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1. One locus with two roles: microRNA‐independent functions of microRNA‐host‐gene locus‐encoded long noncoding RNAs

   https://doi.org/10.1002/wrna.1625  

   Sun, Qinyu ; Song, You Jin ; Prasanth, Kannanganattu V. ( September 2020 , WIREs RNA)

   Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that do not code for proteins. LncRNAs play crucial regulatory roles in several biological processes via diverse mechanisms and their aberrant expression is associated with various diseases. LncRNA genes are further subcategorized based on their relative organization in the genome. MicroRNA (miRNA)‐host‐gene‐derived lncRNAs (lnc‐MIRHGs) refer to lncRNAs whose genes also harbor miRNAs. There exists crosstalk between the processing of lnc‐MIRHGs and the biogenesis of the encoded miRNAs. Although the functions of the encoded miRNAs are usually well understood, whether those lnc‐MIRHGs play independent functions are not fully elucidated. Here, we review our current understanding of lnc‐MIRHGs, including their biogenesis, function, and mechanism of action, with a focus on discussing the miRNA‐independent functions of lnc‐MIRHGs, including their involvement in cancer. Our current understanding of lnc‐MIRHGsstrongly indicates that this class of lncRNAs could play important roles in basic cellular events as well as in diseases.

   This article is categorized under:

   Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs

   Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Biogenesis of Effector Small RNAs

    

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2. Subgame solving without common knowledge

   Zhang, B. H. ; Sandholm, T. ( January 2021 , ArXivorg)

   null (Ed.)

   In imperfect-information games, subgame solving is significantly more challenging than in perfect-information games, but in the last few years, such techniques have been developed. They were the key ingredient to the milestone of superhuman play in no-limit Texas hold'em poker. Current subgame-solving techniques analyze the entire common-knowledge closure of the player's current information set, that is, the smallest set of nodes within which it is common knowledge that the current node lies. However, this set is too large to handle in many games. We introduce an approach that overcomes this obstacle, by instead working with only low-order knowledge. Our approach allows an agent, upon arriving at an infoset, to basically prune any node that is no longer reachable, thereby massively reducing the game tree size relative to the common-knowledge subgame. We prove that, as is, our approach can increase exploitability compared to the blueprint strategy. However, we develop three avenues by which safety can be guaranteed. First, safety is guaranteed if the results of subgame solves are incorporated back into the blueprint. Second, we provide a method where safety is achieved by limiting the infosets at which subgame solving is performed. Third, we prove that our approach, when applied at every infoset reached during play, achieves a weaker notion of equilibrium, which we coin affine equilibrium, and which may be of independent interest. We show that affine equilibria cannot be exploited by any Nash strategy of the opponent, so an opponent who wishes to exploit must open herself to counter-exploitation. Even without the safety-guaranteeing additions, experiments on medium-sized games show that our approach always reduced exploitability even when applied at every infoset, and a depth-limited version of it led to--to our knowledge--the first strong AI for the massive challenge problem dark chess. 

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3. Tech‐Mediated and Traditional Communication Modes in Adult Adoptees' Contact With Birth Parents

   https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12477  

   Cashen, Krystal K. ; Grotevant, Harold D. ; Wyman Battalen, Adeline ; Sellers, Christina M. ; McRoy, Ruth G. ( July 2020 , Family Relations)

   To understand how adult adoptees use traditional and tech‐mediated modes of communication in contact with birth parents. To examine associations between desire for increased use of both modes and quality of relationship.

   As tech‐mediated modes of communication become more commonplace, it is important to understand their implications for family relationship quality. Limited research has examined the use of tech‐mediated modes of communication between adult adoptees and birth parents.

   Participants (M_age = 31 years) were adopted as infants (N = 90). Participants reported their current and desired future use of traditional and tech‐mediated communication modes and their satisfaction with contact, current closeness, desired future closeness, and psychological presence of birth parents.

   Those with current contact reported using both traditional and tech‐mediated modes of communication. Desired increase of traditional modes was associated with greater psychological presence and desired future closeness with birth mothers, while both traditional and tech‐mediated were associated with these outcomes for birth fathers.

   Adult adoptees use both traditional and tech‐mediated modes of communication with their birth parents. However, these modes may play distinct roles in maintaining close relationships with birth parents.

   Family professionals should consider the unique roles traditional and tech‐mediated modes of communication may play when supporting adult adoptees in contact with birth relatives.

    

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4. Zooglider-Based Measurements of Planktonic Foraminifera in the California Current System

   https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.49.4.390  

   Gaskell, Daniel E. ; Ohman, Mark D. ; Hull, Pincelli M. ( October 2019 , Journal of Foraminiferal Research)

   Abstract Spines and rhizopodia play an important role in the feeding behavior, symbiont ecology, shell geochemistry, and density and drag of planktonic foraminifera. However, there are few empirical data on planktonic foraminifera in situ, and these delicate structures are disturbed on capture. Here, we report spine and rhizopod measurements from underwater images obtained in the California Current System near La Jolla, California by Zooglider, a new autonomous zooplankton-sensing glider. Across all observed species, we find that spine length and flexibility correlate with test size and that spines increase the effective prey encounter volume of spinose foraminifera by two to three orders of magnitude. Our data also yielded several novel observations regarding hastigerinid foraminifera (Hastigerinella digitata and Hastigerina pelagica), a group of unusually large planktonic foraminifera that are abundant in our dataset below 250 m. First, the effective encounter volume of hastigerinid foraminifera can be very large: our largest specimen occupies almost 40 cm3 (about the size of a golf ball), while the median specimen occupies 5.3 cm3 (about the size of a cherry). Second, the majority of hastigerinid foraminifera in our dataset have asymmetric bubble capsules, which are most frequently oriented with their bubbles on the upward side of the test, consistent with the hypothesis that the bubble capsule is positively buoyant. Third, 16% of hastigerinid foraminifera in our dataset have dispersed bubble capsules with detached bubbles distributed along the spines and rhizopodia, consistent with a regular source of natural disturbance. Taken together, our observations suggest that hastigerinid foraminifera play a larger role as mesopelagic predators in the California Current System than previously recognized. 

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5. Changing the dynamics of preschool children's social play with technology: evaluation of technology-based supports for tools of the mind style play

   https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2023.2221747  

   Diederich, Kyle ; Currin, Flannery Hope ; Blasi, Kaitlyn ; Schmidt, Allyson Dale ; David, Holly ; Peterman, Kerry ; Hourcade, Juan Pablo ( June 2023 , Behaviour & Information Technology)

   In the context of a pandemic that has had wide-ranging negative impacts on preschool children’s socioemotional development it is important to consider uses of technology to support children re-engaging socially with peers. In this article, we review the landscape of systems to support children’s face-to-face collaboration and identify an underexplored approach that could be well suited for the current context: using technology in a peripheral role to support activities where the focus is on other children and non-electronic objects and where children are free to engage with the physical space around them with the support of adults. We then present a pre-pandemic evaluation of StoryCarnival, a system with these underexplored characteristics, designed to support preschool children’s sociodramatic play, for which there is evidence of numerous benefits that can positively impact children’s socioemotional development. The results of the evaluation comparing sociodramatic play with and without StoryCarnival’s support suggest that while not being the focus of the activity, StoryCarnival’s components changed the dynamics of play for the children in the study during our observations, such that children displayed more mature play characteristics. Our discussion includes implications for child-computer interaction and considerations for the pandemic context. 

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