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Digital twins (DTs) have driven major advancements across various industrial domains over the past two decades. With the rapid advancements in autonomous driving and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies, integrating DTs into vehicular platforms is anticipated to further revolutionize smart mobility systems. In this paper, a new smart mobility DT (SMDT) platform is proposed for the control of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) over next-generation wireless networks. In particular, the proposed platform enables cloud services to leverage the abilities of DTs to promote the autonomous driving experience. To enhance traffic efficiency and road safety measures, a novel navigation system that exploits available DT information is designed. The SMDT platform and navigation system are implemented with state-of-the-art products, e.g., CAVs and roadside units (RSUs), and emerging technologies, e.g., cloud and cellular V2X (C-V2X). In addition, proof-of-concept (PoC) experiments are conducted to validate system performance. The performance of SMDT is evaluated from two standpoints: (i) the rewards of the proposed navigation system on traffic efficiency and safety and, (ii) the latency and reliability of the SMDT platform. Our experimental results using SUMO-based large-scale traffic simulations show that the proposed SMDT can reduce the average travel time and the blocking probability due to unexpected traffic incidents. Furthermore, the results record a peak overall latency for DT modeling and route planning services to be 155.15 ms and 810.59 ms, respectively, which validates that our proposed design aligns with the 3GPP requirements for emerging V2X use cases and fulfills the targets of the proposed design. Our demonstration video can be found at https://youtu.be/3waQwlaHQkk., Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures

The present study proposes a framework of the superresolution measurement based on the dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) with the Kalman filter and Rauch–Tung–Striebel smoother. The dual-planar particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems were constructed to acquire the paired velocity fields of a Mach 1.1 supersonic jet. The acoustic measurement was simultaneously performed, and the velocity and acoustic data are used for the superresolution. Although the dual PIV system measures the basic characteristics of the velocity fields, all the DMD modes calculated by the exact DMD are decay modes due to the measurement noise. The superresolved velocity field shows smooth convection of the large-scale structures at the downstream side. Therefore, the proposed method is effective to reconstruct the entire flow fluctuation because the DMD modes express the linear dynamical system of the velocity fields.

Background This all-case post-marketing surveillance (PMS) evaluated the real-world safety and effectiveness of nivolumab monotherapy in Japanese patients with un-resectable or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods This multicenter, open-label, non-interventional, observational PMS study (registered from August 2016 to January 2017) was conducted in patients who were newly initiated on nivolumab monotherapy. Assessments included treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of special interest, patient characteristics affecting safety, and effectiveness over 12 months. Results Overall, 580 patients were enrolled; 555 and 554 patients comprised the safety and effectiveness analysis sets, respectively. The median (range) age of the population was 66 (14-90) years. Nivolumab was initiated as 1st-, 2nd-, and >= 3rd-line treatment in 0.2%, 42.0%, and 57.8% of patients, respectively. TRAEs were reported in 275 (49.5%) patients. The most common TRAEs of special interest included thyroid dysfunction (9.5%), hepatic dysfunction (8.6%), and interstitial lung disease (6.7%). The incidence of TRAEs was significantly higher in elderly patients (>= 65 vs < 65 years; >= 75 vs < 75 years); patients with lower C-reactive protein levels (< 5 vs >= 5 mg/dL); and patients with vs without a past medical history, including hepatic, thyroid, and autoimmune diseases. The 6- and 12-month survival rates were 71.8% and 57.9%, respectively. Conclusion The safety profile of nivolumab monotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced RCC was similar to that in the phase 3 CheckMate 025 trial. No new safety signals were observed in this study.

We celebrate Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, on the occasion of his 90th birthday. He is renowned for his pioneering work in the discovery of the two-light reactions and two photosystems, PSI and PSII, leading to the Z-scheme of the electron transport chain; and for breakthrough advances in oxygenic photosynthesis. Govindjee’s publications have been cited over 26,000 times. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association of the Advancement of Science, USA; National Academy of Agriculture Science, India; and National Academy of Sciences, India; and beyond that, he has received many awards from scientific societies, most recently, the ISPR Lifetime Achievement Award, August 2022. As even today, Govindjee continues to actively contribute to the field, we highlight the major events in his colorful personal and rigorous scientific life with emphasis on the work done after his retirement, and as well, his prodigious accomplishments as teacher, editor, and science historian., Correction: Govindjee’s 90th birthday: a life dedicated to photosynthesis, Plant Physiology Reports, 2022, DOI: 10.1007/s40502-022-00699-0

On the occasion of the 90th birthday of Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), over 100 celebrants have sent felicitations and messages to thank him for mentoring, nurturing, and building the community of photosynthesis researchers belonging to four generations; and in making the scientific knowledge accessible to students and young researchers via his monumental writings and editorial contributions. Govindjee joined UIUC in September of 1956 to study as a graduate student in the laboratory of Robert Emerson. In 1961, he joined UIUC as an Assistant Professor and retired as a full professor in 1999. He is well-known for pioneering work in oxygenic photosynthesis, leading to the current Z-scheme, and for his breakthrough advances concerning light harvesting, primary charge separation, the role of bicarbonate on the two-electron gate of photosystem II, water oxidation, nonphotochemical quenching, and the use of biophysical techniques, such as prompt fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, thermoluminescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Today, despite his retirement, Govindjee continues to explore several important questions in the field of photosynthesis and documents the history of science. This tribute, in turn, attempts to capture scientific collaborations, as well as scholarly and personal contributions made by Govindjee to the lives of hundreds of scholars and students worldwide.

