Circular RNA (circRNA) is a group of RNA family generated by RNA circularization, which was discovered ubiquitously across different species and tissues. However, there is no global view of tissue specificity for circRNAs to date. Here we performed the comprehensive analysis to characterize the features of human and mouse tissue-specific (TS) circRNAs. We identified in total 302 853 TS circRNAs in the human and mouse genome, and showed that the brain has the highest abundance of TS circRNAs. We further confirmed the existence of circRNAs by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We also characterized the genomic location and conservation of these TS circRNAs and showed that the majority of TS circRNAs are generated from exonic regions. To further understand the potential functions of TS circRNAs, we identified microRNAs and RNA binding protein, which might bind to TS circRNAs. This process suggested their involvement in development and organ differentiation. Finally, we constructed an integrated database TSCD (Tissue-Specific CircRNA Database: http://gb.whu.edu.cn/TSCD) to deposit the features of TS circRNAs. This study is the first comprehensive view of TS circRNAs in human and mouse, which shed light on circRNA functions in organ development and disorders.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a large family of noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in various normal bioprocesses as well as tumorigenesis. However, the expression patterns and biological functions of lncRNAs in acute leukemia have not been well studied. Here, we performed transcriptome-wide lncRNA expression profiling of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient samples, along with non-leukemia control hematopoietic samples. We found that lncRNAs were differentially expressed in AML samples relative to control samples. Notably, we identified that lncRNAs upregulated in AML (relative to the control samples) are associated with a lower degree of DNA methylation and a higher ratio of being bound by transcription factors such as SP1, STAT4, ATF-2 and ELK-1 compared with those downregulated in AML. Moreover, an enrichment of H3K4me3 and a depletion of H3K27me3 were observed in upregulated lncRNAs in AML. Expression patterns of three types of lncRNAs (antisense, enhancer and intergenic lncRNAs) have previously been characterized. Of the identified lncRNAs, we found that high expression level lncRNA LOC285758 is associated with the poor prognosis in AML patients. Furthermore, we found that LOC285758 regulates proliferation of AML cell lines by enhancing the expression of HDAC2, a key factor in carcinogenesis. Collectively, our study depicts a landscape of important lncRNAs in AML and provides novel potential therapeutic targets and prognostic markers for AML treatment.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are novel rising stars of noncoding RNAs, which are highly abundant and evolutionarily conserved across species. Number of publications related to circRNAs increased sharply in recent years, representing emerging focuses in the field. Therefore, tools, pipelines and databases have been developed to identify and store circRNAs. However, there is no existing tool to visualize and explore circRNAs. Therefore, we introduce CircView, a user-friendly visualization tool for circRNAs detected from existing tools. CircView enables users to visualize circRNAs and to quantify number of samples with detected circRNAs. CircView allows users to explore circRNAs detected by unique or multiple tools. Furthermore, CircView allows users to view the regulatory elements, such as microRNA response elements and RNA-binding protein binding sites. CircView is a unique tool to visualize and explore circRNAs, which helps users to better understand potential functions of circRNAs and design the functional experiments.

As urbanization picks up speed, great changes have taken place in the Urban Landscape Pattern (ULP), which in turn causes variation in urban climate. The Heat Island Effect (HIE), a prominent feature of the changing urban climate, poses a huge threat to our life and health. Starting with HIE and with the aid of geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS), this paper studies the remote sensing images of Beijing from 1995 to 2015, which were captured by Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and infrared technology. Specifically, the author analyzed the evolution laws of the ULP and the HIE in Beijing, discussed the relationship between the two factors, and disclosed the controlling effect of the ULP on the HIE. The results show that: the accelerated urbanization has fragmented the landscapes in Beijing dramatically; the HIE can be alleviated by increasing the greenery coverage, reducing the spacing between green lands, and enhancing their density. Finally, several suggestions were put forward to construct a secure and ecological ULP in Beijing from the angle of adjusting the green land landscape pattern. This research sheds new light on the relationship between the ULP and the HIE and lays a basis for the planning and construction of eco-cities.

00 Purpose Unlike traditional papers based on theory or statistics, in this paper, we introduce how to observe techno-scientific controversies based on digital tools. We try to represent the complexity of social debates 1 surrounding aging issues in a legible form, such as word clouds. The data are particularly large and easily acquired. Based on preliminary results, we can further our study in specific topics by applying traditional research methods. This case is a good example of the significant influence of new technology, especially in the era of big data. Method We applied many digital tools, including some Google applications, in this paper. By applying Google Scraper, we input the URLs of top ten newspapers in the tool. After entering the keywords, such as 'aging and US', we will get the source cloud, from which we can have a graphical view of relative popularity of specific topics in the mainstream media. We search keywords such as 'aging issues' in Google, and then, by the tool of Harvester & text ripper, we can easily get the body of texts. In the different Google engine such as News or Blog, the text will be different 2 . Based on the text we can further our analysis by tools such as Many eyes to get a comparison of the content we get from different search sources or methods. Word clouds or Tree clouds can also be got quite easily. Results & Discussion In Figure 1, the term 'aging population' is frequently mentioned by almost all of the important newspapers in United States, while 'aging issues' seems not enjoy such a popularity, from which we may infer that American society holds an optimistic attitude towards aging, instead of regarding it as a problem or threat. A normal phenomenon accompanied with the social development was a role preferred. In Figure 2, commercial companies, such as Pfizer, are playing increasingly important roles in eldercare fields, not only in service and product provision, but also in research and policymaking. Last but not least, in Figure 3, terms such as 'heath care', 'retirement age' and 'transportation housing' that have something to do with public issues, receive more attention from the media. The words which are more popular in the blogosphere are always concerned with people's own lives, such as "senior living". All in all, digital tools can provide a novel perspective on the popular discourse of aging. References