RPVC: A Revocable Publicly Verifiable Computation Solution for Edge Computing.

With publicly verifiable computation (PVC) development, users with limited resources prefer to outsource computing tasks to cloud servers. However, existing PVC schemes are mainly proposed for cloud computing scenarios, which brings bandwidth consumption or network delay of IoT devices in edge computing. In addition, dishonest edge servers may reduce resource utilization by returning unreliable results. Therefore, we propose a revocable publicly verifiable computation(RPVC) scheme for edge computing. On the one hand, RPVC ensures that users can verify the correct results at a small cost. On the other hand, it can revoke the computing abilities of dishonest edge servers. First, polynomial commitments are employed to reduce proofs' length and generation speed. Then, we improve revocable group signature by knowledge signatures and subset covering theory. This makes it possible to revoke dishonest edge servers. Finally, theoretical analysis proves that RPVC has correctness and security, and experiments evaluate the efficiency of RPVC.

Efficient Aggregate Queries on Location Data with Confidentiality.

Location data have great value for facility location selection. Due to the privacy issues of both location data and user identities, a location service provider can not hand over the private location data to a business or a third party for analysis or reveal the location data for jointly running data analysis with a business. In this paper, we propose a newly constructed PSI filter that can help the two parties privately find the data corresponding to the items in the intersection without any computations and, subsequently, we give the PSI filter generation protocol. We utilize it to construct three types of aggregate protocols for facility location selection with confidentiality. Then we propose a ciphertext matrix compressing method, making one block of cipher contain lots of plaintext data while keeping the homomorphic property valid. This method can efficiently further reduce the computation/communication cost of the query process-the improved query protocol utilizing the ciphertext matrix compressing method is given followed. We show the correctness and privacy of the proposed query protocols. The theoretical analysis of computation/communication overhead shows that our proposed query protocols are efficient both in computation and communication and the experimental results of the efficiency tests show the practicality of the protocols.

Privacy-Enhancing k-Nearest Neighbors Search over Mobile Social Networks.

Focusing on the diversified demands of location privacy in mobile social networks (MSNs), we propose a privacy-enhancing k-nearest neighbors search scheme over MSNs. First, we construct a dual-server architecture that incorporates location privacy and fine-grained access control. Under the above architecture, we design a lightweight location encryption algorithm to achieve a minimal cost to the user. We also propose a location re-encryption protocol and an encrypted location search protocol based on secure multi-party computation and homomorphic encryption mechanism, which achieve accurate and secure k-nearest friends retrieval. Moreover, to satisfy fine-grained access control requirements, we propose a dynamic friends management mechanism based on public-key broadcast encryption. It enables users to grant/revoke others' search right without updating their friends' keys, realizing constant-time authentication. Security analysis shows that the proposed scheme satisfies adaptive L-semantic security and revocation security under a random oracle model. In terms of performance, compared with the related works with single server architecture, the proposed scheme reduces the leakage of the location information, search pattern and the user-server communication cost. Our results show that a decentralized and end-to-end encrypted k-nearest neighbors search over MSNs is not only possible in theory, but also feasible in real-world MSNs collaboration deployment with resource-constrained mobile devices and highly iterative location update demands.

Genome-Wide Identification and Transcriptional Expression Analysis of Annexin Genes in Capsicum annuum and Characterization of CaAnn9 in Salt Tolerance.

Annexin (Ann) is a polygenic, evolutionarily conserved, calcium-dependent and phospholipid-binding protein family, which plays key roles in plant growth, development, and stress response. However, a comprehensive understanding of CaAnn genes of pepper (Capsicum annuum) at the genome-wide level is limited. Based on the available pepper genomic information, we identified 15 members of the CaAnn gene family. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CaAnn proteins could be categorized into four different orthologous groups. Real time quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that the CaAnn genes were tissue-specific and were widely expressed in pepper leaves after treatments with cold, salt, and drought, as well as exogenously applied MeJA and ABA. In addition, the function of CaAnn9 was further explored using the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) technique. CaAnn9-silenced pepper seedlings were more sensitive to salt stress, reflected by the degradation of chlorophyll, the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the decrease of antioxidant defense capacity. This study provides important information for further study of the role of pepper CaAnn genes and their coding proteins in growth, development, and environmental responses.

Proteomic analysis by iTRAQ-PRM provides integrated insight into mechanisms of resistance in pepper to Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius).

