Hybrid Synchronization of a Chen Hyper-Chaotic System with Two Simple Linear Feedback Controllers

This paper brings attention on the hybrid synchronization of the Chen hyper-chaotic system by using some simple controllers. We give the sufficient conditions for achieving the goal by using the Lyapunov stability theory, and we verify our conclusion by numerical simulations.

Dynamics of oil price shocks and stock market behavior in Pakistan:evidence from the 2007 financial crisis period

Background:The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the oil price and its volatility on the stock market of Pakistan before and after the 2007 financial crisis period.Methods:The analyses are carried out on daily data for the period from July 31,2000 to July 31,2014.This study uses several econometric techniques for the analyses,namely,the Johansen-Juselius cointegration test,generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity(GARCH)model,exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity(EGARCH)model,variance decomposition method,and impulse response function.Results:The results of the cointegration method indicate a significant long-run association between stock market and oil prices in the pre-crisis period.The EGARCH model shows that oil price returns have a significant effect on stock market returns in both sub-periods,while the result for the GARCH model is significant only in the postcrisis period.We find a significant effect of oil price volatility on the stock market in both sub-periods from the GARCH model.Furthermore,the EGARCH model shows an asymmetric effect of oil price volatility on the stock market in the pre-crisis period.Variance decomposition shows that stock market variations are mostly explained by selfinnovation.Moreover,the impulse response function results show that oil price shocks affected the stock market adversely in the pre-crisis period but positively in the postcrisis period.Conclusions:This study suggests that economic policymakers and investors should consider the oil price as an important factor affecting stock market returns.

Mining salt stress-related genes in Spartina alterniflora via analyzing co-evolution signal across 365 plant species using phylogenetic profiling

With the increasing number of sequenced species,phylogenetic profiling(PP)has become a powerful method to predict functional genes based on co-evolutionary information.However,its potential in plant genomics has not yet been fully explored.In this context,we combined the power of machine learning and PP to identify salt stress-related genes in a halophytic grass,Spartina alterniflora,using evolutionary information generated from 365 plant species.Our results showed that the genes highly co-evolved with known salt stress-related genes are enriched in biological processes of ion transport,detoxification and metabolic pathways.For ion transport,five identified genes coding two sodium and three potassium transporters were validated to be able to uptake Na?.In addition,we identified two orthologs of trichome-related AtR3-MYB genes,SaCPC1 and SaCPC2,which may be involved in salinity responses.Genes co-evolved with SaCPCs were enriched in functions related to the circadian rhythm and abiotic stress responses.Overall,this work demonstrates the feasibility of mining salt stress-related genes using evolutionary information,highlighting the potential of PP as a valuable tool for plant functional genomics.

Genome-wide CRISPR activation screen identifies candidate receptors for SARS-CoV-2 entry

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has created a global health crisis. SARS-CoV-2 infects varieties of tissues where the known receptor ACE2 is low or almost absent, suggesting the existence of alternative viral entry pathways. Here, we performed a genome-wide barcoded-CRISPRa screen to identify novel host factors that enable SARS-CoV-2 infection. Beyond known host proteins, i.e., ACE2, TMPRSS2, and NRP1, we identified multiple host components,among which LDLRAD3, TMEM30A, and CLEC4G were confirmed as functional receptors for SARS-CoV-2. All these membrane proteins bind directly to spike’s N-terminal domain(NTD). Their essential and physiological roles have been confirmed in either neuron or liver cells. In particular, LDLRAD3 and CLEC4G mediate SARS-CoV-2 entry and infection in an ACE2-independent fashion. The identification of the novel receptors and entry mechanisms could advance our understanding of the multiorgan tropism of SARS-CoV-2, and may shed light on the development of COVID-19 countermeasures.

The generalization of public key cryptosystem FAPKC4

FAPKC4, a public key cryptosystem based on automata theory, is generalized so that component automata of compound automata in user’s public key would not be restricted to memory finite automata. The generalized FAPKCA can be used in encryption and implementing digital signatures as well.