Learn Access Control Concepts in a Game Weanquoi, Patrickson; Zhang, Jinghua; Yuan, Xiaohong ...
2021 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE),
2021-Oct.-13
Conference Proceeding
This Innovative Practice Full Paper presents a new way to teach Access Control concepts. Access Control is a key component in computer security, and it is critical for students to have basic ...understanding of access control techniques. We have developed a 2D educational game, titled "Temple of Treasures," that aims to help students learn the basic concepts of Discretionary Access Control and Mandatory Access Control. The game was developed using the Unity game engine. The game's story is centered around an adventurer in search of gold but end up stuck in a temple and must gain knowledge on targeted concepts to unlock the doors along the escape pathways. Students must complete an in-game assessment with immediate feedback after each of the three levels in this game. Player information and assessment data are saved on the cloud through GameSparks for further analysis. To measure the effectiveness, we developed a presurvey, post-survey, and focus group protocols. In addition, the UI Accessibility Plugin is used to make the game accessible to visually impaired players. The game has been integrated into several computer science courses including Operating Systems at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, System Administration II and Introduction to Information Security at Winston-Salem State University. The game was deployed to a WebGL format so students can play it online. In this paper, we will present game design, development, and assessment results in detail.
Flowering plant sperm cells transcribe a divergent and complex complement of genes. To examine promoter function, we chose an isopentenyltransferase gene known as PzIPT1. This gene is highly ...selectively transcribed in one sperm cell morphotype of Plumbago zeylanica, which preferentially fuses with the central cell during fertilization and is thus a founding cell of the primary endosperm. In transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), PzIPT1 promoter displays activity in both sperm cells and upon progressive promoter truncation from the 5ʹ-end results in a progressive decrease in reporter production, consistent with occurrence of multiple enhancer sites. Cytokinin-dependent protein binding motifs are identified in the promoter sequence, which respond with stimulation by cytokinin. Expression of PzIPT1 promoter in sperm cells confers specificity independently of previously reported Germline Restrictive Silencer Factor binding sequence. Instead, a cis-acting regulatory region consisting of two duplicated 6-bp Male Gamete Selective Activation (MGSA) motifs occurs near the site of transcription initiation. Disruption of this sequence-specific site inactivates expression of a GFP reporter gene in sperm cells. Multiple copies of the MGSA motif fused with the minimal CaMV35S promoter elements confer reporter gene expression in sperm cells. Similar duplicated MGSA motifs are also identified from promoter sequences of sperm cell-expressed genes in Arabidopsis, suggesting selective activation is possibly a common mechanism for regulation of gene expression in sperm cells of flowering plants.
The objective of this study is to investigate the expression of enzymes involved in the sulfation of articular cartilage from proximal metacarpophalangeal (PMC) joint cartilage and distal ...metacarpophalangeal (DMC) joint cartilage in children with Kashin–Beck disease (KBD). The finger cartilage samples of PMC and DMC were collected from KBD and normal children aged 5–14 years old. Hematoxylin and eosin staining as well as immunohistochemical staining were used to observe the morphology and quantitate the expression of carbohydrate sulfotransferase 3 (CHST-3), carbohydrate sulfotransferase 12 (CHST-12), carbohydrate sulfotransferase 13 (CHST-13), uronyl 2-O-sulfotransferase (UST), and aggrecan. In the results, the numbers of chondrocyte decreased in all three zones of PMC and DMC in the KBD group. Less positive staining cells for CHST-3, CHST-12, CHST-13, UST, and aggrecan were observed in almost all three zones of PMC and DMC in KBD. The positive staining cell rates of CHST-12 were higher in superficial and middle zones of PMC and DMC in KBD, and a significantly higher rate of CHST-13 was observed only in superficial zone of PMC in KBD. In conclusion, the abnormal expression of chondroitin sulfate sulfotransferases in chondrocytes of KBD children may provide an explanation for the cartilage damage, and provide therapeutic targets for the treatment.
Numerous genes are arranged in complex overlapping and interlaced patterns, and such arrangements potentially contribute to the regulation of gene expression. Previous studies have demonstrated that ...a region in chromosome 19q13.2-3 encompassing the overlapping genes excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), CD3e molecule associated protein (CD3EAP) and protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 13 like (PPP1R13L) was found to be associated with the risk and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study confirmed the hypothesis that there are co-expression patterns among these overlapping genes. The suggestive bioinformatic evidence of The Cancer Genome Atlas was verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) analysis of NSCLC tissue samples. In addition, a cisplatin-induced DNA damage cell model was assessed by microarray analysis, qPCR and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (3'RACE) to verify and quantify the expression levels of co-expressed alternative splicing isoforms in the NSCLC tissues, as well as in cancer A549 and normal 16HBE cells. The expression of CD3EAP exon 1 was demonstrated to be significantly associated with PPP1R13L exon 1, while CD3EAP exon 3 was significantly associated with ERCC1 exon 11 in normal and NSCLC tissues. It was observed that short transcripts of ERCC1, CD3EAP and PPP1R13L are co-expressed in A549 cells and full-length transcripts are co-expressed in 16HBE cells. Furthermore, a novel transcriptional regulation pattern was described based on the positional associations of overlapping genes. The region encompassing the overlapping genes ERCC1, CD3EAP and PPP1R13L may be involved in linking the upstream and downstream genes, while the different splicing isoforms of ERCC1 affect the expression of its overlapping genes, suggesting potential application in cisplatin resistance in NSCLC treatment.
