Multi-authority attribute-based keyword search over encrypted cloud data

National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore; AXA Research Fun

Effect of high salinity on cell growth and protein production of Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L

Antarctic ice microalgae Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L can survive and thrive in Antarctic sea ice. In this study, Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L could survive at the salinity of 132% NaCl. SDS-PAGE showed that the density of 2 bands (26 and 36 kD) decreased obviously at the salinity of 99% NaCl compared to at the salinity of 33% NaCl. The soluble proteins in Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L grown under salinity of 33% and 99% NaCl were compared by 2-D gel electro-phoresis. After shocking with high salinity, 8 protein spots were found to disappear, and the density of 28 protein spots decreased. In addition, 19 protein spots were enhanced or induced, including one new peptide(51kD).The changes of proteins might be correlated with the resistance for Chlamydomonas sp. ICE-L to high salinity

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Exosomal miR‐205‐5p derived from periodontal ligament stem cells attenuates the inflammation of chronic periodontitis via targeting XBP1

Abstract Introduction Chronic periodontitis (CP) is an inflammatory periodontal disease with high incidence and complex pathology. This research is aimed to investigate the function of exosomal miR‐205‐5p (Exo‐miR‐205‐5p) in CP and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Method Exo‐miR‐205‐5p was isolated from miR‐205‐5p mimics‐transfected periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs), and subsequently cocultured with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced cells or injected into LPS‐treated rats. The mRNA expression of inflammatory factors and Th17/Treg‐related factors were measured by quantitative real‐time PCR. The contents of inflammatory factors and the percentages of Th17/Treg cells were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Besides, the target relation between miR‐205‐5p and X‐box binding protein 1 (XBP1) was explored. Results MiR‐205‐5p was downregulated in LPS‐induced PDLSCs and corresponding exosomes. Exo‐miR‐205‐5p inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration, decreased the production of TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6, and decreased the percentage of Th17 cells in LPS‐treated rats. In addition, XBP1 was a target of miR‐205‐5p. Overexpression of XBP1 weakened the effects of Exo‐miR‐205‐5p on inhibiting inflammation and regulating Treg/Th17 balance in LPS‐induced cells. Conclusions Exo‐miR‐205‐5p derived from PDLSCs relieves the inflammation and balances the Th17/Treg cells in CP through targeting XBP1

Damage characteristics of weak rocks with different dip angles during creep

Abstract To investigate the influence of the weak layer dip angle on the creep rupture of the composite rock mass, this paper conducts a graded loading creep experiment on the composite rock mass with different dip angles using the acoustic emission method to examine the fracture evolution process. With increasing load grade, the cumulative total ring count of the rock mass shows a “U”-shaped trend, and the acoustic emission spatial positioning results show that acoustic emission events in the rock mass fracture process are primarily concentrated in the vicinity of the weak layer, while events in other areas are few and dispersed. For rock masses with weak layer dip angles of 0° and 15°, cracks occur in both soft and hard rocks, where shear cracks are dominant in soft rocks, tensile cracks are dominant in hard rocks, and finally, the rock mass mainly exhibits tensile splitting failure. For rock masses with weak layer dip angles of 30° and 45°, most of the cracks exist in the interior of the soft rock, which is dominated by shear cracks. With increasing graded loads, the shear cracks continue to develop along the direction of the weak layer, the upper rock mass keeps slipping and dislocating, and the final failure mode is mainly shear-slip failure. The damage evolution varies with the inclination angle of the weak layer, which can be divided into three stages: initial damage accumulation, damage acceleration, and damage destruction. This demonstrates the ability to predict, prevent, and control the occurrence of creep disasters in rock masses with weak layers

Applications of the semi-tensor product to the internet-based tele-operation systems

The modeling problem of an Internet-based tele-operation system using the semi-tensor product math tools is studied. The human-computer interaction and large time delay events in the Internet-based tele-operation control system, makes the system characterized by both the discrete event dynamics and the continuous dynamics. When the continuous dynamics and underlying discrete event dynamics react in a strong coupling way, the analysis of the system's performance and behaviors becomes more complex. So a modeling approach, named semi-tensor product hybrid modeling method, is proposed which introduces semi-tensor product to solve this problem. It can model a particular class of event systems as Boolean systems, and then systems which are similar to discrete dynamic systems will be obtained by using semi tensor product method. The coupling between the discrete events dynamics and the continuous dynamics is modeled directly in the semi-tensor product form. And finally after series of augmenting and simplifying processes, a complete system mathematical model is got, which will benefit further analyses and calculations. The proposed semi-tensor product modeling method and steps have some versatility and generality. In addition, simulations of semi-tensor product hybrid-model for Internet-based tele-operation system with time-based control and event-based control are conducted, and the simulation results show that the semi-tensor product hybrid modeling approach is valid and feasible, and the event-based control is superior to time-based control in the Internet-based tele-operation.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Altered regional homogeneity with short-term simulated microgravity and its relationship with changed performance in mental transformation.

In order to further the insight into the explanation of changed performance in mental transformation under microgravity, we discuss the change of performance in mental transformation and its relationship with altered regional homogeneity (ReHo) in resting-state brain by using simulated weightlessness model. Twelve male subjects with age between 24 and 31 received resting-state fMRI scan and mental transformation test both in normal condition and immediately after 72 hours -6° head down tilt (HDT). A paired sample t-test was used to test the difference of behavior performance and brain activity between these two conditions. Compare with normal condition, subjects showed a changed performance in mental transformation with short term simulated microgravity and appeared to be falling. Meanwhile, decreased ReHo were found in right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) after 72 hours -6° HDT, while increased ReHo were found in bilateral medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and left superior frontal gyrus (SFG) (P<0.05, corrected). Particularly, there was a significant correlation between ReHo values in left IPL and velocity index of mental transformation. Our findings indicate that gravity change may disrupt the function of right IFG and left IPL in the resting-state, among of which functional change in left IPL may contribute to changed abilities of mental transformation. In addition, the enhanced activity of the bilateral MFG and decreased activity of right IFG found in the current study maybe reflect a complementation effect on inhibitory control process