Empagliflozin attenuates epithelial to mesenchymal transition through senescence in peritoneal dialysis.

BACKGROUND: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered as one of the senescence processes; reportedly, anti-senescence therapies effectively reduce EMT. Some models have shown anti-senescence effects with the use of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. Therefore, our study investigated the anti-senescence effects of empagliflozin as a SGLT2 inhibitor in a peritoneal fibrosis model and their impact on EMT inhibition. METHODS: For in vitro study, human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) were isolated and grown in a 96-well plate. The cell media were exchanged with serum-free M199 medium with D-Glucose, with or without empagliflozin. All animal experiments were carried out in male mice. Mice were randomly classified into three treatment groups based on peritoneal dialysis (PD) or empagliflozin. We evaluated changes in senescence and EMT markers in HPMCs and PD model. RESULTS: HPMCs treated with glucose transformed from cobble stone to spindle shape, resulting in EMT. Empagliflozin attenuated these morphologic changes. Reactive oxygen species production, DNA damage, senescence, and EMT markers were increased by glucose treatment; however, co-treatment with glucose and empagliflozin attenuated these changes. For the mice with PD, an increase in thickness, collagen deposition, staining for senescence or EMT markers of the parietal peritoneum was observed, which however, was attenuated by co-treatment with empagliflozin. p53, p21, and p16 increased in mice with PD compared to that in the control group; however, these changes were decreased by empagliflozin. CONCLUSION: Empagliflozin effectively attenuated glucose-induced EMT in HPMCs through a decrease in senescence. Co-treatment with empagliflozin improved peritoneal thickness and fibrosis in PD.

Enhanced Electrochemical Stability and Extended Cycle Life in Sulfide-Based All-Solid-State Batteries: The Role of Li10 SnP2 S12 Coating on Ni-Rich NCM Cathode.

Recently, sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have attracted great attention because of their excellent safety and high energy density. However, by-products formed from side-reactions between the oxide-based cathodes and sulfide-based solid electrolytes (SEs) increase the interfacial resistance and degrade the cell performance. Suppression of this interfacial resistance is thus critical. In this study, the extraordinarily high stability of the cathode/SE interface is discovered when a Li10 SnP2 S12 (LSnPS) is applied to a cathode buffer layer. The electrochemical properties of the cathode interface at high potential are improved by synthesizing a core-shell structure cathode using LSnPS. The synthesized LSnPS is uniformly coated on a Li2 ZrO3 -coated LiNi0.8 Co0.1 Mn0.1 O2 (LZO-NCM) surface using the cost-efficient mechano-fusion method. The ASSB with LSnPS-coated LZO-NCM as the cathode and Li6 PS5 Cl (argyrodite, LPSCl) as the SE exhibited a capacity of 192 mAh g-1 and excellent cycle retention of ≈75% after 500 charge/discharge cycles. In addition, the degradation mechanism at the cathode/SE interface is investigated. The results indicated that LSnPS stabilizes the interface between NCM and argyrodite, thereby inhibiting the decomposition of the SE. This technology is expected to contribute to the commercialization of cathode materials for sulfide-based ASSBs due to its enhanced cycle performance, low-cost material application, and eco-friendly process.

Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and mortality in a national cohort in South Korea: effect modification by community deprivation, medical infrastructure, and greenness.

BACKGROUND: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to increased mortality risk. However, limited studies have examined the potential modifying effect of community-level characteristics on this association, particularly in Asian contexts. This study aimed to estimate the effects of long-term exposure to PM2.5 on mortality in South Korea and to examine whether community-level deprivation, medical infrastructure, and greenness modify these associations. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide cohort study using the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. A total of 394,701 participants aged 30 years or older in 2006 were followed until 2019. Based on modelled PM2.5 concentrations, 1 to 3-year and 5-year moving averages of PM2.5 concentrations were assigned to each participant at the district level. Time-varying Cox proportional-hazards models were used to estimate the association between PM2.5 and non-accidental, circulatory, and respiratory mortality. We further conducted stratified analysis by community-level deprivation index, medical index, and normalized difference vegetation index to represent greenness. RESULTS: PM2.5 exposure, based on 5-year moving averages, was positively associated with non-accidental (Hazard ratio, HR: 1.10, 95% Confidence Interval, CI: 1.01, 1.20, per 10 µg/m3 increase) and circulatory mortality (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.47). The 1-year moving average of PM2.5 was associated with respiratory mortality (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.67). We observed higher associations between PM2.5 and mortality in communities with higher deprivation and limited medical infrastructure. Communities with higher greenness showed lower risk for circulatory mortality but higher risk for respiratory mortality in association with PM2.5. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found mortality effects of long-term PM2.5 exposure and underlined the role of community-level factors in modifying these association. These findings highlight the importance of considering socio-environmental contexts in the design of air quality policies to reduce health disparities and enhance overall public health outcomes.

