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Oblivious transfer protocol, an important technology in secure multi-party computation, is the research hotspot on network and information security.Based on the bilinear pairs and the difficult problems on elliptic curves, an efficient 1-out-of-N oblivious transfer protocol in the semi-honest model and in the standard malicious model were proposed respectively.The protocol in semi-honest model was designed.It only needed two rounds of interaction.The receiver needed two times of bilinear pair arithmetic and one time of multi point arithmetic, and the sender needed n times of multi point arithmetic and n times of modular exponentiation.The security of the protocol was based on the discrete logarithm problem on elliptic curves.A zero-knowledge proof protocol and the oblivious transfer protocol in the standard malicious model were proposed respectively.The oblivious transfer protocol only needed four rounds of interaction.The receiver needed three times of bilinear pair arithmetic and three times of multi point arithmetic, and the sender needed n+1 times of multi point arithmetic and n+1 times of modular exponentiation.Besides, it can resist malicious behaviors of the party.The results show that the average running time of the protocol in the semi-honest model and in the standard malicious model were 0.787 9 s and 1.205 6 s respectively, which can further demonstrate the efficiency of the protocol.

Egg-laying mammals (monotremes) are the only extant mammalian outgroup to therians (marsupial and eutherian animals) and provide key insights into mammalian evolution.sup.1,2. Here we generate and analyse reference genomes of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus), which represent the only two extant monotreme lineages. The nearly complete platypus genome assembly has anchored almost the entire genome onto chromosomes, markedly improving the genome continuity and gene annotation. Together with our echidna sequence, the genomes of the two species allow us to detect the ancestral and lineage-specific genomic changes that shape both monotreme and mammalian evolution. We provide evidence that the monotreme sex chromosome complex originated from an ancestral chromosome ring configuration. The formation of such a unique chromosome complex may have been facilitated by the unusually extensive interactions between the multi-X and multi-Y chromosomes that are shared by the autosomal homologues in humans. Further comparative genomic analyses unravel marked differences between monotremes and therians in haptoglobin genes, lactation genes and chemosensory receptor genes for smell and taste that underlie the ecological adaptation of monotremes. New reference genomes of the two extant monotreme lineages (platypus and echidna) reveal the ancestral and lineage-specific genomic changes that shape both monotreme and mammalian evolution., Author(s): Yang Zhou [sup.1] [sup.2] , Linda Shearwin-Whyatt [sup.3] , Jing Li [sup.4] , Zhenzhen Song [sup.1] [sup.5] , Takashi Hayakawa [sup.6] [sup.7] , David Stevens [sup.3] , Jane C. [...]

Circular RNA_0072995 (Circ_0072995) is involved in the pathogenesis of cancers; however, no study has investigated its role in cervical cancer. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the function of circ_0072995 in cervical cancer. Normal human cervical epithelial cells (hCECs), HeLa cells, and forty female nude BALB/c mice were used. Immunohistochemistry, invasion assays, flow cytometric analysis, luciferase assays, and tumour volume measurements were performed to explore the potential mechanism. Circ_0072995 was significantly up-regulated in cancer tissues, and its level was markedly correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics system (FIGO) staging. In vitro studies revealed that circ_0072995 interacts with miR-29a to induce WD repeat domain 5 (WDR5) expression and promotes the proliferation and invasion of cells, but inhibits apoptosis of cells. Knockdown of circ_0072995 or WDR5, or overexpression of miR-29a significantly inhibited tumour growth in vivo. In conclusion, circ_0072995 promoted cervical cancer development by inducing miR-29a-mediated WDR5 expression. What is already known on this subject? Global Cancer Statistics 2020 estimated that there were 1 021,494 new cases of cervical cancer and 439 201 deaths from cervical cancer. Circ_0072995 was first shown to promote breast cancer development in 2018. Subsequent studies have revealed that circ_0072995 is also involved in the development of other cancers, including epithelial ovarian cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. However, no studies have explored the association between circ_0072995 and cervical cancer. What do the results of this study add? We hypothesized that circ_0072995 drives cervical cancer development by sponging miRNAs and inducing the expression of key factors involved in tumorigenesis. Based on this hypothesis, we investigated the role of circ_0072995 in cervical cancer and paracancerous tissues and explored the underlying mechanism in both in vitro and in vivo studies. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? For the first time, our study revealed the key role of WDR5 in cervical cancer progression regulated by circ_0072995. We first reported the promoting effects of circ_0072995 in cervical cancer development by inducing miR-29a mediated WDR5 expression and also revealed the therapeutic potential of circ_0072995, miR-29a, and WDR5 in cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Westgard Sigma Rules is a statistical tool available for quality control. Biological variation (BV) can be used to set analytical performance specifications (APS). The European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (EFLM) regularly updates BV data. However, few studies have used robust BV data to determine quality goals and design a quality control strategy for tumor markers. The aim of this study was to derive APS for tumor markers from EFLM BV data and apply Westgard Sigma