Development of Walkability Indicator for Smart Shrinking: Case Study of Sprawl Areas in Northern Osaka Metropolitan

Urban shrinkage is a problem that is faced by some metropolitan areas globally in urban cities faced with depopulation. Therefore, these cities require “smart shrinking”, which consists of design methods intended to satisfy residents’living needs, even though the population is declining. The purpose of this paper is to develop a walkability indicator for visualizing smart shrinking. The methods include statistical analysis by GIS analysis and questionnaire in the Northern Osaka Metropolitan Area where there are many small-sprawl areas. The following four results were identified. First, the population decline in sprawl areas indicates the regional characteristics of each city. Second, this paper develops a walkability indicator composed of household density, convenience of facilities, road connectivity, and traffic safety. Third, Wi(i), which is walkability in each residential area, in sprawl areas, and in public housing areas, is important for future population change. Finally, the validity and effectiveness of the indicator is clarified by questionnaires regarding regional evaluation. In conclusion, the walkability indicator is able to visualize smart shrinking in sprawl areas

A connecter-like factor, CacA, links RssB/RpoS and the CpxR/CpxA two-component system in Salmonella

BACKGROUND: Bacteria integrate numerous environmental stimuli when generating cellular responses. Increasing numbers of examples describe how one two-component system (TCS) responds to signals detected by the sensor of another TCS. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain poorly defined. RESULTS: Here, we report a connector-like factor that affects the activity of the CpxR/CpxA two-component system in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. We isolated a clone that induced the expression of a cpxP-lac gene fusion from a high-copy-number plasmid pool of random Salmonella genomic fragments. A 63-amino acid protein, CacA, was responsible for the CpxA/CpxR-dependent activation of the cpxP gene. The CpxR-activated genes cpxP and spy exhibited approximately 30% and 50% reductions in transcription, respectively, in a clean cacA deletion mutant strain in comparison to wild-type. From 33 response regulator (RR) deletion mutants, we identified that the RssB regulator represses cacA transcription. Substitution mutations in a conserved -10 region harboring the RNA polymerase recognition sequence, which is well conserved with a known RpoS -10 region consensus sequence, rendered the cacA promoter RpoS-independent. The CacA-mediated induction of cpxP transcription was affected in a trxA deletion mutant, which encodes thioredoxin 1, suggesting a role for cysteine thiol-disulfide exchange(s) in CacA-dependent Cpx activation. CONCLUSIONS: We identified CacA as an activator of the CpxR/CpxA system in the plasmid clone. We propose that CacA may integrate the regulatory status of RssB/RpoS into the CpxR/CpxA system. Future investigations are necessary to thoroughly elucidate how CacA activates the CpxR/CpxA system

Evaluating the arsenic attenuation of soil amended with calcium–magnesium composites of different particle sizes

An attenuation layer composed of ground mixed with stabilising agents can prevent the contamination of the surrounding area when using soils and rocks with geogenic contaminants in embankments. The optimum particle size of the stabilising agent must be selected based on the requirements of the construction site because the mechanical and chemical properties of the attenuation layer are site-specific. However, the relationship between the particle size of the stabilising agent and the attenuation performance of soil–agent mixtures has yet to be fully clarified. This study employs batch sorption tests to evaluate the attenuation of arsenic by a soil mixed with a calcium–magnesium composite with different particle sizes, ranging from powder particles (<0.075 mm in size) to granular particles with diameters between 2.0 and 9.5 mm. Amended soil more effectively attenuates the contaminant than the original soil. In one experiment, a stabilising agent of granular particles (between 2.0 and 9.5 mm) for the amendment increased the soil’s partition coefficient Kd from 14.5 to 22.2 cm³/g, which is more than a 50% improvement in the attenuation. Using a stabilising agent with a smaller particle size for the amendment has a greater impact. Kd increases linearly as the particle size of the stabilising agent decreases down to 0.075 mm. Using the Kd from laboratory tests, simulations with a one-dimensional advection–dispersion equation demonstrate the durability of the attenuation layer. Both the powder and the granular particles show promise as attenuation layer materials