On the occasion of the 90th birthday of Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), over 100 celebrants have sent felicitations and messages to thank him for mentoring, nurturing, and building the community of photosynthesis researchers belonging to four generations; and in making the scientific knowledge accessible to students and young researchers via his monumental writings and editorial contributions. Govindjee joined UIUC in September of 1956 to study as a graduate student in the laboratory of Robert Emerson. In 1961, he joined UIUC as an Assistant Professor and retired as a full professor in 1999. He is well-known for pioneering work in oxygenic photosynthesis, leading to the current Z-scheme, and for his breakthrough advances concerning light harvesting, primary charge separation, the role of bicarbonate on the two-electron gate of photosystem II, water oxidation, nonphotochemical quenching, and the use of biophysical techniques, such as prompt fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, thermoluminescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Today, despite his retirement, Govindjee continues to explore several important questions in the field of photosynthesis and documents the history of science. This tribute, in turn, attempts to capture scientific collaborations, as well as scholarly and personal contributions made by Govindjee to the lives of hundreds of scholars and students worldwide.

On the occasion of the 90th birthday of Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), over 100 celebrants have sent felicitations and messages to thank him for mentoring, nurturing, and building the community of photosynthesis researchers belonging to four generations; and in making the scientific knowledge accessible to students and young researchers via his monumental writings and editorial contributions. Govindjee joined UIUC in September of 1956 to study as a graduate student in the laboratory of Robert Emerson. In 1961, he joined UIUC as an Assistant Professor and retired as a full professor in 1999. He is well-known for pioneering work in oxygenic photosynthesis, leading to the current Z-scheme, and for his breakthrough advances concerning light harvesting, primary charge separation, the role of bicarbonate on the two-electron gate of photosystem II, water oxidation, nonphotochemical quenching, and the use of biophysical techniques, such as prompt fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, thermoluminescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Today, despite his retirement, Govindjee continues to explore several important questions in the field of photosynthesis and documents the history of science. This tribute, in turn, attempts to capture scientific collaborations, as well as scholarly and personal contributions made by Govindjee to the lives of hundreds of scholars and students worldwide.

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10147-022-02288-5., Background: Enzalutamide is effective against castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, it is unclear which patients would benefit more from enzalutamide treatment. Here, we analyzed patients who received enzalutamide as first-line therapy for CRPC and evaluated the factors that predict treatment response and prognosis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 101 patients treated with enzalutamide for CRPC at our institution. As primary endpoints we regarded the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response rate and PSA–progression-free survival (PSA–PFS) from the start of enzalutamide treatment. Laboratory and imaging data were analyzed to predict treatment efficacy. Results: PSA reductions of ≥ 50% and ≥ 90% were observed in 78 (77%) and 47 (47%) patients, respectively, compared with the baseline. During the follow-up period, 67 (66%) patients showed PSA progression, with a median PSA–PFS of 11months. Moreover, 31 patients (31%) died, with a median overall survival of 64months. On multivariate analysis, lymph node metastases at the start of enzalutamide treatment [odds ratio (OR) 0.0575, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0105–0.316, p = 0.0010] and time to CRPC (OR 0.177, 95% CI 0.0428–0.731, p = 0.0167] were associated with ≥ 90% PSA response. Lymph node metastases (hazard ratio [HR] 3.00, 95% CI 1.48–6.09, p = 0.0023) and time to CRPC (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.02–3.30, p = 0.0419) were also predictors of PSA–PFS on a multivariate model. Conclusions: Time to CRPC and lymph node metastasis were predictors of the PSA response rate and PSA–PFS.

Background This all-case post-marketing surveillance (PMS) evaluated the real-world safety and effectiveness of nivolumab monotherapy in Japanese patients with un-resectable or metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Methods This multicenter, open-label, non-interventional, observational PMS study (registered from August 2016 to January 2017) was conducted in patients who were newly initiated on nivolumab monotherapy. Assessments included treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) of special interest, patient characteristics affecting safety, and effectiveness over 12 months. Results Overall, 580 patients were enrolled; 555 and 554 patients comprised the safety and effectiveness analysis sets, respectively. The median (range) age of the population was 66 (14-90) years. Nivolumab was initiated as 1st-, 2nd-, and >= 3rd-line treatment in 0.2%, 42.0%, and 57.8% of patients, respectively. TRAEs were reported in 275 (49.5%) patients. The most common TRAEs of special interest included thyroid dysfunction (9.5%), hepatic dysfunction (8.6%), and interstitial lung disease (6.7%). The incidence of TRAEs was significantly higher in elderly patients (>= 65 vs < 65 years; >= 75 vs < 75 years); patients with lower C-reactive protein levels (< 5 vs >= 5 mg/dL); and patients with vs without a past medical history, including hepatic, thyroid, and autoimmune diseases. The 6- and 12-month survival rates were 71.8% and 57.9%, respectively. Conclusion The safety profile of nivolumab monotherapy in Japanese patients with advanced RCC was similar to that in the phase 3 CheckMate 025 trial. No new safety signals were observed in this study.

On the occasion of the 90th birthday of Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), over 100 celebrants have sent felicitations and messages to thank him for mentoring, nurturing, and building the community of photosynthesis researchers belonging to four generations; and in making the scientific knowledge accessible to students and young researchers via his monumental writings and editorial contributions. Govindjee joined UIUC in September of 1956 to study as a graduate student in the laboratory of Robert Emerson. In 1961, he joined UIUC as an Assistant Professor and retired as a full professor in 1999. He is well-known for pioneering work in oxygenic photosynthesis, leading to the current Z-scheme, and for his breakthrough advances concerning light harvesting, primary charge separation, the role of bicarbonate on the two-electron gate of photosystem II, water oxidation, nonphotochemical quenching, and the use of biophysical techniques, such as prompt fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, thermoluminescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Today, despite his retirement, Govindjee continues to explore several important questions in the field of photosynthesis and documents the history of science. This tribute, in turn, attempts to capture scientific collaborations, as well as scholarly and personal contributions made by Govindjee to the lives of hundreds of scholars and students worldwide.

