Effect of Natural Surface Secretes of Some Common Ornamental Plants Leaves on Pathogenic Micro-organisms

This study presents the antimicrobial effect of natural surface secretes of some common ornamental plants leaves （Ficus elastica, Philodendrom bipinnatifidum and Aglonema） against some pathogenic bacteria （ Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa and Staph. Aureus）, and fungi （Microsporum gypseum and Aspergillus flavus）. It was concluded that all tested washing water of the plants leaves secretes exhibited various inhibitory effects, both Philodendrom more antibacterial activity than Ficus elastica. While both E. coli and P bipinnatifidum and Aglonema commutatum had exhibited aeruginosa were being more sensitive than Staph. aureus. The same inhibitory effects were observed when the plants leaves inoculated in their surface with pathogenic bacteria. In contrast to bacterial inhibitory effects, the washing water of natural surface secretes of tested ornamental plants leaves induced mycelium growth of both tested fungi. Microsporum gypseum mycelium growth induced more than Aspergillusflavus especially in case of the washing water of Ficus elastic that have highest effects at 7.5/500 mL of medium. This study concluded the uses of ornamental plants for the indoors and outdoors to control the growth of pathogenic microbes and problems associated with hospital.

Multi-dimensional multiplexing optical secret sharing framework with cascaded liquid crystal holograms

Secret sharing is a promising technology for information encryption by splitting the secret information into different shares.However,the traditional scheme suffers from information leakage in decryption process since the amount of available information channels is limited.Herein,we propose and demonstrate an optical secret sharing framework based on the multi-dimensional multiplexing liquid crystal(LC)holograms.The LC holograms are used as spatially separated shares to carry secret images.The polarization of the incident light and the distance between different shares are served as secret keys,which can significantly improve the information security and capacity.Besides,the decryption condition is also restricted by the applied external voltage due to the variant diffraction efficiency,which further increases the information security.In implementation,an artificial neural network(ANN)model is developed to carefully design the phase distribution of each LC hologram.With the advantage of high security,high capacity and simple configuration,our optical secret sharing framework has great potentials in optical encryption and dynamic holographic display.

Cryptanalysis of efficient semi-quantum secret sharing protocol using single particles

In paper[Chin.Phys.B 32070308(2023)],Xing et al.proposed a semi-quantum secret sharing protocol by using single particles.We study the security of the proposed protocol and find that it is not secure,that is,the three dishonest agents,Bob,Charlie and Emily can collude to obtain Alice's secret without the help of David.

Verifiable quantum secret sharing scheme based on orthogonal product states

In the domain of quantum cryptography,the implementation of quantum secret sharing stands as a pivotal element.In this paper,we propose a novel verifiable quantum secret sharing protocol using the d-dimensional product state and Lagrange interpolation techniques.This protocol is initiated by the dealer Alice,who initially prepares a quantum product state,selected from a predefined set of orthogonal product states within the C~d■C~d framework.Subsequently,the participants execute unitary operations on this product state to recover the underlying secret.Furthermore,we subject the protocol to a rigorous security analysis,considering both eavesdropping attacks and potential dishonesty from the participants.Finally,we conduct a comparative analysis of our protocol against existing schemes.Our scheme exhibits economies of scale by exclusively employing quantum product states,thereby realizing significant cost-efficiency advantages.In terms of access structure,we adopt a(t, n)-threshold architecture,a strategic choice that augments the protocol's practicality and suitability for diverse applications.Furthermore,our protocol includes a rigorous integrity verification mechanism to ensure the honesty and reliability of the participants throughout the execution of the protocol.

A verifiable essential secret image sharing scheme based on HLRs(VESIS-(t,s,k,n))

In traditional secret image sharing schemes,a secret image is shared among shareholders who have the same position.But if the shareholders have two different positions,essential and non‐essential,it is necessary to use essential secret image sharing schemes.In this article,a verifiable essential secret image sharing scheme based on HLRs is proposed.Shareholder's share consists of two parts.The first part is produced by the shareholders,which prevents the fraud of dealers.The second part is a shadow image that is produced by using HLRs and the first part of share.The verification of the first part of the shares is done for the first time by using multilinear and bilinear maps.Also,for verifying shadow images,Bloom Filters are used for the first time.The proposed scheme is more efficient than similar schemes,and for the first part of the shares,has formal security.