Immunotherapeutic Approaches in Ovarian Cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is gynecological cancer, and diagnosis and treatment are continuously advancing. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based diagnoses have emerged as novel methods for identifying molecules and pathways in cancer research. The NGS-based applications have expanded in OC research for early detection and identification of aberrant genes and dysregulation pathways, demonstrating comprehensive views of the entire transcriptome, such as fusion genes, genetic mutations, and gene expression profiling. Coinciding with advances in NGS-based diagnosis, treatment strategies for OC, such as molecular targeted therapy and immunotherapy, have also advanced. Immunotherapy is effective against many other cancers, and its efficacy against OC has also been demonstrated at the clinical phase. In this review, we describe several NGS-based applications for therapeutic targets of OC, and introduce current immunotherapeutic strategies, including vaccines, checkpoint inhibitors, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell transplantation, for effective diagnosis and treatment of OC.

NRF2-mediated SIRT3 induction protects hepatocytes from ER stress-induced liver injury.

Chronic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in hepatocytes plays a role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Therefore, given the association between oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ER stress, our study investigated the role of NRF2-mediated SIRT3 activation in ER stress. SIRT3, a sirtuin, was predicted as the target of NRF2 based on bioinformatic analyses and animal experiments. Nrf2 abrogation diminished mitochondrial DNA content in hepatocytes with Ppargc1α and Cpt1a inhibition, whereas its overexpression enhanced oxygen consumption. Further, chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays indicated that NRF2 induced SIRT3 through the antioxidant responsive element (ARE) sites comprising the -641 to -631 bp and -419 to -409 bp regions. In tunicamycin-induced ER stress conditions and liver injury animal models following ER stress, NRF2 levels were highly correlated with SIRT3. Nrf2 deficiency enhanced the tunicamycin-mediated induction of CHOP, which was attenuated by Sirt3 overexpression. Further, Sirt3 delivery to hepatocytes in Nrf2 knockout mice prevented tunicamycin from increasing mortality by decreasing ER stress. SIRT3 was upregulated in livers of patients with nonalcoholic liver diseases, whereas lower SIRT3 expression coincided with more severe disease conditions. Taken together, our findings indicated that NRF2-mediated SIRT3 induction protects hepatocytes from ER stress-induced injury, which may contribute to the inhibition of liver disease progression.

Development of a rapid, in-situ analysis method using sheath-flow probe electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry for the direct identification of cocaine metabolites in dried blood spots.

RATIONALE: Small amounts of biofluid samples are frequently found at crime scenes; however, existing gold standard methods such as LC-MS frequently require destructive extraction of the sample before a time-consuming analysis which puts strain on forensic analysis providers and can preclude further sample analysis. This study presents the application of sheath-flow probe electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (sfPESI-MS) to the direct analysis of drug metabolites in dried blood spots (DBS) as a high throughput, minimally destructive alternative. METHODS: A rapid direct analysis method using a sfPESI ionisation source coupled to an Orbitrap Exactive mass spectrometer was applied to detect cocaine metabolites (benzoylecgonine, BZE, cocaethylene, CE, and ecgonine methyl ester, EME) from DBS. An optimisation study exploring the use of different chemical modifiers (formic acid and sodium acetate) in the sfPESI probe extraction solvent was conducted to enhance the sensitivity and reproducibility of the sfPESI-MS method. RESULTS: Optimisation of the extraction solvent significantly enhanced the sensitivity and reproducibility of the sfPESI-MS method. A quantitative response over a five-point calibration range 0.5 to 10 µg/ml was obtained for BZE (R2 = 0.9979) and CE (R2 = 0.9948). Limits of detection (LOD) of 1.31, 0.29 and 0.15 µg/ml were achieved for EME, BZE and CE, respectively, from 48 h aged DBSs with % RSD (relative standard deviation) across the calibration range ranging between 19%-28% for [BZE + H]+ , 13%-21% for [CE + H]+ and 12%-29% for [EME + H]+ . CONCLUSIONS: A rapid (< 20 s) quantitative method for the direct analysis of cocaine metabolites from DBS which requires no prior sample preparation was developed. Although the LOD achieved for BZE (LOD: 0.29 µg/ml) was above the UK threshold limit of exposure for drug driving (0.05 µg/ml), the method may be suitable for use in identifying overdose in forensic analysis.

