mRNA expression profiles show differential regulatory effects of microRNAs between estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer

Most microRNAs have a stronger inhibitory effect in estrogen receptor-negative than in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

Identification of Yeast Cell Cycle Regulated Genes Based on Genomic Features

Background: Time-course microarray experiments have been widely used to identify cell cycle regulated genes. However, the method is not effective for lowly expressed genes and is sensitive to experimental conditions. To complement microarray experiments, we propose a computational method to predict cell cycle regulated genes based on their genomic features – transcription factor binding and motif profiles. Results: Through integrating gene-expression data with ChIP-chip binding and putative binding sites of transcription factors, our method shows high accuracy in discriminating yeast cell cycle regulated genes from non-cell cycle regulated ones. We predict 211 novel cell cycle regulated genes. Our model rediscovers the main cell cycle transcription factors and provides new insights into the regulatory mechanisms. The model also reveals a regulatory circuit mediated by a number of key cell cycle regulators. Conclusions: Our model suggests that the periodical pattern of cell cycle genes is largely coded in their promoter regions, which can be captured by motif and transcription factor binding data. Cell cycle is controlled by a relatively small number of master transcription factors. The concept of genomic feature based method can be readily extended to human cell cycle process and other transcriptionally regulated processes, such as tissue-specific expression

What is Needed for Future 3D Printing from Maker’S Viewpoints

This study focused on investigating makers’ opinions about current 3D printing technology to foster the development and use of 3D printing technologies in Taiwan. 3D printing has revolutionized the manufacturing industries as it provided a highly flexible, customizable way of small-quantity production at low cost. Its popularity among general users, however, encountered difficulties such as high requirements in skills, less user-friendliness, lack of practicality, low reliability, etc. Makers, a special group of customers of 3D printers are familiar with problems of this technology as they shared experience on the Internet, started collaborative manufacturing with open sources and turned their DIY activities into E-business. The study utilized questionnaires in the makers’ space to obtain the background of this special group of customers, their viewpoints regarding important features to consider for purchasing a 3D printer, and difficulties and solutions in propagation of 3D printing. The results demonstrated that makers were a group of extrovert and intuitive thinkers in terms of MBTI personalities and treasured printing precision (surface quality), stability (long tuning period) and easy maintenance as most attractive factors to customers. From their viewpoints, difficulties in use, customers’ low interests, and lack of practicality of its products were rated top 3 problems for 3D printing. However, school education, propagation of makers’ space and development of ease-to-use 3D software may help its popularity. The results of this study may help 3D printer manufacturers and 3D printing service providers to better understand their customers’ behaviors, based on which better 3D printing services and 3D printers can be developed to improve their business

Paper-based tuberculosis diagnostic devices with colorimetric gold nanoparticles

A colorimetric sensing strategy employing gold nanoparticles and a paper assay platform has been developed for tuberculosis diagnosis. Unmodified gold nanoparticles and single-stranded detection oligonucleotides are used to achieve rapid diagnosis without complicated and time-consuming thiolated or other surface-modified probe preparation processes. To eliminate the use of sophisticated equipment for data analysis, the color variance for multiple detection results was simultaneously collected and concentrated on cellulose paper with the data readout transmitted for cloud computing via a smartphone. The results show that the 2.6 nM tuberculosis mycobacterium target sequences extracted from patients can easily be detected, and the turnaround time after the human DNA is extracted from clinical samples was approximately 1 h

Effects of Hydrogen Plasma on the Electrical Properties of F-Doped ZnO Thin Films and p-i-n -Si:H Thin Film Solar Cells

1.5 wt% zinc fluoride (ZnF2) was mixed with zinc oxide powder to form the F-doped ZnO (FZO) composition. At first, the FZO thin films were deposited at room temperature and 5×10-3 Torr in pure Ar under different deposition power. Hall measurements of the as-deposited FZO thin films were investigated, and then the electrical properties were used to find the deposition power causing the FZO thin films with minimum resistance. The FZO thin films with minimum resistance were further treated by H2 plasma and then found their variations in the electrical properties by Hall measurements. Hydrochloric (HCl) acid solutions with different concentrations (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) were used to etch the surfaces of the FZO thin films. Finally, the as-deposited, HCl-etched as-deposited, and HCl-etched H2-plasma-treated FZO thin films were used as transparent electrodes to fabricate the p-i-n α-Si:H thin film solar cells and their characteristics were compared in this study. We would show that using H2-plasma-treated and HCl-etched FZO thin films as transparent electrodes would improve the efficiency of the fabricated thin film solar cells

An Integrated Dataflow Based Model for Digital Investigation

This study developed a highly adaptive digital forensic model, applicable to various situations, which clearly describes the digital forensic process and their purposes as well as ensuring the exactness and effectiveness of digital forensic results. It examined the viewpoint of the digital evidence process flow throughout an entire forensic process, and it hoped to provide a complete explanation of the digital forensic procedure and the details of execution. In addition, it proposed three new forensic concepts: primary, supported and comprehensive forensic procedures. The structural hierarchy constructed in the model can be expanded, then divided into its simplest forms, allowing independent task assignments. It further proposed several innovative digital forensic concepts, such as a new feedback mechanism. Finally, this model could provide a detailed list of the resources necessary for an entire forensic activity, applicable to management planning. This model provided a practical description approach and established a comprehensive and uniform digital expression form. The aim is to accumulate and to share experience and knowledge, hoping to create more mature and practical digital forensic science and to provide a reference for the practitioners of digital forensics

Determination of Perpendicular Magnetic Anisotropy in Fe/MgO/Fe Magnetic Tunnel Junction: A DFT-Based Spin-Orbit Torque Approach

In our JunPy package, we have successfully combined the self-consistent Hamiltonian from first-principles calculations with the nonequilibrium Green's function method to calculate the noncollinear spin torque in the nm-scale magnetic heterojunctions. The spin-orbit coupling within the first-principles calculations is included to determine the magnetic anisotropy (MA) of an Fe/MgO/Fe magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) with a spin-orbit torque (SOT) method. The angular dependence of accumulative SOT indicates the biaxial and uniaxial MA corresponding to the in-plane and out-of-plane rotations of the free magnetization, respectively. Our results agree with the conventional MA energy calculation for a whole MTJ and provide insights into micro-spin dynamics of local magnetic moments.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure