Double-negative T cells have a reparative role after experimental severe ischemic acute kidney injury.

T cells mediate organ injury and repair. A proportion of unconventional kidney T cells called double-negative (DN) T cells (TCR+ CD4- CD8-), with anti-inflammatory properties, were previously demonstrated to protect from early injury in moderate experimental acute kidney injury (AKI). However, their role in repair after AKI has not been studied. We hypothesized that DN T cells mediate repair after severe AKI. C57B6 mice underwent severe (40 min) unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Kidney DN T cells were studied by flow cytometry and compared with gold-standard anti-inflammatory CD4+ regulatory T cells (Tregs). In vitro effects of DN T cells and Tregs on renal tubular epithelial cell (RTEC) repair after injury were quantified with live-cell analysis. DN T cells, Tregs, CD4, or vehicle were adoptively transferred after severe AKI. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-sinistrin. Fibrosis was assessed with Masson's trichrome staining. Profibrotic genes were measured with qRT-PCR. Percentages and the numbers of DN T cells substantially decreased during repair phase after severe AKI, as well as their activation and proliferation. Both DN T cells and Tregs accelerated RTEC cell repair in vitro. Post-AKI transfer of DN T cells reduced kidney fibrosis and improved GFR, as did Treg transfer. DN T cell transfer lowered transforming growth factor (TGF)ß1 and α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) expression. DN T cells reduced effector-memory CD4+ T cells and IL-17 expression. DN T cells undergo quantitative and phenotypical changes after severe AKI, accelerate RTEC repair in vitro as well as improve GFR and renal fibrosis in vivo. DN T cells have potential as immunotherapy to accelerate repair after AKI.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Double-negative (DN) T cells (CD4- CD8-) are unconventional kidney T cells with regulatory abilities. Their role in repair from acute kidney injury (AKI) is unknown. Kidney DN T cell population decreased during repair after ischemic AKI, in contrast to regulatory T cells (Tregs) which increased. DN T cell administration accelerated tubular repair in vitro, while after severe in vivo ischemic injury reduced kidney fibrosis and increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). DN T cell infusion is a potential therapeutic agent to improve outcome from severe AKI.

CRISPR/Cas12a Collateral Cleavage-Driven Transcription Amplification for Direct Nucleic Acid Detection.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/Cas (CRISPR/Cas) system is a powerful tool for nucleic acid detection owing to specific recognition as well as cis- and trans-cleavage capabilities. However, the sensitivity of CRISPR/Cas-based diagnostic approaches is determined by nucleic acid preamplification, which has several limitations. Here, we present a method for direct nucleic acid detection without preamplification, by combining the CRISPR/Cas12a system with signal enhancement based on light-up RNA aptamer transcription. We first designed two DNA templates to transcribe the light-up RNA aptamer and kleptamer (Kb) RNA: the first DNA template encodes a Broccoli RNA aptamer for fluorescence signal generation, and the Kb DNA template comprises a dsDNA T7 promoter sequence and an ssDNA sequence that encodes an antisense strand for the Broccoli RNA aptamer. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) target recognition activates a CRISPR/Cas12a complex, leading to the catalytic cleavage of the ssDNA sequence. Transcription of the added Broccoli DNA template can then produce several Broccoli RNA aptamer transcripts for fluorescence enhancement. The proposed strategy exhibited excellent sensitivity and specificity with 22.4 fM detection limit, good accuracy, and stability for determining the target HBV dsDNA in human serum samples. Overall, this newly designed signal enhancement strategy can be employed as a universal sensing platform for ultrasensitive nucleic acid detection.

Kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in older population with mildly to moderately decreased kidney function - A nationwide cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Although the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing in the aging population, the clinical relevance of the CKD definition (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2) in older populations remains debatable. We investigated the clinical outcomes in older populations with mildly to moderately decreased GFR (45-59 ml/min/1.73 m2, CKD stage 3A). METHODS: A total of 7,789,242 participants aged ≥ 40 years with estimated GFR (eGFR) ≥ 45 ml/min/1.73 m2 in national health screening examination from 2012 to 2017 were included in this retrospective cohort study using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. The main outcomes included kidney failure, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and all-cause death. Cox regression hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratios. RESULTS: The proportion of participants with eGFR 45-59 ml/min/1.73 m2 was 10.0% and 16.3% in the old (65-74 years) and very old (75 ≥ years) groups, respectively. Mildly to moderately decreased eGFR was associated with a higher risk of kidney failure, CVD, and all-cause death compared with eGFR 60-89 ml/min/1.73 m2 in the old and very old groups, regardless of proteinuria (adjusted hazard ratio [95% confidence interval] in the very old group without proteinuria: kidney failure 3.048 [2.495-3.722], CVD 1.103 [1.066-1.142], and all-cause death 1.172 [1.144-1.201]). CONCLUSION: Mildly to moderately decreased eGFR was associated with an increased risk of kidney failure, CVD, and all-cause death in the older population, regardless of proteinuria, suggesting the importance of appropriate monitoring and management in this population.

Association of physical activity with fractures in kidney transplant recipients: A Korean nationwide cohort study.

Kidney transplant recipients are at high risk for fractures, primarily due to post-transplant bone disease. This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, including 10 083 kidney transplant recipients examined from 2009 to 2017. We assessed fracture incidence, emphasizing vertebral and hip fractures, and the association of physical activity and traditional risk factors with fracture risk. Kidney transplant recipients were categorized into three groups according to physical activity levels: non-activity, metabolic equivalent of task (MET) 1-499, and MET ≥500. Physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of all types of fractures: any (MET 1-499: adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) .75; 95% confidence interval (CI) .62-.92, MET ≥500: aHR .84; 95% CI .70-1.00), vertebral (MET 1-499: aHR .69; 95% CI .49-.98, MET ≥500: aHR .67; 95% CI .49-.91), and hip (MET 1-499: aHR .43; 95% CI .23-.81) fractures. Additionally, older age, female sex, and diabetes were associated with an increased fracture risk. The assessment of physical activity and traditional risk factors could improve fracture risk prediction. Our findings emphasize the need for further research to establish optimal physical activity recommendations for fracture prevention in kidney transplant recipients.

Immune Checkpoint Molecule TIGIT Regulates Kidney T Cell Functions and Contributes to AKI.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: T cells mediate pathogenic and reparative processes during AKI, but the exact mechanisms regulating kidney T cell functions are unclear. This study identified upregulation of the novel immune checkpoint molecule, TIGIT, on mouse and human kidney T cells after AKI. TIGIT-expressing kidney T cells produced proinflammatory cytokines and had effector (EM) and central memory (CM) phenotypes. TIGIT-deficient mice had protection from both ischemic and nephrotoxic AKI. Single-cell RNA sequencing led to the discovery of possible downstream targets of TIGIT. TIGIT mediates AKI pathophysiology, is a promising novel target for AKI therapy, and is being increasingly studied in human cancer therapy trials. BACKGROUND: T cells play pathogenic and reparative roles during AKI. However, mechanisms regulating T cell responses are relatively unknown. We investigated the roles of the novel immune checkpoint molecule T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domains (TIGIT) in kidney T cells and AKI outcomes. METHODS: TIGIT expression and functional effects were evaluated in mouse kidney T cells using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and flow cytometry. TIGIT effect on AKI outcomes was studied with TIGIT knockout (TIGIT-KO) mice in ischemia reperfusion (IR) and cisplatin AKI models. Human kidney T cells from nephrectomy samples and single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) data from the Kidney Precision Medicine Project were used to assess TIGIT's role in humans. RESULTS: RNA-Seq and flow cytometry analysis of mouse kidney CD4+ T cells revealed increased expression of TIGIT after IR injury. Ischemic injury also increased TIGIT expression in human kidney T cells, and TIGIT expression was restricted to T/natural killer cell subsets in patients with AKI. TIGIT-expressing kidney T cells in wild type (WT) mice had an effector/central memory phenotype and proinflammatory profile at baseline and post-IR. Kidney regulatory T cells were predominantly TIGIT+ and significantly reduced post-IR. TIGIT-KO mice had significantly reduced kidney injury after IR and nephrotoxic injury compared with WT mice. scRNA-Seq analysis showed enrichment of genes related to oxidative phosphorylation and mTORC1 signaling in Th17 cells from TIGIT-KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: TIGIT expression increases in mouse and human kidney T cells during AKI, worsens AKI outcomes, and is a novel therapeutic target for AKI.

Clinical impact of diastolic dysfunction and atrial fibrillation before and after initiating hemodialysis in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Diastolic dysfunction with left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial fibrosis is an important characteristic of uremic cardiomyopathy in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Few studies explored the relationship between changes in diastolic dysfunction and the risk of mortality or cardiovascular outcome in patients with ESKD. We investigated the clinical impact of diastolic dysfunction and atrial fibrillation (AF) on patients starting hemodialysis (HD). METHODS: A total of 718 patients who started HD between 2010 and 2020 were included. We classified patients according to the pre- and post-HD diastolic dysfunction grades (DDG) evaluated by echocardiography. Patients with AF were classified separately. The primary outcome was a composite outcome of all-cause mortality and cardiac complication. RESULTS: The median age was 63 years, and 61.4% were male. Patients were divided into four groups based on pre-HD echocardiography findings. After initiating HD, the patients were classified according to changes in DDG and AF. Composite outcomes were significantly higher in the pre-HD AF groups. However, after adjusting for age and history of ischemic heart disease, pre-HD AF did not affect the composite outcomes. Patients with normal post-HD diastolic function had better outcomes than those with diastolic dysfunction or AF. Furthermore, the deterioration of diastolic dysfunction after HD was associated with an increased risk of composite outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The deterioration of diastolic dysfunction and newly development of AF after initiating HD were identified as risk factors for mortality and cardiac complications, supporting the clinical importance of the appropriate management of diastolic dysfunction and AF in patients with ESKD.

Splitting of Hydrogen Atoms into Proton-Electron Pairs at BaO-Ru Interfaces for Promoting Ammonia Synthesis under Mild Conditions.

Ru catalysts promoted with alkali and alkaline earth have shown superior ammonia (NH3) synthesis activities under mild conditions. Although these promoters play a vital role in enhancing catalytic activity, their function has not been clearly understood. Here, we synthesize a series of Ba-Ru/MgO catalysts with an optimal Ru particle size (∼2.3 nm) and tailored BaO-Ru interfacial structures. We discover that the promoting effect is created through the separate storage of H+/e- pairs at the BaO-Ru interface. Chemisorbed H atoms on Ru dissociate into H+/e- pairs at the BaO-Ru interface, where strongly basic, nonreducible BaO selectively captures H+ while leaving e- on Ru. The resulting electron accumulation in Ru facilitates N2 activation via enhanced π-backdonation and inhibits hydrogen poisoning during NH3 synthesis. Consequently, the formation of intimate BaO-Ru interface without an excessive loss of accessible Ru sites enables the synthesis of highly active catalysts for NH3 synthesis.

Microbiome modulation after severe acute kidney injury accelerates functional recovery and decreases kidney fibrosis.

Targeting gut microbiota has shown promise to prevent experimental acute kidney injury (AKI). However, this has not been studied in relation to accelerating recovery and preventing fibrosis. Here, we found that modifying gut microbiota with an antibiotic administered after severe ischemic kidney injury in mice, particularly with amoxicillin, accelerated recovery. These indices of recovery included increased glomerular filtration rate, diminution of kidney fibrosis, and reduction of kidney profibrotic gene expression. Amoxicillin was found to increase stool Alistipes, Odoribacter and Stomatobaculum species while significantly depleting Holdemanella and Anaeroplasma. Specifically, amoxicillin treatment reduced kidney CD4+T cells, interleukin (IL)-17 +CD4+T cells, and tumor necrosis factor-α double negative T cells while it increased CD8+T cells and PD1+CD8+T cells. Amoxicillin also increased gut lamina propria CD4+T cells while decreasing CD8+T and IL-17+CD4+T cells. Amoxicillin did not accelerate repair in germ-free or CD8-deficient mice, demonstrating microbiome and CD8+T lymphocytes dependence for amoxicillin protective effects. However, amoxicillin remained effective in CD4-deficient mice. Fecal microbiota transplantation from amoxicillin-treated to germ-free mice reduced kidney fibrosis and increased Foxp3+CD8+T cells. Amoxicillin pre-treatment protected mice against kidney bilateral ischemia reperfusion injury but not cisplatin-induced AKI. Thus, modification of gut bacteria with amoxicillin after severe ischemic AKI is a promising novel therapeutic approach to accelerate recovery of kidney function and mitigate the progression of AKI to chronic kidney disease.

Successful liver transplantation from deceased donors with active COVID-19 infections with undetectable SARS-CoV-2 in donor liver and aorta.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has had unprecedented effects on society and modern healthcare. In liver transplantation, uncertainty regarding the safety of performing transplants during the early stage of the pandemic resulted in increased waitlist mortality. Additionally, concerns about disease transmission led to avoidance of deceased donors with COVID-19 infections. Several successful case reports describing incidental transplant of organs from donors with COVID-19 infections or intentional transplant of such donors into recipients with current or prior COVID-19 infections prompted the transplant community to re-evaluate that position. While excellent short-term results have been published, little is known about use of donors with active infections and the extent of COVID-19 organ involvement, which may affect long term outcomes. METHODS: We report the successful transplantation of three livers from deceased donors with active COVID-19 infections. Donor liver and aortic tissues were evaluated by sensitive molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA via in situ hybridization and real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR. RESULTS: Postoperatively, all patients had excellent allograft function, without clinical or molecular evidence of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in donor tissues. CONCLUSION: This evidence supports the use of liver donors with active COVID-19 infections.

The impact of preoperative kidney replacement therapy on kidney outcome and survival in patients with left ventricular assist device.

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) has been highlighted as a new treatment option in the end-stage heart failure (HF). Kidney outcome after LVAD in severe cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) patients requiring kidney replacement therapy (KRT) is unclear. We investigated the impact of preoperative KRT on kidney function and survival in LVAD patients with severe CRS. A total of 50 patients followed up for at least 1 year after LVAD implantation was analyzed. The primary outcomes were estimated glomerular filtration rate and survival rate. Patients were divided into two groups depending on in-hospital KRT before LVAD implantation: the control group (n = 33) and the KRT group (n = 17). Postoperative KRT was performed for 76.5% of patients in the KRT group, and all of them discontinued KRT before discharge. There were no statistically significant differences in the degree of eGFR decline in survivors according to preoperative KRT. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the degree of eGFR decline in survivors regardless of preoperative KRT, old age (ß -0.94, p < 0.01), preexisting chronic kidney disease (ß -21.89, p < 0.01), and high serum creatinine (ß -13.95, p < 0.01) were identified as independent predictors of post-LVAD eGFR decline. Mortality rate was higher, and more patients progressed to end-stage kidney disease in KRT group than control group. However, LVAD still can be considered as the treatment option in end-stage HF patients with severe CRS requiring KRT, especially in those with young age and previous normal kidney function.

Credit Card Fraud Detection: An Improved Strategy for High Recall Using KNN, LDA, and Linear Regression.

Efficiently and accurately identifying fraudulent credit card transactions has emerged as a significant global concern along with the growth of electronic commerce and the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. In this regard, this paper proposes an improved algorithm for highly sensitive credit card fraud detection. Our approach leverages three machine learning models: K-nearest neighbor, linear discriminant analysis, and linear regression. Subsequently, we apply additional conditional statements, such as "IF" and "THEN", and operators, such as ">" and "<", to the results. The features extracted using this proposed strategy achieved a recall of 1.0000, 0.9701, 1.0000, and 0.9362 across the four tested fraud datasets. Consequently, this methodology outperforms other approaches employing single machine learning models in terms of recall.

DHA Induces Cell Death through the Production of ROS and the Upregulation of CHOP in Fibroblast-like Synovial Cells from Human Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease marked by a massive proliferation of synovial cells in the joints. In this study, we investigated the pro-apoptotic effects of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in human fibroblast-like synovial cells from RA patients (RA-FLS). An in vitro study using MH7A cells showed that DHA treatment induced caspase-8-dependent apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner and reduced the TNF-α-mediated induction of MMP-9 and IL-1ß. DHA also induced the phosphorylation of eIF2α, the expression of the ER stress markers ATF4 and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and death receptor 5 (DR5). The knockdown of CHOP or DR5 increased cell viability and reduced apoptosis in DHA-treated cells. Furthermore, the knockdown of CHOP reduced DHA-mediated DR5 expression, while the overexpression of CHOP increased DR5 expression. We also found that DHA treatment induced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and pretreatment with the anti-oxidant Tiron effectively abrogated not only the expression of CHOP and DR5, but also DHA-induced apoptosis. Under this condition, cell viability was increased, while PARP-1 cleavage and caspase-8 activation were reduced. All the findings were reproduced in human primary synovial cells obtained from RA patients. These results suggest that the DHA-mediated induction of ROS and CHOP induced apoptosis through the upregulation of DR5 in RA-FLSs, and that CHOP could be used as a therapy for RA.

PKR-Mediated Phosphorylation of eIF2a and CHK1 Is Associated with Doxorubicin-Mediated Apoptosis in HCC1143 Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer is more aggressive than other types of breast cancer. Protein kinase R (PKR), which is activated by dsRNA, is known to play a role in doxorubicin-mediated apoptosis; however, its role in DNA damage-mediated apoptosis is not well understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of PKR and its downstream players in doxorubicin-treated HCC1143 triple-negative breast cancer cells. Doxorubicin treatment induces DNA damage and apoptosis. Interestingly, doxorubicin treatment induced the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α) via PKR, whereas the inhibition of PKR with inhibitor C16 reduced eIF2α phosphorylation. Under these conditions, doxorubicin-mediated DNA fragmentation, cell death, and poly(ADP ribose) polymerase and caspase 7 levels were recovered. In addition, phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1), which is known to be involved in doxorubicin-mediated DNA damage, was increased by doxorubicin treatment, but blocked by PKR inhibition. Protein translation was downregulated by doxorubicin treatment and upregulated by blocking PKR phosphorylation. These results suggest that PKR activation induces apoptosis by increasing the phosphorylation of eIF2α and CHK1 and decreasing the global protein translation in doxorubicin-treated HCC1143 triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Improved Mitigation of Cyber Threats in IIoT for Smart Cities: A New-Era Approach and Scheme.

Cybersecurity in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has become critical as smart cities are becoming increasingly linked to industrial control systems (ICSs) used in critical infrastructure. Consequently, data-driven security systems for analyzing massive amounts of data generated by smart cities have become essential. A representative method for analyzing large-scale data is the game bot detection approach used in massively multiplayer online role-playing games. We reviewed the literature on bot detection methods to extend the anomaly detection approaches used in bot detection schemes to IIoT fields. Finally, we proposed a process wherein the data envelopment analysis (DEA) model was applied to identify features for efficiently detecting anomalous behavior in smart cities. Experimental results using random forest show that our extracted features based on a game bot can achieve an average F1-score of 0.99903 using 10-fold validation. We confirmed the applicability of the analyzed game-industry methodology to other fields and trained a random forest on the high-efficiency features identified by applying a DEA, obtaining an F1-score of 0.997 using the validation set approach. In this study, an anomaly detection method for analyzing massive smart city data based on a game industry methodology was presented and applied to the ICS dataset.

Automatically Attributing Mobile Threat Actors by Vectorized ATT&CK Matrix and Paired Indicator.

During the past decade, mobile attacks have been established as an indispensable attack vector adopted by Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. The ubiquitous nature of the smartphone has allowed users to use mobile payments and store private or sensitive data (i.e., login credentials). Consequently, various APT groups have focused on exploiting these vulnerabilities. Past studies have proposed automated classification and detection methods, while few studies have covered the cyber attribution. Our study introduces an automated system that focuses on cyber attribution. Adopting MITRE's ATT&CK for mobile, we performed our study using the tactic, technique, and procedures (TTPs). By comparing the indicator of compromise (IoC), we were able to help reduce the false flags during our experiment. Moreover, we examined 12 threat actors and 120 malware using the automated method for detecting cyber attribution.

Detecting Anomalous Transactions via an IoT Based Application: A Machine Learning Approach for Horse Racing Betting.

During the past decade, the technological advancement have allowed the gambling industry worldwide to deploy various platforms such as the web and mobile applications. Government agencies and local authorities have placed strict regulations regarding the location and amount allowed for gambling. These efforts are made to prevent gambling addictions and monitor fraudulent activities. The revenue earned from gambling provides a considerable amount of tax revenue. The inception of internet gambling have allowed professional gamblers to par take in unlawful acts. However, the lack of studies on the technical inspections and systems to prohibit unlawful internet gambling has caused incidents such as the Walkerhill Hotel incident in 2016, where fraudsters placed bets abnormally by modifying an Internet of Things (IoT)-based application called "MyCard". This paper investigates the logic used by smartphone IoT applications to validate the location of users and then confirm continuous threats. Hence, our research analyzed transactions made on applications that operated using location authentication through IoT devices. Drawing on gambling transaction data from the Korea Racing Authority, this research used time series machine learning algorithms to identify anomalous activities and transactions. In our research, we propose a method to detect and prevent these anomalies by conducting a comparative analysis of the results of existing anomaly detection techniques and novel techniques.

