxidant potential in terms of radical scavenging (DPPH) (IC50 = 0.22 ± 0.01 mg/mL), β-carotene bleaching activity (IC50 = 1.153 ± 0.07 mg/mL), and Ferric-reducing antioxidant power. Glucose diffusion was significantly inhibited by the ethyl acetate fraction at 60,120and 180 min, while the aqueous extract did not have this inhibitory effect when compared with the control group. Potent α-amylase inhibitory activity was observed in the ethyl acetate fraction and the aqueous extract in vitro and in vivo using STZ-diabetic rats. On the other hand, the administration of the ethyl acetate fraction (60 mg/kg) significantly attenuated alloxan-induced death and hyperglycemia in treated mice. Furthermore, histopathological investigations revealed that the ethyl acetate fraction protected islets of Langerhans against alloxan-induced tissue alterations. These results suggest that C. europaea exhibited an important antihyperglycemic effect via the inhibition of glucose diffusion and pancreatic α-amylase activity. In addition, the antidiabetogenic effect of C. europaea might be attributed to their polyphenol and flavonoid compounds, which could be reacted alone, or in synergy, to scavenge the free radicals produced by the alloxan.