Sequential click modification of a lithium-ion endohedral fullerene connecting small molecules through a dieneazide linker.

A versatile method for the chemical modification of a lithium-ion endohedral fullerene (Li+@C60) to connect various small molecules is described. The designed dieneazide linker enables the facile connection of Li+@C60 with small molecules bearing a terminal alkyne via Huisgen annulation and a subsequent Diels-Alder reaction. This strategy significantly expands the diversity of small molecules to be attached by Li+@C60.

Validation of driver support system based on real-world bicycle and motor vehicle flows.

The incidence of traffic accidents in Japan has been decreasing annually. Nineteen percent of all accidents involve bicycles, with 51 % of these accidents being at road crossing intersections. Therefore, to reduce the number of accidents, this study analyses driving and cycling characteristics and proposes suitable collisions prevention methods. First, the study measured traffic environment variables using video cameras at a target non-signalized intersection and analyzed the speed and time to intersection of bicycles and motor vehicles. Thus, 47 dangerous situations were observed via the video analysis, and most of these situations occurred when the vehicle's time to intersection ranged from 0.50 to 0.75 s and the bicycle's speed ranged from 2.0-3.0 m/s. Second, using the results of video camera analysis as experimental parameters (e.g., the speed and timing of the presence of the bicycle), this study conducted an experiment with a driving simulator to investigate the effect of warning drivers about the risk of collision. A driver support system was then utilized to provide acoustic and optical warnings to drivers. The experiments revealed that the motor vehicle time to the anticipated collision point (V-TTC) increased with the use of a driver support system. Significant differences between experiments with and without driver support systems were observed when the calculated time between the bicycle and the motor vehicle was 0.25 and 0.50 s. Therefore, when the calculated time was 0.25 and 0.50 s, a driver support system, indicating the presence of a bicycle, was effective in preventing an intersection collision.

MITOL deletion in the brain impairs mitochondrial structure and ER tethering leading to oxidative stress.

Mitochondrial abnormalities are associated with developmental disorders, although a causal relationship remains largely unknown. Here, we report that increased oxidative stress in neurons by deletion of mitochondrial ubiquitin ligase MITOL causes a potential neuroinflammation including aberrant astrogliosis and microglial activation, indicating that mitochondrial abnormalities might confer a risk for inflammatory diseases in brain such as psychiatric disorders. A role of MITOL in both mitochondrial dynamics and ER-mitochondria tethering prompted us to characterize three-dimensional structures of mitochondria in vivo. In MITOL-deficient neurons, we observed a significant reduction in the ER-mitochondria contact sites, which might lead to perturbation of phospholipids transfer, consequently reduce cardiolipin biogenesis. We also found that branched large mitochondria disappeared by deletion of MITOL. These morphological abnormalities of mitochondria resulted in enhanced oxidative stress in brain, which led to astrogliosis and microglial activation partly causing abnormal behavior. In conclusion, the reduced ER-mitochondria tethering and excessive mitochondrial fission may trigger neuroinflammation through oxidative stress.