On the occasion of the 90th birthday of Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology, Biochemistry, and Biophysics, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), over 100 celebrants have sent felicitations and messages to thank him for mentoring, nurturing, and building the community of photosynthesis researchers belonging to four generations; and in making the scientific knowledge accessible to students and young researchers via his monumental writings and editorial contributions. Govindjee joined UIUC in September of 1956 to study as a graduate student in the laboratory of Robert Emerson. In 1961, he joined UIUC as an Assistant Professor and retired as a full professor in 1999. He is well-known for pioneering work in oxygenic photosynthesis, leading to the current Z-scheme, and for his breakthrough advances concerning light harvesting, primary charge separation, the role of bicarbonate on the two-electron gate of photosystem II, water oxidation, nonphotochemical quenching, and the use of biophysical techniques, such as prompt fluorescence, delayed fluorescence, thermoluminescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance. Today, despite his retirement, Govindjee continues to explore several important questions in the field of photosynthesis and documents the history of science. This tribute, in turn, attempts to capture scientific collaborations, as well as scholarly and personal contributions made by Govindjee to the lives of hundreds of scholars and students worldwide.

In angiosperms, endosperm development comprises a series of developmental transitions controlled by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are initiated after double fertilization. Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a key component of these mechanisms that mediate histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3); the action of PRC2 is well described in Arabidopsis thaliana but remains uncertain in cereals. In this study, we demonstrate that mutation of the rice (Oryza sativa) gene EMBRYONIC FLOWER2a (OsEMF2a), encoding a zinc-finger containing component of PRC2, causes an autonomous endosperm phenotype involving proliferation of the central cell nuclei with separate cytoplasmic domains, even in the absence of fertilization. Detailed cytological and transcriptomic analyses revealed that the autonomous endosperm can produce storage compounds, starch granules, and protein bodies specific to the endosperm. These events have not been reported in Arabidopsis. After fertilization, we observed an abnormally delayed developmental transition in the endosperm. Transcriptome and H3K27me3 ChIP-seq analyses using endosperm from the emf2a mutant identified downstream targets of PRC2. These included >100 transcription factor genes such as type-I MADS-box genes, which are likely required for endosperm development. Our results demonstrate that OsEMF2a-containing PRC2 controls endosperm developmental programs before and after fertilization.

In angiosperms, endosperm development comprises a series of developmental transitions controlled by genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that are initiated after double fertilization. Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a key component of these mechanisms that mediate histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3); the action of PRC2 is well described in Arabidopsis thaliana but remains uncertain in cereals. In this study, we demonstrate that mutation of the rice (Oryza sativa) gene EMBRYONIC FLOWER2a (OsEMF2a), encoding a zinc-finger containing component of PRC2, causes an autonomous endosperm phenotype involving proliferation of the central cell nuclei with separate cytoplasmic domains, even in the absence of fertilization. Detailed cytological and transcriptomic analyses revealed that the autonomous endosperm can produce storage compounds, starch granules, and protein bodies specific to the endosperm. These events have not been reported in Arabidopsis. After fertilization, we observed an abnormally delayed developmental transition in the endosperm. Transcriptome and H3K27me3 ChIP-seq analyses using endosperm from the emf2a mutant identified downstream targets of PRC2. These included >100 transcription factor genes such as type-I MADS-box genes, which are likely required for endosperm development. Our results demonstrate that OsEMF2a-containing PRC2 controls endosperm developmental programs before and after fertilization.

The Remote Experimentation Centre (REC) in Japan has been preparing to replicate the full dataset of ITER over 10 000 km distance. In such a multi-site data repository environment, the data location informing service will be essential to find and retrieve the data efficiently. Considering the long latency time and the self sustainability of remote sites, the data location database should be running at each repository site. Multi-master asynchronous replication between cooperating databases will be essential to realize the remote experimental collaborations in fusion research. This study has investigated the functional differences of some relational databases and found that Postgres BDR has the expected database replication capabilities. Bi-directional replication (BDR) tests by using the LHD database and SNET revealed that the throughputs are sufficient for remote collaborations in fusion experiments.

Upon beginning the LHD deuterium experiment, the opportunity for maintenance work in the torus hall will be conspicuously reduced such that all instruments must be controlled remotely. The LHD data acquisition (DAQ) and archiving system have been using about 110 DAQ front-end, and the DAQ central control and monitor system has been implemented for their remote management. This system is based on the “multi-agent” model whose communication protocol has been unified. Since DAQ front-end electronics would suffer from the “single-event effect” (SEE) of D-D neutrons, software-based remote operation might become ineffective, and then securely intercepting or recycling the electrical power of the device would be indispensable for recovering from a non-responding fault condition. In this study, a centralized control and monitor system has been developed for a number of power distribution units (PDUs). This system adopts the plug-in structure in which the plug-in modules can absorb the differences among the commercial products of numerous vendors. The combination of the above-mentioned functionalities has led to realizing the flexible and highly reliable remote control infrastructure for the plasma diagnostics and the device management in LHD., source:Hideya Nakanishi, Masaki Ohsuna, Tatsuki Ito, Miki Nonomura, Setsuo Imazu, Masahiko Emoto, Chie Iwata, Masanobu Yoshida, Mitsuhiro Yokota, Hiroya Maeno, Miwa Aoyagi, Hideki Ogawa, Osamu Nakamura, Yoshitaka Morita, Tomoyuki Inoue, Kiyomasa Watanabe, Katsumi Ida, Seiji Ishiguro, Osamu Kaneko, Remote device control and monitor system for the LHD deuterium experiments, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 112, 2016, Pages 778-782, source:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2016.04.043, identifier:0000-0001-6388-4489