Blockchain-Based Key Management Scheme Using Rational Secret Sharing

Traditional blockchain key management schemes store private keys in the same location,which can easily lead to security issues such as a single point of failure.Therefore,decentralized threshold key management schemes have become a research focus for blockchain private key protection.The security of private keys for blockchain user wallet is highly related to user identity authentication and digital asset security.The threshold blockchain private key management schemes based on verifiable secret sharing have made some progress,but these schemes do not consider participants’self-interested behavior,and require trusted nodes to keep private key fragments,resulting in a narrow application scope and low deployment efficiency,which cannot meet the needs of personal wallet private key escrow and recovery in public blockchains.We design a private key management scheme based on rational secret sharing that considers the self-interest of participants in secret sharing protocols,and constrains the behavior of rational participants through reasonable mechanism design,making it more suitable in distributed scenarios such as the public blockchain.The proposed scheme achieves the escrow and recovery of personal wallet private keys without the participation of trusted nodes,and simulate its implementation on smart contracts.Compared to other existing threshold wallet solutions and keymanagement schemes based on password-protected secret sharing(PPSS),the proposed scheme has a wide range of applications,verifiable private key recovery,low communication overhead,higher computational efficiency when users perform one-time multi-key escrow,no need for trusted nodes,and personal rational constraints and anti-collusion attack capabilities.

Improvement of glucose metabolism in middle-aged mice on a high-fat diet by whole-grain highland barley is related to low methionine levels

Methionine restriction(MR)is an effective dietary strategy to regulate energy metabolism and alleviate oxidative stress and inflammation in the body,especially in the middle-aged and elderly population.However,the high methionine content of meat products makes this dietary strategy impossible to combine with protein supplementation and MR.Highland barley(HB),a low-methionine cereal,not only provides the body with protein but also has improved glucose metabolism and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.Therefore,this study evaluated the feasibility of HB as a source of methionine-restricted dietary protein and the potential mechanisms.Middle-aged C57BL/6J mice were fed a control diet(CON),a high-fat diet(HFD),a whole-grain HB high-fat diet(HBHF),or a HBHF+methionine diet(HBHFmet)for 25 weeks.The results showed that the HBHF could keep the body weight,fasting glucose,insulin,homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR),blood lipids,inflammation,and oxidative stress of HFD mice at normal levels.Compared with the HFD groups,HBHF inhibited pancreatic cell apoptosis and improved insulin secretion while improving hepatic and skeletal muscle glucose metabolism.However,these efficacies were attenuated in HBHFmet group mice.These findings suggest that HBHF has an MR strategy.

A Probing Model of Secret Key Generation Based on Channel Autocorrelation Function

Secret key generation(SKG)is a promising solution to the problem of wireless communications security.As the first step of SKG,channel probing affects it significantly.Although there have been some probing schemes,there is a lack of research on the optimization of the probing process.This study investigates how to optimize correlated parameters to maximize the SKG rate(SKGR)in the time-division duplex(TDD)mode.First,we build a probing model which includes the effects of transmitting power,the probing period,and the dimension of sample vectors.Based on the model,the analytical expression of the SKGR is given.Next,we formulate an optimization problem for maximizing the SKGR and give an algorithm to solve it.We conclude the SKGR monotonically increases as the transmitting power increases.Relevant mathematical proofs are given in this study.From the simulation results,increasing appropriately the probing period and the dimension of the sample vector could increase the SKGR dramatically compared to a yardstick,which indicates the importance of optimizing the parameters related to the channel probing phase.

Physical-Layer Secret Key Generation for Dual-Task Scenarios

Physical-layer secret key generation(PSKG)provides a lightweight way for group key(GK)sharing between wireless users in large-scale wireless networks.However,most of the existing works in this field consider only group communication.For a commonly dual-task scenario,where both GK and pairwise key(PK)are required,traditional methods are less suitable for direct extension.For the first time,we discover a security issue with traditional methods in dual-task scenarios,which has not previously been recognized.We propose an innovative segment-based key generation method to solve this security issue.We do not directly use PK exclusively to negotiate the GK as traditional methods.Instead,we generate GK and PK separately through segmentation which is the first solution to meet dual-task.We also perform security and rate analysis.It is demonstrated that our method is effective in solving this security issue from an information-theoretic perspective.The rate results of simulation are also consistent with the our rate derivation.