Rules to establish internal quality control (IQC) rules. Precision was calculated from IQC data, and bias was obtained from the relative deviation of the External quality assurance scheme (EQAS) group mean values and laboratory-measured values. Total allowable error (TEa) was derived using EFLM BV data. After calculating sigma metrics, the IQC strategy for each tumor marker was determined according to Westgard Sigma Rules. Sigma metrics achieved for each analyte varied with the level of TEa. Most of these tumor markers except neuron-specific enolase reached 3σ or better based on TEamin. With TEades and TEaopt set as the quality goals, almost all analytes had sigma values below 3. Set TEamin as quality goal, each analyte matched IQC muti rules and numbers of control measurements according to sigma values. Quality goals from the EFLM BV database and Westgard Sigma Rules can be used to develop IQC strategy for tumor markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2018, this paper analyzes the influencing factors of empty nest family tourism consumption. It is found that family assets, pension income and Internet usage have a significant impact on empty nest family tourism consumption, positively promoting it. Internet usage has the greatest impact. This paper also carries out a heterogeneity test. The results show that the factors affecting the tourism consumption of empty nest families are different among middle-aged and elderly empty nest families, urban and rural empty nest families, and empty nest families in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic polymeric flocculants are commonly used in improving dredged sludge dewaterability, but less attention has been paid to residual water quality. In this paper, the effects of cationic etherified starch (CS) and poly-dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride (PDDA) on dredged sludge dewatering efficiency and residual water quality of Baiyangdian lake were comprehensively investigated and evaluated by analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The results indicated that PDDA had stronger electrical effect and flocculation performance compared with CS, resulting in more efficient dewatering performance. PDDA can reduce the pollutants of discharged residual water, while CS significantly promoted the increase of NH 4 +-N and NO 3 –-N in the residual water. The increase of NH 4 +-N in the residual water of CS was due to the release of dredged sludge, while the increase of NO 3 –-N was introduced by CS leaching. AHP showed that PDDA performed better in flocculation treatment of dredged sludge than other organic polymers. This work provides a method for optimization of flocculation treatment for dredged sludge dewaterability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optically transparent Eu3+-doped Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–0.25PbTiO3 (PMN–0.25PT:Eu3+) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics with high piezoelectricity were prepared by oxygen-atmosphere sintering followed by hot-press sintering. A high piezoelectric charge coefficient (d33 = 850 pC N−1) and effective piezoelectric strain coefficient (d33* ≈ 1520 pm V−1) were achieved in the 2 mol% Eu3+-doped PMN–0.25PT transparent ceramic. Local nanoscale domain patterns and piezoresponse of PMN–0.25PT:Eu3+ transparent ceramics were observed and quantitatively analyzed by using piezoelectric force microscopy and the autocorrelation function method to understand the origin of the high piezoelectricity. It is found that the introduction of Eu3+ doping will enhance the local structure heterogeneity in PMN–PT ceramics and the obtained high piezoelectric properties are related to the dynamic behavior of local nano-domains. Our result showed that doping with rare earth element Eu3+ is an effective method for making transparent ferroelectric ceramics with enhanced piezoelectric performance, which benefits the design and development of eletro-optic devices as well as transparent sensors and ultrasound transducers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The basal ascomycetes in genus Taphrina have strict host specificity and coevolution with their host plants, making them appealing models for studying the genomic basis of ecological divergence and host adaption. We therefore performed genome sequencing and comparative genomics of different Taphrina species with distinct host ranges to reveal their evolution. We identified frequent chromosomal rearrangements and highly dynamic lineage‐specific (LS) genomic regions in Taphrina genomes. The LS regions occur at the flanking regions of chromosomal breakpoints, and are greatly enriched for DNA repeats, non‐core genes, and in planta up‐regulated genes. Furthermore, we identified hundreds of candidate secreted effector proteins (CSEPs) that are commonly organized in gene clusters that form distinct AT‐rich isochore‐like regions. Nearly half of the CSEPs constitute two novel superfamilies with modular structures unique to Taphrina. These CSEPs are commonly up‐regulated during infection, enriched in the LS regions, evolved faster, and underwent extensive gene gain and loss in different species. In addition to displaying signatures of positive selection, functional characterization of selected CSEP genes confirmed their roles in suppression of plant defence responses. Overall, our results showed that extensive chromosomal rearrangements and rapidly evolving CSEP superfamilies play important roles in speciation and host adaptation in the early‐branching ascomycetous fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In coherent diffraction imaging systems, mulplex measurement on unknown object can enhance the quality of output image. We apply angular mulplexing scheme to capture several diffracting images. A tilt diffraction model is used for addressing the illumination beam in the imaging process. And an iterative phase retrieval algorithm is desingend and adopted to recover the image of sample. Numerical simulation results are provied to test