Securing industrial control system environments: the missing piece

Cyberattacks on industrial control systems (ICSs) are no longer matters of anticipation. These systems are continually subject to malicious attacks without much resistance. Network breaches, data theft, denial of service, and command and control functions are examples of common attacks on ICSs. Despite available security solutions, safety, security, resilience, and performance require both private public sectors to step-up strategies to address increasing security concerns on ICSs. This paper reviews the ICS security risk landscape, including current security solution strategies in order to determine the gaps and limitations for effective mitigation. Notable issues point to a greater emphasis on technology security while discounting people and processes attributes. This is clearly incongruent with; emerging security risk trends, the biased security strategy of focusing more on supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and the emergence of more sector-specific solutions as against generic security solutions. Better solutions need to include approaches that follow similar patterns as the problem trend. These include security measures that are evolutionary by design in response to security risk dynamics. Solutions that recognize and include; people, process and technology security enhancement into asingle system, and addressing all three-entity vulnerabilities can provide a better solution for ICS environments

Ago2 Immunoprecipitation Identifies Predicted MicroRNAs in Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Neural Precursors

MicroRNAs are required for maintenance of pluripotency as well as differentiation, but since more microRNAs have been computationally predicted in genome than have been found, there are likely to be undiscovered microRNAs expressed early in stem cell differentiation.SOLiD ultra-deep sequencing identified >10(7) unique small RNAs from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and neural-restricted precursors that were fit to a model of microRNA biogenesis to computationally predict 818 new microRNA genes. These predicted genomic loci are associated with chromatin patterns of modified histones that are predictive of regulated gene expression. 146 of the predicted microRNAs were enriched in Ago2-containing complexes along with 609 known microRNAs, demonstrating association with a functional RISC complex. This Ago2 IP-selected subset was consistently expressed in four independent hESC lines and exhibited complex patterns of regulation over development similar to previously-known microRNAs, including pluripotency-specific expression in both hESC and iPS cells. More than 30% of the Ago2 IP-enriched predicted microRNAs are new members of existing families since they share seed sequences with known microRNAs.Extending the classic definition of microRNAs, this large number of new microRNA genes, the majority of which are less conserved than their canonical counterparts, likely represent evolutionarily recent regulators of early differentiation. The enrichment in Ago2 containing complexes, the presence of chromatin marks indicative of regulated gene expression, and differential expression over development all support the identification of 146 new microRNAs active during early hESC differentiation

Computational analysis of expression of human embryonic stem cell-associated signatures in tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The cancer stem cell model has been proposed based on the linkage between human embryonic stem cells and human cancer cells. However, the evidences supporting the cancer stem cell model remain to be collected. In this study, we extensively examined the expression of human embryonic stem cell-associated signatures including core genes, transcription factors, pathways and microRNAs in various cancers using the computational biology approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used the class comparison analysis and survival analysis algorithms to identify differentially expressed genes and their associated transcription factors, pathways and microRNAs among normal vs. tumor or good prognosis vs. poor prognosis phenotypes classes based on numerous human cancer gene expression data. We found that most of the human embryonic stem cell- associated signatures were frequently identified in the analysis, suggesting a strong linkage between human embryonic stem cells and cancer cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present study revealed the close linkage between the human embryonic stem cell associated gene expression profiles and cancer-associated gene expression profiles, and therefore offered an indirect support for the cancer stem cell theory. However, many interest issues remain to be addressed further.</p

Keratan sulphate in the tumour environment

Keratan sulphate (KS) is a bioactive glycosaminoglycan (GAG) of some complexity composed of the repeat disaccharide D-galactose β1→4 glycosidically linked to N-acetyl glucosamine. During the biosynthesis of KS, a family of glycosyltransferase and sulphotransferase enzymes act sequentially and in a coordinated fashion to add D-galactose (D-Gal) then N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) to a GlcNAc acceptor residue at the reducing terminus of a nascent KS chain to effect chain elongation. D-Gal and GlcNAc can both undergo sulphation at C6 but this occurs more frequently on GlcNAc than D-Gal. Sulphation along the developing KS chain is not uniform and contains regions of variable length where no sulphation occurs, regions which are monosulphated mainly on GlcNAc and further regions of high sulphation where both of the repeat disaccharides are sulphated. Each of these respective regions in the KS chain can be of variable length leading to KS complexity in terms of chain length and charge localization along the KS chain. Like other GAGs, it is these variably sulphated regions in KS which define its interactive properties with ligands such as growth factors, morphogens and cytokines and which determine the functional properties of tissues containing KS. Further adding to KS complexity is the identification of three different linkage structures in KS to asparagine (N-linked) or to threonine or serine residues (O-linked) in proteoglycan core proteins which has allowed the categorization of KS into three types, namely KS-I (corneal KS, N-linked), KS-II (skeletal KS, O-linked) or KS-III (brain KS, O-linked). KS-I to -III are also subject to variable addition of L-fucose and sialic acid groups. Furthermore, the GlcNAc residues of some members of the mucin-like glycoprotein family can also act as acceptor molecules for the addition of D-Gal and GlcNAc residues which can also be sulphated leading to small low sulphation glycoforms of KS. These differ from the more heavily sulphated KS chains found on proteoglycans. Like other GAGs, KS has evolved molecular recognition and information transfer properties over hundreds of millions of years of vertebrate and invertebrate evolution which equips them with cell mediatory properties in normal cellular processes and in aberrant pathological situations such as in tumourogenesis. Two KS-proteoglycans in particular, podocalyxin and lumican, are cell membrane, intracellular or stromal tissue–associated components with roles in the promotion or regulation of tumour development, mucin-like KS glycoproteins may also contribute to tumourogenesis. A greater understanding of the biology of KS may allow better methodology to be developed to more effectively combat tumourogenic processes