A New Double Layer Multi-Secret Sharing Scheme

Cryptography is deemed to be the optimum strategy to secure the data privacy in which the data is encoded ahead of time before sharing it.Visual Secret Sharing(VSS)is an encryption method in which the secret message is split into at least two trivial images called’shares’to cover it.However,such message are always targeted by hackers or dishonest members who attempt to decrypt the message.This can be avoided by not uncovering the secret message without the universal share when it is presented and is typically taken care of,by the trusted party.Hence,in this paper,an optimal and secure double-layered secret image sharing scheme is proposed.The proposed share creation process contains two layers such as threshold-based secret sharing in the first layer and universal share based secret sharing in the second layer.In first layer,Genetic Algorithm(GA)is applied to find the optimal threshold value based on the randomness of the created shares.Then,in the second layer,a novel design of universal share-based secret share creation method is proposed.Finally,Opposition Whale Optimization Algorithm(OWOA)-based optimal key was generated for rectange block cipher to secure each share.This helped in producing high quality reconstruction images.The researcher achieved average experimental outcomes in terms of PSNR and MSE values equal to 55.154225 and 0.79365625 respectively.The average PSNRwas less(49.134475)and average MSE was high(1)in case of existing methods.

Improvement and security analysis of multi-ring discrete modulation continuous variable quantum secret sharing scheme

In order to avoid the complexity of Gaussian modulation and the problem that the traditional point-to-point communication DM-CVQKD protocol cannot meet the demand for multi-user key sharing at the same time, we propose a multi-ring discrete modulation continuous variable quantum key sharing scheme(MR-DM-CVQSS). In this paper, we primarily compare single-ring and multi-ring M-symbol amplitude and phase-shift keying modulations. We analyze their asymptotic key rates against collective attacks and consider the security key rates under finite-size effects. Leveraging the characteristics of discrete modulation, we improve the quantum secret sharing scheme. Non-dealer participants only require simple phase shifters to complete quantum secret sharing. We also provide the general design of the MR-DM-CVQSS protocol.We conduct a comprehensive analysis of the improved protocol's performance, confirming that the enhancement through multi-ring M-PSK allows for longer-distance quantum key distribution. Additionally, it reduces the deployment complexity of the system, thereby increasing the practical value.

Secreted Frizzled-Related Protein 5 Mediates Wnt5a Expression in Microcystin-Leucine-Arginine-Induced Liver Lipid Metabolism Disorder in Mice

Objective Microcystin-leucine-arginine(MC-LR)exposure induces lipid metabolism disorders in the liver.Secreted frizzled-related protein 5(SFRP5)is a natural antagonist of winglesstype MMTV integration site family,member 5A(Wnt5a)and an anti-inflammatory adipocytokine.In this study,we aimed to investigate whether MC-LR can induce lipid metabolism disorders in hepatocytes and whether SFRP5,which has anti-inflammatory effects,can alleviate the effects of hepatic lipid metabolism by inhibiting the Wnt5a/Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK)pathway.Methods We exposed mice to MC-LR in vivo to induce liver lipid metabolism disorders.Subsequently,mouse hepatocytes that overexpressed SFRP5 or did not express SFRP5 were exposed to MC-LR,and the effects of SFRP5 overexpression on inflammation and Wnt5a/JNK activation by MC-LR were observed.Results MC-LR exposure induced liver lipid metabolism disorders in mice and significantly decreased SFRP5 mRNA and protein levels in a concentration-dependent manner.SFRP5 overexpression in AML12cells suppressed MC-LR-induced inflammation.Overexpression of SFRP5 also inhibited Wnt5a and phosphorylation of JNK.Conclusion MC-LR can induce lipid metabolism disorders in mice,and SFRP5 can attenuate lipid metabolism disorders in the mouse liver by inhibiting Wnt5a/JNK signaling.

High-capacity device-independent quantum secure direct communication based on hyper-encoding

Quantum secure direct communication(QSDC)can directly transmit secret messages through quantum channel without keys.Device-independent(DI)QSDC guarantees the message security relying only on the observation of the Bell-inequality violation,but not on any detailed description or trust of the devices'inner workings.Compared with conventional QSDC,DI-QSDC has relatively low secret message capacity.To increase DI-QSDC's secret messages capacity,we propose a high-capacity DI-QSDC protocol based on the hyper-encoding technique.The total message leakage rate of our DI-QSDC protocol only relies on the most robust degree of freedom.We provide the numerical simulation of its secret message capacity altered with the communication distance.Our work serves as an important step toward thefurther development of DI-QSDC systems.