Sparse Depth-Guided Image Enhancement Using Incremental GP with Informative Point Selection.

We propose an online dehazing method with sparse depth priors using an incremental Gaussian Process (iGP). Conventional approaches focus on achieving single image dehazing by using multiple channels. In many robotics platforms, range measurements are directly available, except in a sparse form. This paper exploits direct and possibly sparse depth data in order to achieve efficient and effective dehazing that works for both color and grayscale images. The proposed algorithm is not limited to the channel information and works equally well for both color and gray images. However, efficient depth map estimations (from sparse depth priors) are additionally required. This paper focuses on a highly sparse depth prior for online dehazing. For efficient dehazing, we adopted iGP for incremental depth map estimation and dehazing. Incremental selection of the depth prior was conducted in an information-theoretic way by evaluating mutual information (MI) and other information-based metrics. As per updates, only the most informative depth prior was added, and haze-free images were reconstructed from the atmospheric scattering model with incrementally estimated depth. The proposed method was validated using different scenarios, color images under synthetic fog, real color, and grayscale haze indoors, outdoors, and underwater scenes.

Breast Cancer Metastasis: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Implications.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Metastasis is the leading cause of high mortality in most cancers. Although predicting the early stage of breast cancer before metastasis can increase the survival rate, breast cancer is often discovered or diagnosed after metastasis has occurred. In general, breast cancer has a poor prognosis because it starts as a local disease and can spread to lymph nodes or distant organs, contributing to a significant impediment in breast cancer treatment. Metastatic breast cancer cells acquire aggressive characteristics from the tumor microenvironment (TME) through several mechanisms including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and epigenetic regulation. Therefore, understanding the nature and mechanism of breast cancer metastasis can facilitate the development of targeted therapeutics focused on metastasis. This review discusses the mechanisms leading to metastasis and the current therapies to improve the early diagnosis and prognosis in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Substituted Syndecan-2-Derived Mimetic Peptides Show Improved Antitumor Activity over the Parent Syndecan-2-Derived Peptide.

We previously showed that a synthetic peptide (S2-P) corresponding to a portion of the human syndecan-2 (SDC2) sequence can bind to the pro-domain of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) to inhibit colon cancer activities. Since S2-P had a relatively weak binding affinity for the MMP-7 pro-domain, we herein modified the amino acid sequence of S2-P to improve the anticancer potential. On the basis of the interaction structure of S2-P and MMP-7, four peptides were generated by replacing amino acids near Tyr 51, which is critical for the interaction. The SDC2-mimetic peptides harboring an Ala-to-Asp substitution at the C-terminal side of Tyr 51 (S2-D) or with an Ala-to-Phe substitution at the N-terminal side of Tyr 51 and an Ala-to-Asp substitution at the C-terminal side of Tyr 51 (S2-FE) showed improved interaction affinities for the MMP-7 pro-domain. Compared to S2-P, S2-FE was better able to inhibit the SDC2-MMP-7 interaction, the cell surface localization of MMP-7, the gelatin degradation activity of MMP-7, and the cancer activities (cell migration, invasion, and colony-forming activity) of human HCT116 colon cancer cells in vitro. In vivo, S2-FE inhibited the primary tumor growth and lung metastasis of CT26 mouse colon cancer cells in a xenograft mouse model. Together, these data suggest that S2-FE could be useful therapeutic anticancer peptides for colon cancer.

Self-Formulated Na-Based Dual-Ion Battery Using Nonflammable SO2 -Based Inorganic Liquid Electrolyte.

Sodium secondary batteries have gained much attention as alternative power sources to replace lithium secondary batteries. However, some technical issues must be solved to ensure their success. Here, a highly safe and cost-effective Na-based dual-ion battery system employing self-formulated CuCl cathode material starting from a mixture of Cu and NaCl in conjunction with a nonflammable NaAlCl4 ·2SO2 inorganic liquid electrolyte is demonstrated. It is found that CuCl is spontaneously formed by redox coupling of Cu/Cu(I) and SO2 /SO2 - anion radical. In the proposed battery, Na+ and Cl- are employed as energy carriers for the anode and cathode, respectively, and it is further demonstrated that the Na-metal-free battery configuration is possible using a hard carbon anode. Owing to the use of cheap electrode materials and a highly conductive and safe electrolyte, the proposed batteries deserve to be regarded as a promising approach for next-generation Na rechargeable batteries.