BACKGROUND: The Bemisia tabaci is a major leaf feeding insect pest to pepper (Capsicum annuum), causing serious damage to pepper growth and yield. It is particularly important to study the mechanism of pepper resistance to B. tabaci, and to breed and promote the varieties of pepper resistant to B. tabaci. However, very limited molecular mechanism is available about how plants perceive and defend themselves from the destructive pest. Proteome technologies have provided an idea method for studying plant physiological processes in response to B. tabaci. RESULTS: Here, a highly resistant genotype and a highly susceptible genotype were exposed to B. tabaci feeding for 48 h to explore the defense mechanisms of pepper resistance to B. tabaci. The proteomic differences between both genotypes were compared using isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ). The quantitative data were validated by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM). The results showed that 37 differential abundance proteins (DAPs) were identified in the RG (resistant genotype), while 17 DAPs were identified in the SG (susceptible genotype) at 48 h after B. tabaci feeding. 77 DAPs were identified when comparing RG with SG without feeding. The DAP functions were determined for the classification of the pathways, mainly involved in redox regulation, stress response, protein metabolism, lipid metabolism and carbon metabolism. Some candidate DAPs are closely related to B. tabaci resistance such as annexin D4-like (ANN4), calreticulin-3 (CRT3), heme-binding protein 2-like (HBP1), acidic endochitinase pcht28-like (PR3) and lipoxygenase 2 (LOX2). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, this study indicates complex resistance-related events in B. tabaci interaction, provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism underlying the response of plant to B. tabaci, and identifies some candidate proteins against B. tabaci attack.

Transcription factor CCG-8 as a new regulator in the adaptation to antifungal azole stress.

Antifungal azoles are widely used for controlling fungal infections. Fungi are able to change the expression of many genes when they adapt to azole stress, and increased expression of some of these genes can elevate resistance to azoles. However, the regulatory mechanisms behind transcriptional adaption to azoles in filamentous fungi are poorly understood. In this study, we found that deletion of the transcription factor gene ccg-8, which is known to be a clock-controlled gene, made Neurospora crassa hypersensitive to azoles. A comparative genome-wide analysis of the responses to ketoconazole of the wild type and the ccg-8 mutant revealed that the transcriptional responses to ketoconazole of 78 of the 488 transcriptionally ketoconazole-upregulated genes and the 427 transcriptionally ketoconazole-downregulated genes in the wild type were regulated by CCG-8. Ketoconazole sensitivity testing of all available knockout mutants for CCG-8-regulated genes revealed that CCG-8 contributed to azole adaption by regulating the ketoconazole responses of many genes, including the target gene (erg11), an azole transporter gene (cdr4), a hexose transporter gene (hxt13), a stress response gene (locus number NCU06317, named kts-1), two transcription factor genes (NCU01386 [named kts-2] and fsd-1/ndt80), four enzyme-encoding genes, and six unknown-function genes. CCG-8 also regulated phospholipid synthesis in N. crassa in a manner similar to that of its homolog in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Opi1p. However, there was no cross talk between phospholipid synthesis and azole resistance in N. crassa. CCG-8 homologs are conserved and are common in filamentous fungi. Deletion of the CCG-8 homolog-encoding gene in Fusarium verticillioides (Fvccg-8) also made this fungus hypersensitive to antifungal azoles.

Rapid and green quantification of phloridzin and trilobatin in Lithocarpus litseifolius (Hance) Chun (sweet tea) using an online pressurized liquid extraction high-performance liquid chromatography at equal absorption wavelength method.

Sweet tea is a functional herbal tea with anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and other effects, in which phloridzin and trilobatin are two functional compounds. However, the current methods for their quantification are time-consuming, costly, and environmentally unfriendly. In this paper, we propose a rapid method that integrates online pressurized liquid extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography featuring a superficially porous column for fast separation. Moreover, we employ an equal absorption wavelength method to eliminate using multiple standard solutions and relative calibration factors. Our verification process corroborated the technique's selectivity, accuracy, precision, linearity, and detection limitations. Separately, our methodology demonstrated excellent analytical efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. Practical application using six distinct batches of sweet tea samples yielded results in congruence with the external standard method. The analytical rate of this technique is up to over 18 times faster than traditional methods, and organic solvent consumption has been reduced to less than 1.5 mL. Therefore, this method provides a valuable way to achieve quality control and green analysis of sweet tea and other herbal teas.

A critical review on plant annexin: Structure, function, and mechanism.

Plant annexins are evolutionary conserved protein family widely exist in almost all plant species, characterized by a shorter N-terminal region and four conservative annexin repeats. Plant annexins have Ca2+ channel-regulating activity and peroxidase as well as ATPase/GTPase activities, which give annexins functional specificity. They are widely involved in regulating diverse aspects of biochemical and cellular processes, plant growth and development, and responses to biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. Though many studies have reviewed the function of annexins, great progress have been made in the study of plant annexins recently. In this review, we outline the current understanding of basic properties of plant annexins and summarize the emerging advances in understanding the functional roles of annexins in plants and highlight the regulation mechanisms of annexin protein in response to stress especially to salt and cold stress. The interesting questions related to plant annexin that remain to be further elucidated are also discussed.

