Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (typically consisting of 18–25 nucleotides) that negatively control expression of target genes at the post-transcriptional level. Owing to the ...biological significance of miRNAs, miRTarBase was developed to provide comprehensive information on experimentally validated miRNA–target interactions (MTIs). To date, the database has accumulated >13,404 validated MTIs from 11,021 articles from manual curations. In this update, a text-mining system was incorporated to enhance the recognition of MTI-related articles by adopting a scoring system. In addition, a variety of biological databases were integrated to provide information on the regulatory network of miRNAs and its expression in blood. Not only targets of miRNAs but also regulators of miRNAs are provided to users for investigating the up- and downstream regulations of miRNAs. Moreover, the number of MTIs with high-throughput experimental evidence increased remarkably (validated by CLIP-seq technology). In conclusion, these improvements promote the miRTarBase as one of the most comprehensively annotated and experimentally validated miRNA–target interaction databases. The updated version of miRTarBase is now available at http://miRTarBase.cuhk.edu.cn/.
For a family of stochastic differential equations driven by additive Gaussian noise, we study the asymptotic behaviors of its corresponding Euler-Maruyama scheme by deriving its convergence rate in ...terms of relative entropy. Our results for the convergence rate in terms of relative entropy complement the conventional ones in the strong and weak sense and induce some other properties of the Euler-Maruyama scheme. For example, the convergence in terms of the total variation distance can be implied by Pinsker's inequality directly. Moreover, when the drift is β(0<β<1)-Hölder continuous in the spatial variable, the convergence rate in terms of the weighted variation distance is also established. Both of these convergence results do not seem to be directly obtained from any other convergence results of the Euler-Maruyama scheme. The main tool this paper relies on is the Girsanov transform.
Elastomers with excellent mechanical properties are in substantial demand for various applications, but there is always a tradeoff between their mechanical strength and stretchability. For example, ...partially replacing strong covalent crosslinking by weak sacrificial bonds can enhance the stretchability but also usually decreases the mechanical strength. To surmount this inherent tradeoff, a supramolecular strategy of introducing a zipper‐like sliding‐ring mechanism in a hydrogen‐bond‐crosslinked polyurethane network is proposed. A very small amount (0.5 mol%) of an external additive (pseudo2rotaxane crosslinker) can dramatically increase both the mechanical strength and elongation of this polyurethane network by nearly one order of magnitude. Based on the investigation of the relationship between molecular structure and mechanical properties, this enhancement is attributable to a unique molecular‐level zipper‐like ring‐sliding motion, which efficiently dissipates mechanical work in the solvent‐free network. This research not only provides a distinct and general strategy for the construction of high‐performance elastomers but also paves the way for the practical application of artificial molecular machines toward solvent‐free polyurethane networks.
A molecular zipper elastomer—the combination of ring‐sliding effects and dense hydrogen‐bonding crystal domains in a dry polymer network—results in unexpectedly substantial improvements to the elastomer mechanical performance, including stretchability and strength. The mechanism is found to be the ring‐sliding motion against hydrogen‐bonding domains upon stretching, which effectively dissipates the input mechanical energy.
Community centers offer a public space for physical activities, attracting residents with diverse interests and abilities, and promoting social interaction and connection, which in turn enhances ...individuals' physical and mental fitness and fosters a sense of community. When exploring the correlation between community space accessibility and usage frequency, it is crucial to consider empirical evidence and resident preferences. Nevertheless, the role of physical environments in determining community center usage frequency, while also considering residents' inclination for effortless access, remains unclear. This study investigated the impact of resident preferences and satisfaction with the accessibility of community centers and physical environments on usage frequency, addressing a gap in previous research. Structural equation models were utilized to analyze a household drop-off survey consisting of 186 residents gathered from two neighborhoods in Korea. The results revealed that while the preference for easy access to community centers did not have a substantial effect on their usage frequency, satisfaction with easy access to such centers was positively linked to usage frequency. Furthermore, the perception of physical environments as being walkable and having a diverse range of amenities was associated with a higher frequency of community center usage. These findings have policy implications as they can help increase the usage frequency of community centers and enhance overall well-being in regenerated neighborhoods.
Reversible data hiding for encrypted media not only preserves the privacy of the media content but also can convey additional information during message transmission. Some studies advocate ...separability, that is, the message can be correctly extracted irrespective of whether the encrypted media has been decrypted. However, current research has focused on encrypted images. Urgent research is required on encrypted three-dimensional (3D) models. This paper proposes a separable reversible data hiding method based on spatial subdivision and space encoding for encrypted 3D models. A bounding volume is first constructed using the vertices with boundary values in the processing model. Each vertex coordinate value is then converted into a ratio (between 0 and 1) of the distance between the vertex and minimum boundary point to the side length of the bounding volume. The owner of the 3D model then uses a secret key to encrypt all ratios except those of the boundary vertices to obtain an encrypted 3D model of the same size as the original model. The spatial subdivision technique and a subdivision threshold are subsequently used to divide the bounding volume into a series of blocks and simultaneously control the vertex distortion. The secret message is embedded in the encrypted vertex by using the space encoding method with an embedding threshold. Experimental results indicate that the proposed algorithm enables high privacy, performs separable reversible data hiding, and has low computational complexity, high embedding capacity, and controllable distortion.