Quantum-Resistant Multi-Feature Attribute-Based Proxy Re-Encryption Scheme for Cloud Services

Cloud-based services have powerful storage functions and can provide accurate computation.However,the question of how to guarantee cloud-based services access control and achieve data sharing security has always been a research highlight.Although the attribute-based proxy re-encryption(ABPRE)schemes based on number theory can solve this problem,it is still difficult to resist quantum attacks and have limited expression capabilities.To address these issues,we present a novel linear secret sharing schemes(LSSS)matrix-based ABPRE scheme with the fine-grained policy on the lattice in the research.Additionally,to detect the activities of illegal proxies,homomorphic signature(HS)technology is introduced to realize the verifiability of re-encryption.Moreover,the non-interactivity,unidirectionality,proxy transparency,multi-use,and anti-quantum attack characteristics of our system are all advantageous.Besides,it can efficiently prevent the loss of processing power brought on by repetitive authorisation and can enable precise and safe data sharing in the cloud.Furthermore,under the standard model,the proposed learning with errors(LWE)-based scheme was proven to be IND-sCPA secure.

Mannogalactoglucan from mushrooms protects pancreatic islets via restoring UPR and promotes insulin secretion in TIDM mice

Type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM) lacks insulin secretion due to autoimmune deficiency of pancreaticβ-cells.Protecting pancreatic islets and enhancing insulin secretion has been therapeutic approaches.Mannogalactoglucan is the main type of polysaccharide from natural mushroom,which has potential medicinal prospects.Nevertheless,the antidiabetic property of mannogalactoglucan in T1DM has not been fully elucidated.In this study,we obtained the neutral fraction of alkali-soluble Armillaria mellea polysaccharide(AAMP-N) with the structure of mannogalactoglucan from the fruiting body of A.mellea and investigated the potential therapeutic value of AAMP-N in T1DM.We demonstrated that AAMP-N lowered blood glucose and improved diabetes symptoms in T1DM mice.AAMP-N activated unfolded protein response(UPR) signaling pathway to maintain ER protein folding homeostasis and promote insulin secretion in vivo.Besides that,AAMP-N promoted insulin synthesis via upregulating the expression of transcription factors,increased Ca^(2+) signals to stimulate intracellular insulin secretory vesicle transport via activating calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase Ⅱ(CamkⅡ) and cAMP/PKA signals,and enhanced insulin secretory vesicle fusion with the plasma membrane via vesicle-associated membrane protein 2(VAMP2).Collectively,these studies demonstrated that the therapeutic potential of AAMP-N on pancreatic islets function,indicating that mannogalactoglucan could be natural nutraceutical used for the treatment of T1DM.

Molecular investigation of exoU and exoY virulence genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa collected from hospitalized patients in North of Iran:A descriptive-analytical study

Objective:To investigate the frequency of exoU and exoY genes in patients with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.Methods:In this study,100 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were collected from patients hospitalized in educational-therapeutic hospitals and were identified using standard microbiological tests.Then,the antibiotic resistance pattern of the isolates was determined by the disk agar diffusion method.The bacterial DNAs were extracted by the alkaline lysis method.Finally,the presence of exoU and exoY genes was evaluated by the PCR test.Results:In this study,47%,72%,29%,39%,40%,and 44%of the isolates were non-susceptible to piperacillin,aztreonam,ceftazidime,imipenem,tobramycin,and ciprofloxacin,respectively.In addition,95%and 93%of the clinical isolates carried the exoU and exoY genes.Blood and fecal isolates had both virulence genes,while only one wound isolate had neither genes.Meanwhile,all urinary isolates contained the exoY gene and only one isolate lacked the exoU gene.Also,88 isolates simultaneously had both exoU and exoY genes.Conclusions:High prevalence of exoU and exoY genes in this region indicates a significant role of typeⅢsecretion system in pathogenesis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.The typeⅢsecretion system may be a suitable target to reduce the pathogenicity of this bacterium.

Mogroside IIE,an in vivo metabolite of sweet agent,alleviates acute lung injury via Pla2g2a-EGFR inhibition

In the face of increasingly serious environmental pollution,the health of human lung tissues is also facing serious threats.Mogroside IIE(M2E)is the main metabolite of sweetening agents mogrosides from the anti-tussive Chinese herbal Siraitia grosvenori.The study elucidated the anti-inflammatory action and molecular mechanism of M2E against acute lung injury(ALI).A lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced ALI model was established in mice and MH-S cells were employed to explore the protective mechanism of M2E through the western blotting,co-immunoprecipitation,and quantitative real time-PCR analysis.The results indicated that M2E alleviated LPS-induced lung injury through restraining the activation of secreted phospholipase A2 type IIA(Pla2g2a)-epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR).The interaction of Pla2g2a and EGFR was identified by co-immunoprecipitation.In addition,M2E protected ALI induced with LPS against inflammatory and damage which were significantly dependent upon the downregulation of AKT and m TOR via the inhibition of Pla2g2a-EGFR.Pla2g2a may represent a potential target for M2E in the improvement of LPS-induced lung injury,which may represent a promising strategy to treat ALI.