Alteration of unfolded protein responses and autophagy signaling represented the molecular basis underlying saccharin toxicity to Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

The purpose of this study was to develop a new control method for Drosophila using saccharin sodium dihydrate (saccharin), an artificial sweetener that is safe for humans and the environment, and to elucidate its mode of action. In this study, we confirmed that saccharin can dose-dependently inhibit the development of or kill vinegar flies (VFs) and spotted wing Drosophila (SWDs). In addition, we found that low concentrations of saccharin induced a similar effect as starvation in Drosophila, whereas high concentrations of saccharin induced changes in the unfolded protein response (UPR) and autophagy signaling that were unlike starvation and inhibited development or killed the VF and the SWD by performing real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses. Spinosad is a widely used plant protection agent for SWD control. When saccharin was cotreated with 0.25-1.0 ppm spinosad, an additive insecticidal activity was observed only at high concentrations of saccharin. However, when saccharin was cotreated with 2.0 ppm spinosad, an additive insecticidal activity was observed at low concentrations of saccharin. Taken together, alteration of UPR and autophagy signaling represented the molecular basis underlying saccharin toxicity to Drosophila and concurrent spraying of an insecticide with saccharin could enhance the insecticidal activities.

Effects of TGF-ß1 Receptor Inhibitor GW788388 on the Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition of Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells.

We investigated the effectiveness of the transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-ß) receptor inhibitor GW788388 on the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) using human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs) and examined the effectiveness of GW788388 on the peritoneal membrane using a peritoneal fibrosis mouse model. HPMCs were treated with TGF-ß with or without GW788388. Animal experiments were conducted on male C57/BL6 mice. Peritoneal fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal injection of chlorhexidine gluconate. GW788388 was administered by once-daily oral gavage. The morphological change, cell migration, and invasion resulted from TGF-ß treatment, but these changes were attenuated by cotreatment with GW788388. TGF-ß-treated HPMCs decreased the level of the epithelial cell marker and increased the levels of the mesenchymal cell markers. Cotreatment with GW788388 reversed these changes. Phosphorylated Smad2 and Smad3 protein levels were stimulated with TGF-ß and the change was attenuated by cotreatment with GW788388. For the peritoneal fibrosis mice, thickness and collagen deposition of parietal peritoneum was increased, but this change was attenuated by cotreatment with GW788388. GW788388, an orally available potent TGF-ß receptor type 1 inhibitor, effectively attenuated TGF-ß-induced EMT in HPMCs. Cotreatment with GW788388 improved peritoneal thickness and fibrosis, and recovered peritoneal membrane function in a peritoneal fibrosis mouse model.

Syndecan Transmembrane Domain Specifically Regulates Downstream Signaling Events of the Transmembrane Receptor Cytoplasmic Domain.

Despite the known importance of the transmembrane domain (TMD) of syndecan receptors in cell adhesion and signaling, the molecular basis for syndecan TMD function remains unknown. Using in vivo invertebrate models, we found that mammalian syndecan-2 rescued both the guidance defects in C. elegans hermaphrodite-specific neurons and the impaired development of the midline axons of Drosophila caused by the loss of endogenous syndecan. These compensatory effects, however, were reduced significantly when syndecan-2 dimerization-defective TMD mutants were introduced. To further investigate the role of the TMD, we generated a chimera, 2eTPC, comprising the TMD of syndecan-2 linked to the cytoplasmic domain of platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR). This chimera exhibited SDS-resistant dimer formation that was lost in the corresponding dimerization-defective syndecan-2 TMD mutant, 2eT(GL)PC. Moreover, 2eTPC specifically enhanced Tyr 579 and Tyr 857 phosphorylation in the PDGFR cytoplasmic domain, while the TMD mutant failed to support such phosphorylation. Finally, 2eTPC, but not 2eT(GL)PC, induced phosphorylation of Src and PI3 kinase (known downstream effectors of Tyr 579 phosphorylation) and promoted Src-mediated migration of NIH3T3 cells. Taken together, these data suggest that the TMD of a syndecan-2 specifically regulates receptor cytoplasmic domain function and subsequent downstream signaling events controlling cell behavior.

High-throughput single-molecule imaging system using nanofabricated trenches and fluorescent DNA-binding proteins.

