Faster Online Elastic Degenerate String Matching

An Elastic-Degenerate String [Iliopoulus et al., LATA 2017] is a sequence of sets of strings, which was recently proposed as a way to model a set of similar sequences. We give an online algorithm for the Elastic-Degenerate String Matching (EDSM) problem that runs in O(nm sqrt{m log m} + N) time and O(m) working space, where n is the number of elastic degenerate segments of the text, N is the total length of all strings in the text, and m is the length of the pattern. This improves the previous algorithm by Grossi et al. [CPM 2017] that runs in O(nm^2 + N) time

Lyndon Factorization of Grammar Compressed Texts Revisited

We revisit the problem of computing the Lyndon factorization of a string w of length N which is given as a straight line program (SLP) of size n. For this problem, we show a new algorithm which runs in O(P(n, N) + Q(n, N)n log log N) time and O(n log N + S(n, N)) space where P(n, N), S(n,N), Q(n,N) are respectively the pre-processing time, space, and query time of a data structure for longest common extensions (LCE) on SLPs. Our algorithm improves the algorithm proposed by I et al. (TCS \u2717), and can be more efficient than the O(N)-time solution by Duval (J. Algorithms \u2783) when w is highly compressible

エジプト紅海沿岸のマングローブ林の林分構造

Established mangrove forests along the coastal area of the Arabian Peninsula and African side of the Red Sea are uniquely different from mangrove forests in other parts of the world because of their low biodiversity and harsh habitat of arid and highly saline conditions. Therefore mangrove forests in this area appear in patchy and scattered patterns at mouths of wadi or in sheltered lagoons with rare and irregular flooding. Most of them are pure forests of Avicennia marina, occasionally mixed with Rhizophora mucronata in the southern part of the Red Sea. In this study, we analyze the forest structure of A. marina and discuss the regeneration strategy and the forest dynamics of this unique mangrove species. Three experimental plots of 1000 to 2000 trees/ha were selected from north to south along the Red Sea coast. The highest tree size (6.8m) suggested severe effects of the high salinity of the Red Sea (3.2 to 4.9%) on tree growth. Dense mantle vegetation had developed at the forest edge facing the open sea to protect the forest interior against strong waves and wind. Tree growth was also prevented by severe drought on the landside edge of the forest. All the forests had a dense seedling bank throughout the forest floor, with a very high rate of turnover and regeneration, which seldom occurred in other forests

Inhibition of microRNA-33b in humanized mice ameliorates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

マイクロRNA-33bの阻害は非アルコール性脂肪肝炎を改善する --核酸医薬による治療応用へ--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-06-13.Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) can lead to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in their advanced stages; however, there are currently no approved therapies. Here, we show that microRNA (miR)-33b in hepatocytes is critical for the development of NASH. miR-33b is located in the intron of sterol regulatory element–binding transcription factor 1 and is abundantly expressed in humans, but absent in rodents. miR-33b knock-in (KI) mice, which have a miR-33b sequence in the same intron of sterol regulatory element–binding transcription factor 1 as humans and express miR-33b similar to humans, exhibit NASH under high-fat diet feeding. This condition is ameliorated by hepatocyte-specific miR-33b deficiency but unaffected by macrophage-specific miR-33b deficiency. Anti-miR-33b oligonucleotide improves the phenotype of NASH in miR-33b KI mice fed a Gubra Amylin NASH diet, which induces miR-33b and worsens NASH more than a high-fat diet. Anti-miR-33b treatment reduces hepatic free cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation through up-regulation of the lipid metabolism–related target genes. Furthermore, it decreases the expression of fibrosis marker genes in cultured hepatic stellate cells. Thus, inhibition of miR-33b using nucleic acid medicine is a promising treatment for NASH

Enhancement of Zidovudine Uptake by Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate in Rat Syncytiotrophoblast Cell Line TR-TBT 18d-1

ABSTRACT: AZT (3-azido-3-deoxythymidine; zidovudine), which is used for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1, is transplacentally transferred to the fetus across the blood-placenta barrier, which is composed of syncytiotrophoblasts. We recently showed that apical uptake of AZT by syncytiotrophoblasts is mediated by saturable transport system(s) in the TR-TBT 18d-1 cell line, and the cellular accumulation of AZT was increased in the presence of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). Here, we aimed to clarify the mechanism of this effect of DHEAS. Inhibitors of efflux transporters, including breast cancer resistance protein, P-glycoprotein, and multidrug resistance proteins, had little effect on the cellular accumulation of AZT in TR-TBT 18d-1. Kinetic study revealed that the rate constant for AZT uptake was greatly increased in the presence of 1 mM DHEAS. These results suggested that the effect of DHEAS was because of enhancement of the uptake process(es), rather than inhibition of efflux. When AZT uptake was analyzed according to the Michaelis-Menten equation, the estimated Michaelis constant, K m , for AZT uptake in the presence of 1 mM DHEAS was lower than that in its absence, whereas maximum uptake velocity, V max , and nonsaturable uptake clearance, k ns , were similar in the presence and absence of DHEAS, indicating that DHEAS may change the recognition characteristics of the transporter for AZT in TR-TBT 18d-1. Thus, the increase of AZT uptake in TR-TBT 18d-1 cells in the presence of DHEAS was concluded to be because of a DHEAS-induced change in the affinity of AZT uptake system, although the transporter responsible for AZT uptake has not been identified

Progressive Relapse of Ligamentum Flavum Ossification Following Decompressive Surgery

Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum (T-OLF) is a relatively rare spinal disorder that generally requires surgical intervention, due to its progressive nature and the poor response to conservative therapy. The prevalence of OLF has been reported at 3.8%-26%, which is similar to that of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The progression of OPLL after cervical laminoplasty for the treatment of OPLL is often shown in long-term follow-up. However, there have been no reports on the progression of OLF following surgery. We report a case of thoracic myelopathy secondary to the progressive relapse of OLF following laminectomy

microRNA-33 maintains adaptive thermogenesis via enhanced sympathetic nerve activity

褐色脂肪細胞の燃焼を促す新たなメカニズムを解明 --体の熱産生にマイクロRNA-33が関与--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-02-17.Adaptive thermogenesis is essential for survival, and therefore is tightly regulated by a central neural circuit. Here, we show that microRNA (miR)-33 in the brain is indispensable for adaptive thermogenesis. Cold stress increases miR-33 levels in the hypothalamus and miR-33−/− mice are unable to maintain body temperature in cold environments due to reduced sympathetic nerve activity and impaired brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. Analysis of miR-33f/f dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH)-Cre mice indicates the importance of miR-33 in Dbh-positive cells. Mechanistically, miR-33 deficiency upregulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor subunit genes such as Gabrb2 and Gabra4. Knock-down of these genes in Dbh-positive neurons rescues the impaired cold-induced thermogenesis in miR-33f/f DBH-Cre mice. Conversely, increased gene dosage of miR-33 in mice enhances thermogenesis. Thus, miR-33 in the brain contributes to maintenance of BAT thermogenesis and whole-body metabolism via enhanced sympathetic nerve tone through suppressing GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission. This miR-33-mediated neural mechanism may serve as a physiological adaptive defense mechanism for several stresses including cold stress