Complying with ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434: A Safety and Security Co-Analysis Method for Intelligent Connected Vehicle.

A cyber-physical system (CPS) integrates communication and automation technologies into the operational processes of physical systems. Nowadays, as a complex CPS, an intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) may be exposed to accidental functional failures and malicious attacks. Therefore, ensuring the ICV's safety and security is crucial. Traditional safety/security analysis methods, such as failure mode and effect analysis and attack tree analysis, cannot provide a comprehensive analysis for the interactions between the system components of the ICV. In this work, we merge system-theoretic process analysis (STPA) with the concept phase of ISO 26262 and ISO/SAE 21434. We focus on the interactions between components while analyzing the safety and security of ICVs to reduce redundant efforts and inconsistencies in determining safety and security requirements. To conquer STPA's abstraction in describing causal scenarios, we improved the physical component diagram of STPA-SafeSec by adding interface elements. In addition, we proposed the loss scenario tree to describe specific scenarios that lead to unsafe/unsecure control actions. After hazard/threat analysis, a unified risk assessment process is proposed to ensure consistency in assessment criteria and to streamline the process. A case study is implemented on the autonomous emergency braking system to demonstrate the validation of the proposed method.

Characterization of underutilized root starches from eight varieties of ramie (Boehmeria nivea) grown in China.

Ramie root is an underutilized starch source. In this study, eight ramie varieties were investigated for starch properties. Starch content ranged from 18.6% to 50.1% in dry root. Starches from different varieties showed similar morphology including ellipsoidal, spherical and truncated granules with size D[4,3] from 10.1 to 14.1 µm. Starch had amylose content from 20.8% to 28.5%. All ramie varieties had B-type starches with relative crystallinity from 24.8% to 27.1%, ordered degree from 0.724 to 0.897 and lamellar thickness from 9.1 to 9.6 nm. Starches had gelatinization peak temperature from 70.5 to 73.8 °C and enthalpy from 14.9 to 15.8 J/g. Starches had swelling power and water solubility from 27.9 to 31.9 g/g and from 11.7% to 15.5%, respectively, at 95 °C, and exhibited different pasting properties with breakdown viscosity from 36 to 377 mPa s and setback viscosities from 1295 to 1863 mPa s. Starch pastes exhibited pseudoplastic behavior and different rheological properties. Native, gelatinized and retrograded starches had resistant starch from 81.7% to 83.9%, from 1.7% to 5.1% and from 5.6% to 13.3%, respectively. The eight varieties were divided into 3 groups according to starch properties. This study is helpful for selecting suitable ramie variety as starch source.

Physicochemical properties of a new starch from ramie (Boehmeria nivea) root.

A new starch was isolated from ramie root, and its physicochemical properties were investigated. Ramie dry root contained 45.9% starch. Starch had truncated, ellipsoidal, and spherical granule shapes with size from 7 to 30 µm and D[4,3] about 14.1 µm. Starch contained 38.9% apparent amylose content and 22.4% true amylose content, exhibited B-type crystallinity, and had 26.6% relative crystallinity, 0.82 ordered degree, and 9.2 nm lamellar thickness. Starch had 71.8 °C gelatinization peak temperature and 15.6 J/g gelatinization enthalpy, and exhibited 31.4 g/g swelling power and 17.1% water solubility at 95 °C. Starch had peak, hot, breakdown, final, and setback viscosities at 3048, 2768, 279, 4165, and 1397 mPa s, respectively, and showed peak time at 4.36 min and pasting temperature at 75.0 °C. The native, gelatinized, and retrograded starches contained 15.1%, 94.0%, and 86.5% rapidly digestible starch and 83.3%, 4.0%, and 10.7% resistant starch, respectively. Compared with potato and rice starches, ramie starch was somewhat similar to potato starch but significantly different from rice starch in starch component, crystalline structure, and functional properties. Therefore, ramie starch exhibited the potential to be used as a thickening agent, resistant-digesting food additive, and alternative to potato starch in food and nonfood industries.

