Image Dehazing Using LiDAR Generated Grayscale Depth Prior.

In this paper, the dehazing algorithm is proposed using a one-channel grayscale depth image generated from a LiDAR point cloud 2D projection image. In depth image-based dehazing, the estimation of the scattering coefficient is the most important. Since scattering coefficients are used to estimate the transmission image for dehazing, the optimal coefficients for effective dehazing must be obtained depending on the level of haze generation. Thus, we estimated the optimal scattering coefficient for 100 synthetic haze images and represented the distribution between the optimal scattering coefficient and dark channels. Moreover, through linear regression of the aforementioned distribution, the equation between scattering coefficients and dark channels was estimated, enabling the estimation of appropriate scattering coefficient. Transmission image for dehazing is defined with a scattering coefficient and a grayscale depth image, obtained from LiDAR 2D projection. Finally, dehazing is performed based on the atmospheric scattering model through the defined atmospheric light and transmission image. The proposed method was quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed through simulation and image quality parameters. Qualitative analysis was conducted through YOLO v3 and quantitative analysis was conducted through MSE, PSNR, SSIM, etc. In quantitative analysis, SSIM showed an average performance improvement of 24%.

Mismatch DNA-specific enzymatic cleavage employed in a new method for the electrochemical detection of genetic mutations.

Utilizing enzymatic mismatched DNA-specific cleavage and electrocatalytic signaling, a new electrochemical method for the detection of DNA mutations was developed and successfully applied to detect various mutations in the BRCA1 gene.

Improvement of a Candida antarctica lipase B-displaying yeast whole-cell biocatalyst and its application to the polyester synthesis reaction.

A Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)-displaying yeast whole-cell biocatalyst was constructed with the integration of the CALB cell-surface display expression cassette in the yeast genome and cell fusion by mating. Lipase hydrolytic activity of the yeast whole-cell biocatalyst subsequently increased, in both a- and alpha-type yeast cells, with the number of copies of the CALB cell-surface display expression cassette introduced, and reached 43.6 and 32.2 U/g-dry cell at 168 h cultivation, respectively. The lipase hydrolytic activity of whole cells in diploid yeast cells containing eight copies of the CALB cell-surface expression cassette reached 117 U/g-dry cell, and this value is approximately ninefold higher than that of the previously reported haploid CALB cell-surface displaying yeast using a multi-copy plasmid (Tanino et al. Appl. Microbial Biotechnol 75:1319-1325, 2007). This improved novel CALB-displaying yeast whole-cell biocatalyst could repeatedly catalyze the polyester, polybutylene adipate, synthesis reaction, using adipic acid and 1, 4-butandiol as the monomer molecules, four times in succession. This is the first report of the polymer synthesis using enzyme displaying yeast as the catalyst. The ratios of cyclic compounds in the polybutylene adipates synthesized with the CALB-displaying yeast whole-cells were lower than that in the polybutylene adipate synthesized with conventional metal catalysis. From these results, it appears that the use of CALB-displaying yeast cells could be useful for the polyester synthesis reaction, with reduced by-product production.

Direct and nondestructive verification of PNA immobilization using click chemistry.

The fluorogenic 1,3-Huisgen dipolar cycloaddition reaction was used as part of a novel immobilization strategy of PNA capture probes on a microarray. By using this click chemistry, azidocoumarin-anchored PNA probes were immobilized on phenyl acetylene-modified glass slides with the simultaneous generation of the fluorescent triazolylcoumarin moiety. Since the emitting moieties are generated in the immobilization reaction itself, fluorescent signals can be used to directly monitor the integrity of immobilization in a nondestructive manner. By using this strategy, PNA microarrays were prepared and successfully employed to perform microarray-based diagnosis of selected mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1.

A Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) DNA chip for the diagnosis of genitourinary infections.

The results of an investigation aimed at the development of a DNA chip for the detection of genitourinary infections are described. Through analysis of over 35,000 clinical cases, 14 pathogens which are most abundantly found among Koreans were selected and candidate sequences for capture probes were accordingly chosen by considering their sequences and ß-globin house-keeping gene. Among this group, the most suitable capture probe sequences were selected by employing repeated chip tests in which they are immobilized on a glass chip by using a recently developed novel gold nanoparticles-based method. A multiplex PCR method was established to generate fluorescence-labeled sequences for all 14 pathogens along with the ß-globin gene. By using optimized hybridization conditions, the final chip was constructed and employed to diagnose reliably both single and multiple infections in clinical human samples for 14 target pathogens. The results show that the novel chip methodology serves as a highly reliable and convenient tool for the diagnosis of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). Furthermore, this study has its great significance in that it demonstrates the entire process from statistical analysis of a large number of clinical cases to the final development of STD DNA chip just ready to be applied or commercialized in the clinical diagnostic field.