DNA curtain is a high-throughput system, integrating a lipid bilayer, fluorescence imaging, and microfluidics to probe protein-DNA interactions in real-time and has provided in-depth understanding of DNA metabolism. Especially, the microfluidic platform of a DNA curtain is highly suitable for a biochip. In the DNA curtain, DNA molecules are aligned along chromium nanobarriers, which are fabricated on a slide surface, and visualized using an intercalating dye, YOYO-1. Although the chromium barriers confer precise geometric alignment of DNA, reuse of the slides is limited by wear of the barriers during cleaning. YOYO-1 is rapidly photobleached and causes photocleavage of DNA under continuous laser illumination, restricting DNA observation to a brief time window. To address these challenges, we developed a new nanopatterned slide, upon which carved nanotrenches serve as diffusion barriers. The nanotrenches were robust under harsh cleaning conditions, facilitating the maintenance of surface cleanliness that is essential to slide reuse. We also stained DNA with a fluorescent protein with a DNA-binding motif, fluorescent protein-DNA binding peptide (FP-DBP). FP-DBP was slowly photobleached and did not cause DNA photocleavage. This new DNA curtain system enables a more stable and repeatable investigation of real-time protein-DNA interactions and will serve as a good platform for lab-on-a-chip.

Drivers' Visual Perception Quantification Using 3D Mobile Sensor Data for Road Safety.

To prevent driver accidents in cities, local governments have established policies to limit city speeds and create child protection zones near schools. However, if the same policy is applied throughout a city, it can be difficult to obtain smooth traffic flows. A driver generally obtains visual information while driving, and this information is directly related to traffic safety. In this study, we propose a novel geometric visual model to measure drivers' visual perception and analyze the corresponding information using the line-of-sight method. Three-dimensional point cloud data are used to analyze on-site three-dimensional elements in a city, such as roadside trees and overpasses, which are normally neglected in urban spatial analyses. To investigate drivers' visual perceptions of roads, we have developed an analytic model of three types of visual perception. By using this proposed method, this study creates a risk-level map according to the driver's visual perception degree in Pangyo, South Korea. With the point cloud data from Pangyo, it is possible to analyze actual urban forms such as roadside trees, building shapes, and overpasses that are normally excluded from spatial analyses that use a reconstructed virtual space.

Developing molecular diagnostics for detection of red imported fire ants using two genes, Sinv11108 and Sinv11977.

Aggressive red imported fire ants (RIFAs) are expanding their habitat due to active international trade and global warming. To prevent infestation and settlement, RIFAs must be removed during the quarantine process. Because RIFAs are social insects and have different morphological characteristics depending on their castes, non-ant taxonomists have difficulty confirming RIFAs based on their morphological characteristics alone. The disadvantages of previously reported RIFA molecular diagnostics are that they require additional steps, such as restriction enzyme digestion followed by agarose gel electrophoresis separation or DNA sequence verification for polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified products. To overcome these drawbacks, two RIFA-specific genes were selected and used to develop diverse PCR-based RIFA molecular diagnostic techniques. We found that RIFAs could be confirmed by conventional PCR targeting of two RIFA-specific genes followed by agarose electrophoresis separation. In addition, TaqMan probe real-time PCR methods had the advantage of confirming RIFAs immediately after the reactions were completed by observing fluorescence indexes. Finally, multiplex PCRs enhanced RIFA specificity and sensitivity. The new molecular diagnostic methods developed in this study had the advantages of reducing false positive and negative results together with high specificity and sensitivity for RIFAs.

An investigation of the molecular and biochemical basis underlying chlorantraniliprole-resistant Drosophila strains and their cross-resistance to other insecticides.

Chlorantraniliprole is an anthranilic diamide insecticide that binds to the insect ryanodine receptor (RyR) and induces an uncontrolled release of Ca2+ , resulting in paralysis and ultimately death of the target insects. Recently, it was reported that chlorantraniliprole-resistant diamondback moths, Plutella xylostella Linnaeus, have mutations in their RyR. In this study, we developed two different chlorantraniliprole-resistant Drosophila melanogaster strain. The resistance ratio (RR) of the low-concentration chlorantraniliprole-treated resistant (Low-Res) strain was 2.3, while that of the high-concentration chlorantraniliprole-treated resistant (High-Res) strain was 21.3. The LC 50 of the untreated control (Con) strain was 23.8~25.9 ppm, which was significantly higher than that reported for the susceptible diamondback moth (0.03~0.51 ppm). The high LC 50 of the Con may be because the helix S2 amino acid sequence of D. melanogaster RyR ( DmRyR) is identical to the I4790M mutation of the chlorantraniliprole-resistant diamondback moths, resulting in a lower binding affinity of DmRyR for chlorantraniliprole. Among the tested detoxification enzymes, the activity of esterase was significantly increased in the two Res strains, but glutathione S-transferases and acetylcholinesterase were significantly decreased in the two Res strains. The cross-resistance of the High-Res strain to other insecticides with different modes of actions (MoAs) revealed that the RRs of the neuronal acetylcholine receptor allosteric and competitive modulators were significantly increased, while those of the Na 2+ channel modulators were significantly reduced. Our studies showed that RRs against the same insecticide vary with the treatment concentration, and that RRs against other insecticides with different MoAs can be altered.