The LHD data acquisition and archiving system, i.e., LABCOM system, has been fully equipped with high-speed real-time acquisition, streaming, and storage capabilities. To deal with more than 100 MB/s continuously generated data at each data acquisition (DAQ) node, DAQ tasks have been implemented as multitasking and multithreaded ones in which the shared memory plays the most important role for inter-process fast and massive data handling. By introducing a 10-second time chunk named “subshot,” endless data streams can be stored into a consecutive series of fixed length data blocks so that they will soon become readable by other processes even while the write process is continuing. Real-time device and environmental monitoring are also implemented in the same way with further sparse resampling. The central data storage has been separated into two layers to be capable of receiving multiple 100 MB/s inflows in parallel. For the frontend layer, high-speed SSD arrays are used as the GlusterFS distributed filesystem which can provide max. 2 GB/s throughput. Those design optimizations would be informative for implementing the next-generation data archiving system in big physics, such as ITER., source:H. Nakanishi et al., "Real-Time Data Streaming and Storing Structure for the LHD’s Fusion Plasma Experiments," in IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 222-227, Feb. 2016, doi: 10.1109/TNS.2016.2515099., source:https://doi.org/10.1109/TNS.2016.2515099, identifier:0000-0001-6388-4489

The Remote Experimentation Centre (REC) in Japan has been preparing to replicate the full dataset of ITER over 10 000 km distance. In such a multi-site data repository environment, the data location informing service will be essential to find and retrieve the data efficiently. Considering the long latency time and the self sustainability of remote sites, the data location database should be running at each repository site. Multi-master asynchronous replication between cooperating databases will be essential to realize the remote experimental collaborations in fusion research. This study has investigated the functional differences of some relational databases and found that Postgres BDR has the expected database replication capabilities. Bi-directional replication (BDR) tests by using the LHD database and SNET revealed that the throughputs are sufficient for remote collaborations in fusion experiments., source:H. Nakanishi, K. Yamanaka, S. Tokunaga, T. Ozeki, Y. Homma, H. Ohtsu, Y. Ishii, N. Nakajima, T. Yamamoto, M. Emoto, M. Ohsuna, T. Ito, S. Imazu, M. Nonomura, M. Yoshida, H. Ogawa, H. Maeno, M. Aoyagi, M. Yokota, T. Inoue, O. Nakamura, S. Abe, S. Urushidani, Design for the distributed data locator service for multi-site data repositories, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 165, 2021, 112197, source:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2020.112197, identifier:0000-0001-6388-4489

LHD short pulse experiments are executed every three minutes. After the end of the discharge, the scientists must collect, analyze, visualize the last acquired data of the discharge, and prepare for the next discharge. From the beginning, the computer environment of the LHD (Large Helical Device) experiment has been built as a network distributed system, and various computers have been used for data acquisition or physical analysis. When one program is finished on one computer, that computer must send the results in order to the other computers to run programs. Smooth communication is required in order to finish all the tasks before the next discharge. To exchange the information among the applications running on the different computers, the authors have tried various methods, such as a commercial software to share the memory over the network, simple network file sharing method, IP multicast, web interfaces, and others. The purpose of this paper is to share our experiences of trial and error to build the network distributed systems for the consecutive plasma discharge experiments., source:Masahiko Emoto, Hideya Nakanishi, Masanobu Yoshida, Masaki Ohsuna, Hideki Ogawa, Setsuo Imazu, Hiroya Maeno, Tatsuki Ito, Mitsuhiro Yokota, Miki Nonomura, Miwa Aoyagi, Inter-application communication during LHD consecutive short pulse discharge experiment, Fusion Engineering and Design, Volume 129, 2018, Pages 190-195, source:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fusengdes.2018.02.035

Optimization of sensor selection has been studied to monitor complex and large-scale systems with data-driven linear reduced-order modeling. An algorithm for greedy sensor selection is presented under the assumption of correlated noise in the sensor signals. A noise model is given using truncated modes in reduced-order modeling, and sensor positions that are optimal for generalized least squares estimation are selected. The determinant of the covariance matrix of the estimation error is minimized by efficient one-rank computations in both underdetermined and overdetermined problems. The present study also reveals that the objective function with correlated noise is neither submodular nor supermodular. Several numerical experiments are conducted using randomly generated data and real-world data. The results show the effectiveness of the selection algorithm in terms of accuracy in the estimation of the states of large-dimensional measurement data.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most frequently used biomarker for the screening of prostate cancer. Understanding the structure of cancer-specific glycans can help us improve PSA assay. In the present study, we analysed the glycans of PSA obtained from culture medium containing cancer tissue-originated spheroids (CTOS) which have similar characteristics as that of the parent tumour to explore the new candidates for cancer-related glycoforms of PSA. The glycan profile of PSA from CTOS was determined by comparing with PSA from normal seminal plasma and cancer cell lines (LNCaP and 22Rv1) using lectin chromatography and mass spectrometry. PSA from CTOS was mostly sialylated and the content of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin reactive glycan (LacdiNAc) was similar to that of PSA derived from seminal plasma and 22Rv1. Conversely, concanavalin A (Con A)-unbound PSA was definitely detected from the three cancer origins but was almost negligible in seminal PSA. Two novel types of PSA were elucidated in the Con A-unbound fraction: one is a high molecular weight PSA with highly branched N-glycans, and the other is a low molecular weight PSA without N-glycans. Furthermore, the existence of Lewis X antigen group on PSA was indicated. These PSAs will be candidates for new cancer-related markers.