the imaging method. This approach can be used to enhance the quality of reconstructed images in coherent diffraction imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of modern precision optical fabrication and measurement technologies, optical freeform surfaces have been widely employed in different applications, especially in off-axis reflective optical systems. For an infrared optical system operating in the long-wavelength spectrum, compactness, brightness, and a wide field of view are key requirements for military surveillance or scene sensing. In this paper, we present an off-axis two-mirror freeform infrared imager with compactness and brightness. It has a large pupil of size 12 mm and a fast focal ratio of 2.2 over a wide 23° diagonal field of view, as well as good image quality. XY-polynomial freeform surfaces are applied to the viewing mirror and focusing mirror. The multiple degrees of freedom of optical freeform surfaces are very helpful for off-axis aberration correction and improving the optical performance over the entire pupil across the full field of view. The overall dimension of our designed freeform infrared imager is about 30 mm by 30 mm by 30 mm, which is elegantly miniaturized. The final designed results of a reflective freeform infrared imager are demonstrated and discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a class of planar random source generating ring-shaped array profiles in the far field. The model for spatial correlation function of this new source is composed by the Fourier transform of the Laguerre-Gaussian array function with circular symmetry. The analytical expressions for the spectral density (average intensity) in free space and atmospheric turbulence are derived. The effect of the source parameters on the propagation properties are investigated in detail. Numerical results show that the source can produce a ring-shaped optical array profile consisting of dark-hollow-shaped or Gaussian-like-shaped beamlets at some distance, and then keep shape-invariant for long distances in free space. The number of rings, the position of beamlets, and other features can be conveniently controlled by changing the initial source parameters. In addition, increasing the relative separation distance of each beamlet or decreasing the radius of beamlets can reduce the turbulence-induced degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relaxor ferroelectric 0.75(Pb 1–3 x /2 La x )(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 -0.25(Pb 1–3 x /2 La x )TiO 3 (La 3+ :PMN-PT x /75/25, where x =2.8, 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 mol% of La 3+ ) transparent ceramics were fabricated by the combination of oxygen atmosphere pressureless sintering and hot-pressing sintering process. The optical transmittances of above four ceramics are higher than 60% at the wavelength of 500–900 nm. La 3+ :PMN-PT 3.0/75/25 exhibits the highest transparency around 70% at 900 nm which is very close to the theoretical transmittance 71%. Each of the four ceramics exhibits the pure perovskite phases. They show fully dense microstructures and their relative densities are higher than 99.8%. The ferroelectric and dielectric measurements indicate that these four ceramics exhibit relaxation characteristics. With increasing La 3+ content, (200) peak in XRD patterns shifts to higher angles and the average grain size increases, while the temperature Tε max corresponding to the maximum ε r , the remanent polarizations P r and coercive fields E c decrease gradually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsaicin bestows spiciness by activating TRPV1 channel with exquisite potency and selectivity. Although a capsaicin-bound channel structure was previously resolved by cryo-EM at 4.2- to 4.5-Å resolution, capsaicin was registered as a small electron density, reflecting neither its chemical structure nor specific ligand-channel interactions-important details required for mechanistic understanding. We obtained the missing atomic-level details by iterative computation and confirmed them by systematic site-specific functional tests. We observed that the bound capsaicin takes a 'tail-up, head-down' configuration. The vanillyl and amide groups form specific interactions to anchor its bound position, while the aliphatic tail may sample a range of conformations, making it invisible in cryo-EM images. Capsaicin stabilizes TRPV1's open state by 'pull-and-contact' interactions between the vanillyl group and the S4-S5 linker. Our study provides a structural mechanism for the agonistic function of capsaicin and its analogs, and demonstrates an effective approach to obtain atomic-level information from cryo-EM structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In monogamous mammals, fathers play an important role in the development of the brain and typical behavior in offspring, but the exact nature of this process is not well understood. In particular, little research has addressed whether the presence or absence of paternal care alters levels of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and basal levels of serum corticosterone (CORT) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). Here, we explored this concept using socially monogamous mandarin voles (Microtus mandarinus), a species in which fathers display high levels of paternal care toward their pups. Our immunohistochemical study shows that paternal deprivation (PD) significantly decreased levels of GR and BDNF protein in the CA1 and CA2/3 of the hippocampus. In the dental gyrus, decreases in GR and BDNF induced by PD were evident in females but not in males. Additionally, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay results show that PD significantly upregulated levels of serum CORT and ACTH in females, but not males. These findings demonstrate that PD alters HPA axis activity in a sex-specific way. The changes in stress hormones documented here may be associated with alteration in hippocampal BDNF and GR levels. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]