The Effect of Umami Stimulation on Salivary Secretion Rate and Duration

Purpose: Umami reportedly promotes salivation. We aimed to investigate the effects of taste stimuli on slow and fast salivary secretion in humans using umami, sweet, and sour stimuli. Methods: Eight healthy women participated between 14:00 and 15:00, taking the circadian rhythm of salivary secretion into account. The types and concentrations of the taste solutions were glutamic acid (1.7 × 10−3 M), inosinic acid (9.8 × 10−3 M), and guanylic acid (9.8 × 10−3 M) for umami stimulation, citric acid (6.5 × 10−3 M) for acidity stimulation, and sucrose (1.6 × 10−2 M) for sweetness stimulation. First, the unstimulated salivary flow rate was measured. Then, 3 ml of a flavor solution was dropped under the tongue using a syringe. The saliva was expelled into an aluminum cup every minute and weighed. The first minute’s value minus 3 ml flavor solution was the stimulated salivary secretion rate produced by each flavor. The time-to-return to the initial unstimulated salivary flow rate was the duration of the stimulated saliva secretion rate. Results: The mean unstimulated salivary flow rate across participants was 0.64 ± 0.25 ml/min (range: 0.23 - 1.03 ml/min). The highest amount of saliva was induced by citric acid. There were significant differences between citric acid and the other flavor solutions (p < 0.05 for glutamic acid, inosinic acid, and sucrose;p < 0.01 for guanylic acid). There were no significant differences in duration of salivation between the flavor solutions. When the participants were divided into slow (0.45 ± 0.16 ml/min) and fast groups (0.83 ± 0.15 ml/min) based on their median resting salivary secretion rate, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the amount of saliva secreted at 1 minute after stimulation and the duration of the salivary secretion rate. Conclusion: Umami stimulation was effective in slowing salivary secretion and sustaining salivary secretion after stimulation.

A Thematic Analysis of the Novel Open Secrets from Psychoanalysis Perspective

Alice Munro,the first short story writer in Canada to receive the Nobel Prize laureate in 2013,applies the unconscious to the portrayal of characters and the construction of engrossing stories.Based on the unconscious theory of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalysis,this article focuses on one of Alice Munro’s short stories,Open Secrets,by analyzing the unconscious of representative characters,to explore their power conversion through the conflicts triggered by their unconscious mind.Via uncovering their unique personalities and values,as well as displaying their power against each other through conflict,this article reveals that the relationship between characters is sophisticated and changeable,and their power against each other has been a state of change in continuous conflicts.Behind the unconscious displays a thoroughly different comparison of forces:the strong who behaves violently and arrogantly actually shows weakness;in turn,the obedience and endurance of the weak strongly manifest a tenacious resistance.

Dietary Green Tea Extract and Antioxidants Improve Insulin Secretory Functions of Pancreatic β-Cells in Mild and Severe Experimental Rodent Model of Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a progressive inflammatory disorder of the pancreas. It is predominantly idiopathic (with an unknown cause) in India and mostly due to alcohol in the West. Diabetes that occur secondary to chronic pancreatitis (T3c Diabetes) is often brittle, and is difficult to attain normoglycemia with conventional treatment requiring multiple doses of insulin. Mild and severe model of CP was induced in mice by repeated intraperitoneal injections of cerulein and L-arginine respectively with an intent to study islet dysfunction and develop therapeutic strategy in animal models of CP. Dietary intervention of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) was tested in both the models of CP for its beneficial effects on insulin secretory functions. Pancreata collected upon euthanasia were used to study alterations in the morphology of pancreatic parenchyma and inflammation by staining with H&E and fibrotic changes by Masson’s trichrome and picrosirius staining. Insulin secretory functions of islets were evaluated to test the efficacy of the dietary intervention on β-cell functions. Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test was performed to monitor the glucose homeostasis before and after the dietary intervention. Both the models resulted in CP with dispersed acini, inflammation and fibrosis. The loss of acini and extent of fibrosis was more in L-arginine model. 2-fold improvement in glucose-stimulated insulin secretory functions of islets was observed with 0.5% EGCG dietary intervention in cerulein model of CP and 1.6-fold in L-arginine model of CP. A further improvement in insulin secretion by 3.2-fold was observed with additional dietary supplements like N-acetyl cysteine, curcumin in combination with EGCG. Our results thus demonstrate and highlight the therapeutic potential of dietary green tea (EGCG) supplementation in reversing islet dysfunction and improving glucose homeostasis in experimental chronic pancreatitis in mice.