Modulation of glycoregulation in agriculture is reviewed here with emphasis on the elucidation of previously unknown pathways involving vacuolar lectins as well as a bypass of lectins that direct free sugars toward productivity. The reversible binding sequences of the endogenous lectin cycle are compared to an induced lectin bypass, as follows. (1) In the cycle, carbohydrate ligands, with similar binding specificities that compete for binding sites on lectins, are involved in the natural cycle of sugar exchanges. (2) For the bypass, tightly bound ligands that occupy lectins prevent free sugars from binding, making them available for productivity. This bypass is induced by methyl-α-D-mannopyranoside, a biochemical plant growth regulator for photosynthesis. Integration of this novel technology, with structural elements crucial for ligand binding by the lectins and with nitrogen assimilation, provides the basis for successful modulation of glycoregulation in crops for enhancement of quality and quantity.

Modulation of glycoregulation in agriculture is reviewed here with emphasis on the elucidation of previously unknown pathways involving vacuolar lectins as well as a bypass of lectins that direct free sugars toward productivity. The reversible binding sequences of the endogenous lectin cycle are compared to an induced lectin bypass, as follows. (1) In the cycle, carbohydrate ligands, with similar binding specificities that compete for binding sites on lectins, are involved in the natural cycle of sugar exchanges. (2) For the bypass, tightly bound ligands that occupy lectins prevent free sugars from binding, making them available for productivity. This bypass is induced by methyl-α-D-mannopyranoside, a biochemical plant growth regulator for photosynthesis. Integration of this novel technology, with structural elements crucial for ligand binding by the lectins and with nitrogen assimilation, provides the basis for successful modulation of glycoregulation in crops for enhancement of quality and quantity.

Recent studies showed the clinical utility of next-generation sequencing of urinary cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from patients with urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). In this study, we aimed to develop urinary cfDNA analysis by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) as a high-throughput and rapid assay for UBC detection and prognosis. We analyzed urinary cfDNA of 202 samples from 2 cohorts. Test cohort was designed for investigating clinical utility of urinary cfDNA, and was composed of 74 samples from patients with UBC, and 52 samples of benign hematuria patients. Validation cohort was designed for validation and assessment of clinical utility comparing urinary cfDNA with UroVysion (Abbott, Illinois, USA), and was composed of 40 samples from patients with UBC, and 36 prospectively collected samples from patients under surveillance after surgery for urothelial carcinoma. We performed ddPCR analysis of hotspot gene mutations (TERT promoter and FGFR3). In the test cohort, the sensitivity of urinary cfDNA diagnosis was 68.9% (51/74) and the specificity was 100% in patients with UBC. The sensitivity increased to 85.9% when used in conjunction with urine cytology. In addition, patients with high TERT C228T allele frequency (>= 14%) had significantly worse prognosis in bladder tumor recurrence than patients with low TERT C228T allele frequency or negative TERT C228T (p = 0.0322). In the validation cohort, the sensitivity of urinary cfDNA was 57.5% (23/40) and the specificity was 100% in UBC patients. The sensitivity of the combination of urine cytology with our hotspot analysis (77.5%) was higher than that of urine cytology with UroVysion (68.9%). In the post-surgical surveillance group, patients positive for the TERT C228T mutation had significantly worse prognosis for bladder tumor recurrence than mutation negative patients (p < 0.001). In conclusion, ddPCR analysis of urinary cfDNA is a simple and promising assay for the clinical setting, surpassing UroVysion for detection and prognosis d

Powdery mildew haustoria are easier to be observed by light microscopy in trichome cells compared to epidermal cells of infected leaves. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between the hyphal length and the number of haustoria in type I trichome cells of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) leaves. The trichome cells of tomato cv. Moneymaker were inoculated with conidia of tomato powdery mildew (Pseudoidium neolycopersici L. Kiss), isolate KTP-04. On these cells, the P. neolycopersici isolate produced a maximum of four vigorously elongated hyphae per conidium. At 12 days after inoculation, KTP-04 formed two to five haustoria per conidium. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy showed that the haustorium consisted of a haustorial body and several lobes embedded in an extrahaustorial matrix. The number of haustoria per hypha and hyphal length on trichomes were positively correlated. Also, the tips of one to four hypha per conidium (excluding germ tubes and primary appressoria) were injured using a minute glass needle installed on micromanipulator under a high-fidelity digital microscope, and their total hyphal lengths were compared. Wounded hyphae possessed the same number of haustoria in trichome cells as non-wounded hyphae, and total hyphal lengths were similar between treatment groups. In this study, a new model was developed to study the infection mechanisms of powdery mildews that will be useful in future gene expression studies.

Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Plant Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign since 1999, is renowned for his pioneering work in the light reactions of photosynthesis and important accomplishments as educator, editor, historian and advocate of photosynthesis. In his honour, we review his contributions over the last twenty years, which were often achieved in collaboration with scientists working in laboratories around the world. We start with a short presentation about Govindjee’s career and continue with a section highlighting his passion and dedication to teach the younger generations of students and researchers about photosynthesis. His research work is grouped under different areas, including primary photochemistry; the relationship of chlorophyll a fluorescence to photosynthesis; short time-scale regulation processes of photosynthesis; studies toward improving photosynthesis and biomass yields; and, mathematical modelling of photosynthesis and artificial photosynthesis. He is best known for the discovery of the key role of bicarbonate on the electron acceptor side of Photosystem II. We also present his active involvement in the recognition of scientists at conferences and beyond, as well as of those who are no longer with us. He is committed to keeping alive the pioneers and discoverers in the field of photosynthesis in the collective memory of those in the field., Special issue: Biology and biotechnological applications of microalgae and photosynthetic prokaryotes: Part 2. Guest Editors: Julian Eaton-Rye, Benoit Guieysse, Michael Packer, Tina Summerfield and Susanna Wood

A temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) using a chameleon luminophore [Tb0.99Eu0.01(hfa)3(dpbp)]n is proposed. The chameleon luminophore was dispersed in isobutyl methacrylate polymer in a toluene solvent to fix it on a sample coupon. Temperature and pressure sensitivities of the chameleon luminophore-based TSP were measured using a spectrofluorophotometer. The emission for each wavelength was confirmed to be dependent on the temperature and pressure. The temperature and pressure sensitivities of the TSP were 0.81-2.8%/K and 0.08-0.12%/kPa, respectively. Higher temperature sensitivity can be obtained using the ratio of emissions from the two lanthanide ions, TbIII and EuIII. The temperature sensitivity when using the ratio of the emission intensities at 616 nm derived from EuIII and at 545 nm derived from TbIII was 3.2%/K, which was the highest value in the present study. In addition, the pressure sensitivity for the case using the ratio of the emission intensities at 616 and 545 nm was 4.8x10-2%/kPa. Higher temperature sensitivity and lower pressure sensitivity than that with a single wavelength can be achieved using the ratio of the emission intensities at the two peak wavelengths derived from TbIII and EuIII.

Doi Y., Hamano T., Ichimaru N., et al. Serum phosphate levels modify the impact of parathyroid hormone levels on renal outcomes in kidney transplant recipients. Scientific Reports 10, 13766 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-70709-4., Separate assessment of mineral bone disorder (MBD) parameters including calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25D) predict renal outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), with conflicting results. To date, data simultaneously evaluating these parameters and interwoven relations on renal outcomes are scarce. We conducted a prospective long-term follow-up cohort study included 263 KTRs with grafts functioning at least 1year after transplantation. The outcome was a composite of estimated GFR halving and graft loss. Cox regression analyses were employed to evaluate associations between a panel of six MBD parameters and renal outcomes. The outcome occurred in 98 KTRs during a median follow-up of 10.7years. In a multivariate Cox analysis, intact PTH (iPTH), phosphate, and 1,25D levels were associated with the outcome (hazard ratio, 1.60 per log scale; 95% confidence interval, 1.19–2.14, 1.60 per mg/dL; 1.14–2.23 and 0.82 per 10pg/mL; 0.68–0.99, respectively). Competing risk analysis with death as a competing event yielded a similar result. After stratification into four groups by iPTH and phosphate medians, high risks associated with high iPTH was not observed in KTRs with low phosphate levels (P-interaction < 0.1). Only KTRs not receiving active vitamin D, poor 1,25D status predicted the worse outcome (P-interaction < 0.1). High iPTH, phosphate, and low 1,25D, but not FGF23, levels predicted poor renal outcomes. Simultaneous evaluation of PTH and phosphate levels may provide additional information regarding renal allograft prognosis.

A temperature-sensitive paint (TSP) using a chameleon luminophore [Tb0.99Eu0.01(hfa)3(dpbp)]n is proposed. The chameleon luminophore was dispersed in isobutyl methacrylate polymer in a toluene solvent to fix it on a sample coupon. Temperature and pressure sensitivities of the chameleon luminophore-based TSP were measured using a spectrofluorophotometer. The emission for each wavelength was confirmed to be dependent on the temperature and pressure. The temperature and pressure sensitivities of the TSP were 0.81-2.8%/K and 0.08-0.12%/kPa, respectively. Higher temperature sensitivity can be obtained using the ratio of emissions from the two lanthanide ions, TbIII and EuIII. The temperature sensitivity when using the ratio of the emission intensities at 616 nm derived from EuIII and at 545 nm derived from TbIII was 3.2%/K, which was the highest value in the present study. In addition, the pressure sensitivity for the case using the ratio of the emission intensities at 616 and 545 nm was 4.8x10-2%/kPa. Higher temperature sensitivity and lower pressure sensitivity than that with a single wavelength can be achieved using the ratio of the emission intensities at the two peak wavelengths derived from TbIII and EuIII.