Activation of ERK and p38 Reduces AZD8055-Mediated Inhibition of Protein Synthesis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma HepG2 Cell Line.

Protein synthesis is important for maintaining cellular homeostasis under various stress responses. In this study, we screened an anticancer drug library to select compounds with translational repression functions. AZD8055, an ATP-competitive mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1/2 (mTORC1/2) inhibitor, was selected as a translational suppressor. AZD8055 inhibited protein synthesis in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were activated during the early phase of mTORC1/2 inhibition by AZD8055 treatment. Combined treatment of AZD8055 with the MAPK kinase1/2 (MEK1/2) inhibitor refametinib or the p38 inhibitor SB203580 markedly decreased translation in HepG2 cells. Thus, the inhibition of ERK1/2 or p38 may enhance the efficacy of AZD8055-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis. In addition, AZD8055 down-regulated the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), and AZD8055-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 had no effect on phosphorylation status of 4E-BP1. Interestingly, AZD8055 modulated the 4E-BP1 mRNA pool by up-regulating ERK1/2 and p38 pathways. Together, these results suggest that AZD8055-induced activation of MAPKs interferes with inhibition of protein synthesis at an early stage of mTORC1/2 inhibition, and that it may contribute to the development of resistance to mTORC1/2 inhibitors.

Translational Detection of Nonproteinogenic Amino Acids Using an Engineered Complementary Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Assay.

We developed a simple and rapid method for analyzing nonproteinogenic amino acids that does not require conventional chromatographic equipment. In this technique, nonproteinogenic amino acids were first converted to a proteinogenic amino acid through in vitro metabolism in a cell extract. The proteinogenic amino acid generated from the nonproteinogenic precursors were then incorporated into a reporter protein using a cell-free protein synthesis system. The titers of the nonproteinogenic amino acids could be readily quantified by measuring the activity of reporter proteins. This method, which combines the enzymatic conversion of target amino acids with translational analysis, makes amino acid analysis more accessible while minimizing the cost and time requirements. We anticipate that the same strategy could be extended to the detection of diverse biochemical molecules with clinical and industrial implications.

A Multi-Component Analysis of CPTED in the Cyberspace Domain.

The visual fidelity of a virtual environment lacks the exceedingly complex layers from the physical world, but the continuous improvements of image rendering technology and computation powers have led to greater demands for virtual simulations. Our study employs Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a risk control measure and utilizes two principles: Access Control and Natural Surveillance. We conducted an experiment with (n-sample: 100) graduate students. For the experiment, we utilized the Factor Analysis of Information Risk (FAIR) to quantitatively analyze the risk. Furthermore, we adopted the lme4 package for R to estimate the mixed effect of the 6,242,880 observations retrieved from Kaggle. Based on the two experiments, we were able to critically evaluate the contributions of CPTED through a multi-component analysis. Our study investigates how spatial syntax and territorial demarcation may translate in the cyberspace realm. We found that the corollaries of the mophology in the virtual environment effects the distribution of crime. The results of our study discusses how to determine the criminogenic designs and capacity in the cyberspace realm.

Interfacing a Personal Glucose Meter with Cell-Free Protein Synthesis for Rapid Analysis of Amino Acids.

We developed a method to analyze amino acids using a personal glucose meter (PGM). In this method, the principles of protein biosynthesis were interfaced with the sensing mechanism of a PGM to enable simple and ubiquitous measurement of amino acids. A reaction mixture for cell-free protein synthesis was designed to synthesize a bacterial invertase in response to exogenous addition of a specific amino acid. The invertase synthesized upon addition of an assay sample containing the amino acid of interest was used to convert sucrose into glucose, which was detected using a PGM. The titers of the amino acid in assay samples were precisely represented by the readouts of a PGM. In addition to the convenience provided by use of a PGM, the accuracy and reproducibility of this method were comparable to those of standard high-performance liquid chromatography based methods.