Oxidative stress and cardiomyocyte apoptosis play critical roles in doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity. Previous studies indicated that fibronectin type III domain-containing 5 (FNDC5) and its ...cleaved form, irisin, could preserve mitochondrial function and attenuate oxidative damage as well as cell apoptosis, however, its role in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity remains unknown. Our present study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of FNDC5 on oxidative stress and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Cardiomyocyte-specific FNDC5 overexpression was achieved using an adeno-associated virus system, and then the mice were exposed to a single intraperitoneal injection of DOX (15 mg/kg) to generate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Herein, we found that FNDC5 expression was downregulated in DOX-treated murine hearts and cardiomyocytes. Fndc5 deficiency resulted in increased oxidative damage and apoptosis in H9C2 cells under basal conditions, imitating the phenotype of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy in vitro, conversely, FNDC5 overexpression or irisin treatment alleviated DOX-induced oxidative stress and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, we identified that FNDC5/Irisin activated AKT/mTOR signaling and decreased DOX-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and moreover, we provided direct evidence that the anti-oxidant effect of FNDC5/Irisin was mediated by the AKT/GSK3β/FYN/Nrf2 axis in an mTOR-independent manner. And we also demonstrated that heat shock protein 20 was responsible for the activation of AKT caused by FNDC5/Irisin. In line with the data in acute model, we also found that FNDC5/Irisin exerted beneficial effects in chronic model of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (5 mg/kg, i.p., once a week for three times, the total cumulative dose is 15 mg/kg) in mice. Based on these findings, we supposed that FNDC5/Irisin was a potential therapeutic agent against DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.
In this paper, we consider a robust optimal asset-liability management problem with delay for an ambiguity-averse investor (AAI), who does not hold a firm belief towards not only the drift parameters ...but also the jump intensity in the wealth process. The objective of AAI is to maximise the robust value involving the expected utility of a weighted sum of terminal wealth and a penalisation of model uncertainty. In addition, the wealth process is modelled by a stochastic delay equation with jump via introducing the performance-related capital inflow/outflow. Applying the technique of robust optimal theory and Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, we derive the optimal results and the proof of verification theorem for the general utility functions and liability processes. In the case of the exponential utility function and a positive liability process, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the robust optimal investment strategy and find it naturally satisfies the constraint of no-short selling. Meanwhile, we adopt a special method to solve the corresponding Riccati equation and obtain the value function in explicit form. Furthermore, the results under the complete memory are discussed in detail. Finally, some numerical examples are provided to illustrate the influence of model parameters on the optimal strategy as well as the economic interpretation behind it.
Abstract
The quantum spin Hall effect lays the foundation for the topologically protected manipulation of waves, but is restricted to one-dimensional-lower boundaries of systems and hence limits the ...diversity and integration of topological photonic devices. Recently, the conventional bulk-boundary correspondence of band topology has been extended to higher-order cases that enable explorations of topological states with codimensions larger than one such as hinge and corner states. Here, we demonstrate a higher-order quantum spin Hall effect in a two-dimensional photonic crystal. Owing to the non-trivial higher-order topology and the pseudospin-pseudospin coupling, we observe a directional localization of photons at corners with opposite pseudospin polarizations through pseudospin-momentum-locked edge waves, resembling the quantum spin Hall effect in a higher-order manner. Our work inspires an unprecedented route to transport and trap spinful waves, supporting potential applications in topological photonic devices such as spinful topological lasers and chiral quantum emitters.
A non-invasive functional-brain-imaging system based on optically-pumped-magnetometers (OPM) is presented. The OPM-based magnetoencephalography (MEG) system features 20 OPM channels conforming to the ...subject's scalp. We have conducted two MEG experiments on three subjects: assessment of somatosensory evoked magnetic field (SEF) and auditory evoked magnetic field (AEF) using our OPM-based MEG system and a commercial MEG system based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). We cross validated the robustness of our system by calculating the distance between the location of the equivalent current dipole (ECD) yielded by our OPM-based MEG system and the ECD location calculated by the commercial SQUID-based MEG system. We achieved sub-centimeter accuracy for both SEF and AEF responses in all three subjects. Due to the proximity (12 mm) of the OPM channels to the scalp, it is anticipated that future OPM-based MEG systems will offer enhanced spatial resolution as they will capture finer spatial features compared to traditional MEG systems employing SQUIDs.
PDF