[Control effect of blue light on Bemisia tabaci]. / è“å ‰å¯¹è”¬èœçƒŸç²‰è™±çš„æŽ§åˆ¶ä½œç”¨.

Light is a important way in controlling vegetable pests. In this work, we examined the effects of blue light on Bemisia tabaci on cucumbers, as well as on nutrients, secondary metabolites, and resistance-related enzymes in cucumbers. Results of the direct repellent test showed that blue light had a strong repellent effect on B. tabaci, which increased with light intensity and exposure time. The repellent effect of direct light was stronger than that of transmitted light under the same light intensity and time. The population decline rate of B. tabaci was 77.7% after direct exposure to 1200 lx blue light for 5 min, being 17.4% higher than that of transmitted light. After 2 min exposure to 1750 lx blue light, the population decline rate was 41.2%, which was 10.6% higher than that of transmitted light. Under the condition of pot culture, blue light also had a good repellent effect on B. tabaci on leaves. The corrected population decline rate of B. tabaci reached 88.5% after 5 h exposure to 100 lx blue light. Blue light affected the development of B. tabaci. In addition, blue light significantly increased the contents of soluble sugar, free protein, total phenols and flavonoids in cucumber leaves, decreased the content of proline. The contents of trans-ß-farnesene, trans-2-hexenal, cis-4-heptanal, trans-ß-ocilene, D-carvone, longifolene and 3-carene, and the activities of peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase were significantly increased. The results suggested that blue light could drive off B. tabaci and influence the resistance of cucumber. 100 lx blue light had a good control effect on B. tabaci.

QTL Mapping by SLAF-seq and Expression Analysis of Candidate Genes for Aphid Resistance in Cucumber.

Cucumber, a very important vegetable crop worldwide, is easily damaged by pests. Aphid is one of the most serious cucumber pests and frequently cause severe damage to commercially produced crops. Understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying pest resistance is important for aphid-resistant cucumber varieties breeding. In this study, two parental cucumber lines, JY30 (aphid susceptible) and EP6392 (aphid resistant), and pools of resistant and susceptible (n = 50 each) plants from 1000 F2 individuals derived from crossing JY30 with EP6392, were used to detect genomic regions associated with aphid resistance in cucumbers. The analysis was performed using specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq), bulked segregant analysis (BSA), and single nucleotide polymorphism index (SNP-index) methods. A main effect QTL (quantitative trait locus) of 0.31 Mb on Chr5, including 43 genes, was identified by association analysis. Sixteen of the 43 genes were identified as potentially associated with aphid resistance through gene annotation analysis. The effect of aphid infestation on the expression of these candidate genes screened by SLAF-seq was investigated in EP6392 plants by qRT-PCR. The results indicated that seven genes including encoding transcription factor MYB59-like (Csa5M641610.1), auxin transport protein BIG-like (Csa5M642140.1), F-box/kelch-repeat protein At5g15710-like (Csa5M642160.1), transcription factor HBP-1a-like (Csa5M642710.1), beta-glucan-binding protein (Csa5M643380.1), endo-1,3(4)-beta-glucanase 1-like (Csa5M643880.1), and proline-rich receptor-like protein kinase PERK10-like (Csa5M643900.1), out of the 16 genes were down regulated after aphid infestation, whereas 5 genes including encoding probable leucine-rich repeat (LRR) receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase At5g15730-like (Csa5M642150.1), Stress-induced protein KIN2 (Csa5M643240.1 and Csa5M643260.1), F-box family protein (Csa5M643280.1), F-box/kelch-repeat protein (Csa5M643290.1), were up-regulated after aphid infestation. The gene Csa5M642150.1, encoding probable LRR receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase At5g15730-like, was most likely a key candidate gene in cucumber plants in response to infestation. This study provides a certain theoretical basis of molecular biology for genetic improvement of cucumber aphid resistance and aphid resistant variety breeding.

Identification of differentially expressed genes related to aphid resistance in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.).