The Biochemical Adaptations of Spotted Wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) to Fresh Fruits Reduced Fructose Concentrations and Glutathione-S Transferase Activities.

Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, is an invasive and economically damaging pest in Europe and North America. The females have a serrated ovipositor that enables them to infest almost all ripening small fruits. To understand the physiological and metabolic basis of spotted wing drosophila food preferences for healthy ripening fruits, we investigated the biological and biochemical characteristics of spotted wing drosophila and compared them with those of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen. We found that the susceptibility to oxidative stressors was significantly increased in spotted wing drosophila compared with those of D. melanogaster. In addition, we found that spotted wing drosophila had significantly reduced glutathione-S transferase (GST) activity and gene numbers. Furthermore, fructose concentrations found in spotted wing drosophila were significantly lower than those of D. melanogaster. Our data strongly suggest that the altered food preferences of spotted wing drosophila may stem from evolutionary adaptations to fresh foods accompanied by alterations in carbohydrate metabolism and GST activities.

Accurate Mobile Urban Mapping via Digital Map-Based SLAM.

This paper presents accurate urban map generation using digital map-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). Throughout this work, our main objective is generating a 3D and lane map aiming for sub-meter accuracy. In conventional mapping approaches, achieving extremely high accuracy was performed by either (i) exploiting costly airborne sensors or (ii) surveying with a static mapping system in a stationary platform. Mobile scanning systems recently have gathered popularity but are mostly limited by the availability of the Global Positioning System (GPS). We focus on the fact that the availability of GPS and urban structures are both sporadic but complementary. By modeling both GPS and digital map data as measurements and integrating them with other sensor measurements, we leverage SLAM for an accurate mobile mapping system. Our proposed algorithm generates an efficient graph SLAM and achieves a framework running in real-time and targeting sub-meter accuracy with a mobile platform. Integrated with the SLAM framework, we implement a motion-adaptive model for the Inverse Perspective Mapping (IPM). Using motion estimation derived from SLAM, the experimental results show that the proposed approaches provide stable bird's-eye view images, even with significant motion during the drive. Our real-time map generation framework is validated via a long-distance urban test and evaluated at randomly sampled points using Real-Time Kinematic (RTK)-GPS.

The pathogenic human Torsin A in Drosophila activates the unfolded protein response and increases susceptibility to oxidative stress.

BACKGROUND: Dystonia1 (DYT1) dystonia is caused by a glutamic acid deletion (ΔE) mutation in the gene encoding Torsin A in humans (HTorA). To investigate the unknown molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying DYT1 dystonia, we performed an unbiased proteomic analysis. RESULTS: We found that the amount of proteins and transcripts of an Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) resident chaperone Heat shock protein cognate 3 (HSC3) and a mitochondria chaperone Heat Shock Protein 22 (HSP22) were significantly increased in the HTorA(ΔE)- expressing brains compared to the normal HTorA (HTorA(WT)) expressing brains. The physiological consequences included an increased susceptibility to oxidative and ER stress compared to normal HTorA(WT) flies. The alteration of transcripts of Inositol-requiring enzyme-1 (IRE1)-dependent spliced X box binding protein 1(Xbp1), several ER chaperones, a nucleotide exchange factor, Autophagy related protein 8b (ATG8b) and components of the ER associated degradation (ERAD) pathway and increased expression of the Xbp1-enhanced Green Fluorescence Protein (eGFP) in HTorA(ΔE) brains strongly indicated the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR). In addition, perturbed expression of the UPR sensors and inducers in the HTorA(ΔE) Drosophila brains resulted in a significantly reduced life span of the flies. Furthermore, the types and quantities of proteins present in the anti-HSC3 positive microsomes in the HTorA(ΔE) brains were different from those of the HTorA(WT) brains. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these data show that HTorA(ΔE) in Drosophila brains may activate the UPR and increase the expression of HSP22 to compensate for the toxic effects caused by HTorA(ΔE) in the brains.