A Ramie bZIP Transcription Factor BnbZIP2 Is Involved in Drought, Salt, and Heavy Metal Stress Response.

bZIP transcription factors play key roles in plant growth, development, and stress signaling. A bZIP gene BnbZIP2 (GenBank accession number: KP642148) was cloned from ramie. BnbZIP2 has a 1416 base pair open reading frame, encoding a 471 amino acid protein containing a characteristic bZIP domain and a leucine zipper. BnbZIP2 shares high sequence similarity with bZIP factors from other plants. The BnbZIP2 protein is localized to both nuclei and cytoplasm. Transcripts of BnbZIP2 were found in various tissues in ramie, with significantly higher levels in female and male flowers. Its expression was induced by drought, high salinity, and abscisic acid treatments. Analysis of the cis-elements in promoters of BnbZIP2 identified cis-acting elements involved in growth, developmental processes, and a variety of stress responses. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants' overexpression of BnbZIP2 exhibited more sensitivity to drought and heavy metal Cd stress during seed germination, whereas more tolerance to high-salinity stress than the wild type during both seed germination and plant development. Thus, BnbZIP2 may act as a positive regulator in plants' response to high-salinity stress and be an important candidate gene for molecular breeding of salt-tolerant plants.

[Survey of epidemic status of principal human parasites in Jiangxi Province in 2014].

OBJECTIVE: To understand and analyze the epidemic status of principal human parasites in Jiangxi Province, so as to provide the evidence for formulating The 13rd Five-Year Project of Parasites Control. METHODS: A survey was performed according to the scheme of The 3rd National Survey of Principal Human Parasites as well as the specific situation of Jiangxi Province. The survey of the soil-transmitted nematodes and intestinal protozoa were performed based on the ecological regions and stratified by economic and geographic situation. The survey of Clonorchis sinensis was performed along with the soil-transmitted nematodes in rural, and was performed by the sample method of random cluster in cities and towns. RESULTS: Totally 23 606 residents of 92 survey sites from 32 counties were surveyed, all of them were tested for the infection of soil-transmitted nematodes, in which 21,569 residents were tested for intestinal protozoa infection, and 1 486 children were tested for eggs of Enterobius vermicularis. Twenty kinds of intestinal parasites were found, with the total infection rate of 9.64%, and 4.296 millions of patients were reckoned in the whole Jiangxi Province. The infection rate of children of E. vermicularis was 13.73%. The infection rates of C. sinensis and intestinal protozoa were 0.58% and 1.42% respectively. The infection rate of Toxoplasma gondii was 7.50%. CONCLUSION: In Jiangxi Province, the infection rates of soil-transmitted nematodes are decreasing but the infection rate of C. sinensis is increasing in local areas, and the control work of parasites still should be strengthened.

Effects of concentrations of sodium chloride on photosynthesis, antioxidative enzymes, growth and fiber yield of hybrid ramie.

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L.) is one of the oldest and most important fiber crops in China due to the comfortable textile of its fine fiber. Increased ramie fiber demand brings ramie cultivation to salt-affected regions. The aim of this research was to determine morphological, physiological and biochemical responses of ramie by subjecting plants to varying concentrations of NaCl (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 g NaCl/kg dry soil) at vigorous growth stage for 10 and 20 days. Results indicated that salinity stress substantially inhibited the growth of hybrid ramie plants and led to remarkable decline in fiber yield. However, when grown at 2 g NaCl/kg growth and fiber yield were similar to non-saline control. In addition, chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange parameters were correlated with growth and yield response. Salt treatments promoted a subsequent decrease in maximum quantum efficiency of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), quantum efficiency of open PSII reaction centers (Fv'/Fm') and quantum yield of PSII (φPSII) while non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) changed conversely. Photochemical quenching (qP) and electron transport rate of PSII (ETR) increased at 2 and 4 g NaCl/kg then decreased at 6 and 8 g NaCl/kg. Substantial decline in the PSII activity at high salinity was associated with the loss of chlorophyll contents. Moreover, marked decrease in net photosynthetic rate (A), transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance (gs) was also recorded. Nonetheless, intercellular CO2 (Ci) decreased at low salt stress, subsequently increased at high salt stress while water use efficiency (WUE) and instantaneous water use efficiency (WUEi) altered in opposite direction. Substantial decrease of photosynthesis at high salinity was due to non-stomatal factors. Furthermore, salinity stress led to decrease of proteins and accumulation of proline and malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) and peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.6), whereas, catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.7) enhanced at low salinity, decreased at high salinity. Nonetheless, these changes were closely related with the severity and duration of the salinity stress and their interaction. The results suggested a certain tolerance to salinity stress for hybrid ramie. This meets the essential condition for utilization in salinity-prone environments.