Recent studies showed the clinical utility of next-generation sequencing of urinary cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from patients with urothelial bladder cancer (UBC). In this study, we aimed to develop urinary cfDNA analysis by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) as a high-throughput and rapid assay for UBC detection and prognosis. We analyzed urinary cfDNA of 202 samples from 2 cohorts. Test cohort was designed for investigating clinical utility of urinary cfDNA, and was composed of 74 samples from patients with UBC, and 52 samples of benign hematuria patients. Validation cohort was designed for validation and assessment of clinical utility comparing urinary cfDNA with UroVysion (Abbott, Illinois, USA), and was composed of 40 samples from patients with UBC, and 36 prospectively collected samples from patients under surveillance after surgery for urothelial carcinoma. We performed ddPCR analysis of hotspot gene mutations (TERT promoter and FGFR3). In the test cohort, the sensitivity of urinary cfDNA diagnosis was 68.9% (51/74) and the specificity was 100% in patients with UBC. The sensitivity increased to 85.9% when used in conjunction with urine cytology. In addition, patients with high TERT C228T allele frequency (>= 14%) had significantly worse prognosis in bladder tumor recurrence than patients with low TERT C228T allele frequency or negative TERT C228T (p = 0.0322). In the validation cohort, the sensitivity of urinary cfDNA was 57.5% (23/40) and the specificity was 100% in UBC patients. The sensitivity of the combination of urine cytology with our hotspot analysis (77.5%) was higher than that of urine cytology with UroVysion (68.9%). In the post-surgical surveillance group, patients positive for the TERT C228T mutation had significantly worse prognosis for bladder tumor recurrence than mutation negative patients (p < 0.001). In conclusion, ddPCR analysis of urinary cfDNA is a simple and promising assay for the clinical setting, surpassing UroVysion for detection and prognosis d

The present study proposes a sensor selection method based on the proximal splitting algorithm and the A-optimal design of experiment using the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated with a random sensor problem and compared with the previously proposed methods such as the greedy method and the convex relaxation. The performance of the proposed method is better than an existing method in terms of the A-optimality criterion. In addition, the proposed method requires longer computational time than the greedy method but it is quite shorter than the convex relaxation in large-scale problems. The proposed method was applied to the data-driven sparse-sensor-selection problem. A data set adopted is the NOAA OISST V2 mean sea surface temperature set. At the number of sensors larger than that of the latent state variables, the proposed method showed similar and better performances compared with previously proposed methods in terms of the A-optimality criterion and reconstruction error.

The randomized subspace Newton convex methods for the sensor selection problem are proposed. The randomized subspace Newton algorithm is straightforwardly applied to the convex formulation, and the customized method in which the part of the update variables are selected to be the present best sensor candidates is also considered. In the converged solution, almost the same results are obtained by original and randomized-subspace-Newton convex methods. As expected, the randomized-subspace-Newton methods require more computational steps while they reduce the total amount of the computational time because the computational time for one step is significantly reduced by the cubic of the ratio of numbers of randomly updating variables to all the variables. The customized method shows superior performance to the straightforward implementation in terms of the quality of sensors and the computational time.

Soichi Matsumura,1 Taigo Kato,1,2 Ayumu Taniguchi,1 Masataka Kawamura,1 Shigeaki Nakazawa,1 Tomoko Namba-Hamano,3 Toyofumi Abe,1 Norio Nonomura,1 Ryoichi Imamura1 1Department of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; 2Department of Urological Immuno-Oncology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, Japan; 3Department of Nephrology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871, JapanCorrespondence: Taigo KatoDepartment of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, JapanTel +81-6-6879-3531Fax +81-6-6879-3534Email kato@uro.med.oaska-u.ac.jpPurpose: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV)-associated nephropathy (BKPyVAN) is one of the most difficult infections to be treated after kidney transplantation. Although patients with BKPyVAN usually received a reduction of immunosuppressive agents, the majority of these patients undergo the loss of the graft kidney without any effective treatment afterward. Therefore, development of more effective therapy for BKPyVAN is eagerly expected.Patients and Methods: Among patients who underwent a kidney transplantation between January 2016 and April 2019 at our hospital, there were five cases of BKPyVAN. After the initial diagnosis, all patients discontinued administration of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), which was not enough to diminish decoy cells in urine cytology test. Therefore, all patients received additional intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) (100 mg/kg/day) therapy for five days and were evaluated for the therapeutic effect of IVIG with immunohistochemical examination using re-biopsy samples of the graft kidney.Results: After IVIG therapy, 2 cases showed negative decoy cells in urine and 3 cases showed a drastic decrease of plasma BK virus load. Importantly, simian virus (SV) 40 large T antigens diminished after IVIG administration in all cases, which degraded polyomavirus nephropathy classification.Conclusion: Although

Anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) antibodies are in wide use for the treatment of various cancers. PD1 antibody-based immunotherapy, co-administration of nivolumab and ipilimumab, is one of the optimal immunotherapies, especially in advanced melanoma with high tumor mutation burden. Since this combined therapy leads to a high frequency of serious immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients with advanced melanoma, biomarkers are needed to evaluate nivolumab efficacy to avoid serious irAEs caused by ipilimumab. This study analyzed baseline serum levels of CXCL5, CXCL10, and CCL22 in 46 cases of advanced cutaneous melanoma treated with nivolumab. Baseline serum levels of CXCL5 were significantly higher in responders than in non-responders. In contrast, there were no significant differences in baseline serum levels of CXCL10 and CCL22 between responders and non-responders. These results suggest that baseline serum levels of CXCL5 may be useful as a biomarker for identifying patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma most likely to benefit from anti-melanoma immunotherapy.

The anodic electrodeposition method is investigated as an alternative technique for the preparation of a titanium oxide (TiO2) blocking underlayer (UL) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Extremely thin Ti-IV-based films are grown from aqueous acidic titanium(III) chloride in an electrochemical cell at room temperature. This precursor layer is converted to the UL (ED-UL), in a suitable state for PSC applications, by undertaking a sintering step at 450 degrees C for half an hour. PSCs with the composition of the light-absorbing material FA(0.85)MA(0.10)Cs(0.05)Pb(I0.87Br0.13)(3) (FA and MA denote the formamidinium and methylammonium cations, respectively) based on the ED-UL are compared with PSCs with the UL of a standard type prepared by the spray-pyrolysis method at 450 degrees C from titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) (SP-UL). We obtain power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of over 20% for mesoscopic perovskite devices employing both ED-ULs and SP-ULs. Slightly higher fill factor values are observed for ED-UL-based devices. In addition, ED-ULs prepared by the same method have also been applied in planar PSCs, resulting in a PCE exceeding 17%, which is comparable to that for similar PSCs with an SP-UL. The preparation of ED-ULs with a lower sintering temperature, 150 degrees C, has also been examined. The efficiency of a planar PSC incorporating this underlayer was 14%. These results point out to the possibility of applying ED-ULs in flexible planar PSCs in the future.