Cucumber, a very important vegetable crop worldwide, is easily damaged by pests. Aphids (Aphis gossypii Glover) are among the most serious pests in cucumber production and often cause severe loss of yield and make fruit quality get worse. Identifying genes that render cucumbers resistant to aphid-induced damage and breeding aphid-resistant cucumber varieties have become the most promising control strategies. In this study, a Illumina Genome Analyzer platform was applied to monitor changes in gene expression in the whole genome of the cucumber cultivar 'EP6392' which is resistant to aphids. Nine DGE libraries were constructed from infected and uninfected leaves. In total, 49 differentially expressed genes related to cucumber aphid resistance were screened during the treatment period. These genes are mainly associated with signal transduction, plant-pathogen interactions, flavonoid biosynthesis, amino acid metabolism and sugar metabolism pathways. Eight of the 49 genes may be associated with aphid resistance. Finally, expression of 9 randomly selected genes was evaluated by qRT-PCR to verify the results for the tag-mapped genes. With the exception of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase homolog 6, the expression of the chosen genes was in agreement with the results of the tag-sequencing analysis patterns.

Sterol C-22 Desaturase ERG5 Mediates the Sensitivity to Antifungal Azoles in Neurospora crassa and Fusarium verticillioides.

Antifungal azoles inhibit ergosterol biosynthesis by interfering with lanosterol 14α-demethylase. In this study, seven upregulated and four downregulated ergosterol biosynthesis genes in response to ketoconazole treatment were identified in Neurospora crassa. Azole sensitivity test of knockout mutants for six ketoconazole-upregulated genes in ergosterol biosynthesis revealed that deletion of only sterol C-22 desaturase ERG5 altered sensitivity to azoles: the erg5 mutant was hypersensitive to azoles but had no obvious defects in growth and development. The erg5 mutant accumulated higher levels of ergosta 5,7-dienol relative to the wild type but its levels of 14α-methylated sterols were similar to the wild type. ERG5 homologs are highly conserved in fungal kingdom. Deletion of Fusarium verticillioides erg5 also increased ketoconazole sensitivity, suggesting that the roles of ERG5 homologs in azole resistance are highly conserved among different fungal species, and inhibition of ERG5 could reduce the usage of azoles and thus provide a new target for drug design.

[Effects of alcohol extracts from three kinds of biomass energy plant tissues on biological activity of Bemisia tabaci].

To test the feasibility of using raw extracts from the tissues of biomass energy plants Ricinus communi and Kosteletzkya virginica as plant protection agents, the alcohol extracts from R. communi seed and leaf and from K. virginica leaf were used to treat adult Bemisia tabaci by spraying. The glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase activities in B. tabaci body were measured after treated for 4 h, 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h, and the olfaction responses of B. tabaci to the alcohol extracts were detected with a Y-tube olfactomet. All the three alcohol extracts obviously inhibited the glutathione S-transferase and carboxylesterase activities in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibitory effect of the 250-times diluted alcohol extracts on the two enzyme activities was equivalent to that of 3000 times-diluted 1.8% avermectins. In addition, the 250-times diluted alcohol extracts had obvious repellent effect on B. tabaci, with the repellent coefficient of the alcohol extracts from R. communi seed and leaf and from K, virginica leaf being 100.0%, 96.7%, and 79.4%, respectively. All of these suggested that the test three alcohol extracts had repellent and other biological effects on B. tabaci.

[Flight behaviors of Bemisia tabaci and corresponding IPM strategies].

Bemisia tabaci, a pest insect with stronger capabilities of flying and host plant-exploitation, is capable of flying 150 m high and over a distance as far as 7 km, but hardly flies higher than 0. 5 m and long distance in food-abundant areas. B. tabaci has the characteristics of both searching-and migrating flying, which enable it to exploit and locate on suitable hosts. Up to now, no oogenesis-flight syndrome of B. tabaci has been detected. Visual spectrum, air temperature and relative humidity, host quality, and wind speed are the main factors affecting the flight behavior of B. tabaci. In this paper, the flying capability of B. tabaci and the factors affecting its flight behavior were summarized, and the corresponding IPM strategies in the areas where B. tabaci could not overwintering in open field were discussed.

[Spatial patterns of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) population in cotton fields].

Field investigations on the vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) population on Bt cotton Guokang No. 22 and non-Bt cotton Simian No. 3 showed that in July, no obvious difference was found in the vertical distribution of B. tabaci population on cotton plant, but in August, the population density was significantly higher on the upper part of cotton plant than on its middle and lower parts. The horizontal distribution patterns of B. tabaci adult and nymph were similar. B. tabaci distributed evenly on cotton leaves when its population density was low, but aggregated when its population density was high. The greater the population density, the higher the aggregation rate was observed. Throughout the incidence stage, B. tabaci adult and nymph aggregated and diffused alternatively. No significant difference was observed in the spatial distribution pattern of B. tabaci on Bt and non-Bt cotton plants.