Abstract Lumbrokinase, a novel antithrombotic agent, purified from the earthworm Lumbricus rubellus , has been clinically used to treat stroke and cardiovascular diseases. However, inflammatory ...responses associated with the cardioprotective effect of lumbrokinase remain unknown. In this study, the signaling pathways involved in lumbrokinase-inhibited expressions of inflammation mediators were investigated in rats subjected to myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury. The left main coronary artery of anesthetized rats was subjected to 1 h occlusion and 3 h reperfusion. The animals were treated with/without lumbrokinase and the severities of I-R-induced arrhythmias and infarction were compared. Lumbrokinase inhibited I-R-induced arrhythmias and reduced mortality, as well as decreased the lactate dehydrogenase levels in carotid blood. Lumbrokinase also inhibited the enhancement of I-R induced expressions of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway. Moreover, our results demonstrated that stimulation with lumbrokinase decreases the phosphorylation of JNK, IκB, and NF-κB. These findings suggested that lumbrokinase is a potent cardioprotective drug in rats with I-R injury. The cardioprotective effects of lumbrokinase may be correlated with its inhibitory effect on the I-R-induced expressions of COX-2, iNOS and MMP-9, mediated by TLR4 signaling through JNK and NF-κB pathways.
Overcoming general brittleness of hypereutectic Al-Si alloys is in urgent need for expanding their application in automotive, aerospace and construction industries. A unique phenomenon was observed ...that bulk ultrafine-grained Al-26 wt.% Si alloy, produced by severe plastic deformation via equal-channel angular pressing, exhibited higher toughness at the impact temperature of − 196 ~ 100 °C than the coarse-grained casting alloy. The improvement in impact toughness at all testing temperatures was mainly due to the homogeneous ultrafine-grained structure with the breakage of brittle primary silicon crystals, which generated more and deeper fracture dimples that consumed much higher fracture energy. It indicates the advantage of bulk ultrafine-grained Al-Si alloys and spurs their application interest at various ambient temperatures.
A single frequency of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) will be converted to many discrete frequencies as they are transmitted through a metal-insulator-metal waveguide with its core width undergoing ...a harmonic oscillation. The process of the frequency conversion shares many key properties with the light diffraction in discrete optical systems. By employing the conception of optical diffraction management, we can control the discrete frequencies of SPPs such as the intensity and spectrum width by changing the initial phase of the waveguide oscillation. The study bridges the spatial discrete diffraction and frequency transition of SPP modes. Theoretical analysis based on the effective index method and coupled mode theory is provided in detail.
Sulfonated carbons with hierarchically ordered pores (SCHOP) are not effective catalysts for glucose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) although they are very effective for fructose conversion due to ...insufficient and unsuitable Lewis acid sites in SCHOP unfavorable for isomerization of glucose to fructose. This paper attempts to intensify the Lewis acid sites on the surface of SCHOP by doping Al2O3 and TiO2 (Al−Ti@SCHOP) so as to promote glucose conversion to 5‐HMF. Characterizations by SEM, TEM, BET and N2 adsorption‐desorption showed that the well‐ordered hierarchical pore structure of SCHOP was preserved after doping the metal oxides. EDS and XRD analyses confirmed that Al2O3 and TiO2 were well‐dispersed on the surface. FTIR, Py‐FTIR and NH3‐TPD proved that not only sulfonic acid groups were introduced successfully but also very strong acid sites were formed. Furthermore, the strength of Lewis and Brönsted acid sites on the surface of Al−Ti@SCHOP were tailored by adjusting the mass ratio of Al2O3 to TiO2. Al−Ti@SCHOP with an Al2O3/TiO2 mass ratio of 2:1 demonstrated the highest catalytic activity for glucose dehydration to 5‐HMF. As high as above 96% of 5‐HMF selectivity could be obtained within the initial reaction time of 3.0 h, and a maximum 5‐HMF yield of 57.36% occurred at the reaction time of 5.0 h when reacting at 130 °C. Besides, the catalyst has its good stability.
Very strong acid sites on Al−Ti@SCHOP were generated by doping Al2O3 and TiO2 into sulfonated carbons with hierarchically ordered pores (SCHOP). Combine that with well‐ordered hierarchical pore structure and suitable strength of Lewis and Brönsted acid, and Al−Ti@SCHOP exhibits high yield (57.36%) and excellent selectivity (above 96%) in conversion of glucose to 5‐HMF.
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