The addition of a compact titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer between the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate and the mesoporous TiO2 layer in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) based on the iodide/triiodide redox couple (I-/I-3(-)) is known to improve its current-voltage characteristics. The compact layer decreases the recombination of electrons extracted through the FTO layer with I-3(-) around the maximum power point. Furthermore, the short-circuit photocurrent was improved, which previously has been attributed to the improved light transmittance and/or better contact between TiO2 and FTO. Here, we demonstrate that the compact TiO2 layer has another beneficial effect: it blocks the reaction between charge carriers in the FTO and photogenerated diiodide radical species (I-2(-center dot)). Using photomodulated voltammetry, it is demonstrated that the cathodic photocurrent found at bare FTO electrodes is blocked by the addition of a compact TiO2 layer, while the anodic photocurrent due to reaction with I-2(-center dot) is maintained.

The anodic electrodeposition method is investigated as an alternative technique for the preparation of a titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) blocking underlayer (UL) for perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Extremely thin Ti IV -based films are grown from aqueous acidic titanium(iii) chloride in an electrochemical cell at room temperature. This precursor layer is converted to the UL (ED-UL), in a suitable state for PSC applications, by undertaking a sintering step at 450 °C for half an hour. PSCs with the composition of the light-absorbing material FA 0.85 MA 0.10 Cs 0.05 Pb(I 0.87 Br 0.13 ) 3 (FA and MA denote the formamidinium and methylammonium cations, respectively) based on the ED-UL are compared with PSCs with the UL of a standard type prepared by the spray-pyrolysis method at 450 °C from titanium diisopropoxide bis(acetylacetonate) (SP-UL). We obtain power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of over 20% for mesoscopic perovskite devices employing both ED-ULs and SP-ULs. Slightly higher fill factor values are observed for ED-UL-based devices. In addition, ED-ULs prepared by the same method have also been applied in planar PSCs, resulting in a PCE exceeding 17%, which is comparable to that for similar PSCs with an SP-UL. The preparation of ED-ULs with a lower sintering temperature, 150 °C, has also been examined. The efficiency of a planar PSC incorporating this underlayer was 14%. These results point out to the possibility of applying ED-ULs in flexible planar PSCs in the future., QC 20190612

The addition of a compact titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer between the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate and the mesoporous TiO2 layer in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) based on the iodide/triiodide redox couple (I-/I-3(-)) is known to improve its current-voltage characteristics. The compact layer decreases the recombination of electrons extracted through the FTO layer with I-3(-) around the maximum power point. Furthermore, the short-circuit photocurrent was improved, which previously has been attributed to the improved light transmittance and/or better contact between TiO2 and FTO. Here, we demonstrate that the compact TiO2 layer has another beneficial effect: it blocks the reaction between charge carriers in the FTO and photogenerated diiodide radical species (I-2(-center dot)). Using photomodulated voltammetry, it is demonstrated that the cathodic photocurrent found at bare FTO electrodes is blocked by the addition of a compact TiO2 layer, while the anodic photocurrent due to reaction with I-2(-center dot) is maintained.

The addition of a compact titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer between the fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrate and the mesoporous TiO2 layer in the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) based on the iodide/triiodide redox couple (I-/I-3(-)) is known to improve its current-voltage characteristics. The compact layer decreases the recombination of electrons extracted through the FTO layer with I-3(-) around the maximum power point. Furthermore, the short-circuit photocurrent was improved, which previously has been attributed to the improved light transmittance and/or better contact between TiO2 and FTO. Here, we demonstrate that the compact TiO2 layer has another beneficial effect: it blocks the reaction between charge carriers in the FTO and photogenerated diiodide radical species (I-2(-center dot)). Using photomodulated voltammetry, it is demonstrated that the cathodic photocurrent found at bare FTO electrodes is blocked by the addition of a compact TiO2 layer, while the anodic photocurrent due to reaction with I-2(-center dot) is maintained.

学位の種類: 博士（歯学）. 報告番号: 甲第4564号. 学位記番号: 新大院博（歯）甲第413号. 学位授与年月日: 平成31年3月25日, Dentistry. 2019, 9(2), 534, 博士（歯学）, 新潟大学

学位の種類: 博士（医学）. 報告番号: 甲第4552号. 学位記番号: 新大院博（医）甲第874号. 学位授与年月日: 平成31年3月25日, 博士（医学）, 新潟大学

In mountainous area many people have suffered from landslide and debris flow disasters during typhoon and monsoon seasons. Landslides triggered by an earthquake after long rainfall isolate villages and paralyze the infrastructures, such as Niigata Chuetsu earthquake in 2004. In order to mitigate the damages, people need to evacuate to the safe places if houses are located at susceptible areas. However, in fact, many people cannot find any available places for evacuation because designated evacuation places are too far to arrive safely. In this study, we propose a method to select available buildings as temporary shelters by considering slope susceptibility to landslide triggered by rainfall and earthquake in a community. By comparing the availability with the resident’s opinions, some advices are provided to improve their risk communication.