miRTarBase update 2014: an information resource for experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules capable of negatively regulating gene expression to control many cellular mechanisms. The miRTarBase database (http://mirtarbase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/) provides the most current and comprehensive information of experimentally validated miRNA-target interactions. The database was launched in 2010 with data sources for >100 published studies in the identification of miRNA targets, molecular networks of miRNA targets and systems biology, and the current release (2013, version 4) includes significant expansions and enhancements over the initial release (2010, version 1). This article reports the current status of and recent improvements to the database, including (i) a 14-fold increase to miRNA-target interaction entries, (ii) a miRNA-target network, (iii) expression profile of miRNA and its target gene, (iv) miRNA target-associated diseases and (v) additional utilities including an upgrade reminder and an error reporting/user feedback system

Selectivity of N170 in the left hemisphere as an electrophysiological marker for expertise in reading Chinese

The left-lateralized N170, an event-related potential component consistently shown in response to alphabetic words, is a robust electrophysiological marker for reading expertise in an alphabetic language. In contrast, such a marker is lacking for expertise in reading Chinese, because the existing results about the lateralization of N170 for Chinese characters are mixed, reflecting complicated factors such as top-down modulation that contribute to the relative magnitudes of N170 in the left and right hemispheres. The present study aimed to explore a potential electrophysiological marker for reading expertise in Chinese with minimal top-down influence

Meniscus Shape and Wetting Competition of a Drop between a Cone and a Plane

The formation of a liquid bridge between a cone and a plane is related to dip-pen nanolithography. The meniscus shape and rupture process of a liquid meniscus between a cone and a plane are investigated by Surface Evolver, many-body dissipative particle dynamics, and macroscopic experiments. Dependent on the cone geometry, cone-plane separation, and wetting properties of cone and plane, three types of menisci can be observed before rupture and two types of wetting competition outcomes are seen after breakup. It is interesting to find that after rupture, the bulk of the liquid bridge volume is not necessarily retained by the cone which is more wettable. In fact, a sharp hydrophilic cone often loses wetting competition to a hydrophobic plane. To explain our findings, the “apparent” contact angle of the cone is introduced and the behavior of drop-on-cone/plane system is analogous to that of a liquid bridge between two parallel planes based on this concept

Selectivity of N170 in the left hemisphere as an electrophysiological marker for expertise in reading Chinese

The left-lateralized N170, an event-related potential component consistently shown in response to alphabetic words, is a robust electrophysiological marker for reading expertise in an alphabetic language. In contrast, such a marker is lacking for expertise in reading Chinese, because the existing results about the lateralization of N170 for Chinese characters are mixed, reflecting complicated factors such as top-down modulation that contribute to the relative magnitudes of N170 in the left and right hemispheres. The present study aimed to explore a potential electrophysiological marker for reading expertise in Chinese with minimal top-down influence