Myeloperoxidase-Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Negative Microscopic Polyangiitis with Pulmonary Haemorrhage and IgA Nephropathy

Aim: To report a case of a patient with myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-negative microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) and IgA nephropathy associated with severe pulmonary haemorrhage. Case Report: A 59-year-old man presented with ANCA-negative systemic vasculitis accompanied by purpura, nephritis and pulmonary haemorrhage. A skin biopsy specimen revealed pandermal leucocytoclastic vasculitis without IgA deposition and a kidney biopsy showed mesangial nephritis with IgA deposition. Considering these findings, the patient was diagnosed as having MPA with IgA nephropathy. Discussion: In most cases, MPA presents with rapidly progressive necrotizing glomerulonephritis and sometimes lung haemorrhage, while IgA nephropathy is less common among MPA cases. As recent research suggested that in MPA immunoglobulin deposition in the kidney may be an exacerbating factor for renal dysfunction and poor prognosis, close observation is required in these cases

Synthetic and biochemical studies on the effect of persulfidation on disulfide dimer models of amyloid β42 at position 35 in Alzheimer's etiology

Protein persulfidation plays a role in redox signaling as an anti-oxidant. Dimers of amyloid β42 (Aβ42), which induces oxidative stress-associated neurotoxicity as a causative agent of Alzheimer's disease (AD), are minimum units of oligomers in AD pathology. Met35 can be susceptible to persulfidation through its substitution to homoCys residue under the condition of oxidative stress. In order to verify whether persulfidation has an effect in AD, herein we report a chemical approach by synthesizing disulfide dimers of Aβ42 and their evaluation of biochemical properties. A homoCys-disulfide dimer model at position 35 of Aβ42 formed a partial β-sheet structure, but its neurotoxicity was much weaker than that of the corresponding monomer. In contrast, the congener with an alkyl linker generated β-sheet-rich 8–16-mer oligomers with potent neurotoxicity. The length of protofibrils generated from the homoCys-disulfide dimer model was shorter than that of its congener with an alkyl linker. Therefore, the current data do not support the involvement of Aβ42 persulfidation in Alzheimer's disease

Non-destructive high-throughput measurement of elastic-viscous properties of maize using a novel ultra-micro sensor array and numerical validation

振動工学と農学の融合により、倒れにくい飼料トウモロコシの迅速選抜手法を開発. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-04-27.Maize is the world's most produced cereal crop, and the selection of maize cultivars with a high stem elastic modulus is an effective method to prevent cereal crop lodging. We developed an ultra-compact sensor array inspired by earthquake engineering and proposed a method for the high-throughput evaluation of the elastic modulus of maize cultivars. A natural vibration analysis based on the obtained Young’s modulus using finite element analysis (FEA) was performed and compared with the experimental results, which showed that the estimated Young’s modulus is representative of the individual Young’s modulus. FEA also showed the hotspot where the stalk was most deformed when the corn was vibrated by wind. The six tested cultivars were divided into two phenotypic groups based on the position and number of hotspots. In this study, we proposed a non-destructive high-throughput phenotyping technique for estimating the modulus of elasticity of maize stalks and successfully visualized which parts of the stalks should be improved for specific cultivars to prevent lodging

RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/PTEN/AKT Signaling in Malignant Melanoma Progression and Therapy

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is one of the most serious skin cancers and is highly invasive and markedly resistant to conventional therapy. Melanomagenesis is initially triggered by environmental agents including ultraviolet (UV), which induces genetic/epigenetic alterations in the chromosomes of melanocytes. In human melanomas, the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK (MAPK) and the PI3K/PTEN/AKT (AKT) signaling pathways are two major signaling pathways and are constitutively activated through genetic alterations. Mutations of RAF, RAS, and PTEN contribute to antiapoptosis, abnormal proliferation, angiogenesis, and invasion for melanoma development and progression. To find better approaches to therapies for patients, understanding these MAPK and AKT signaling mechanisms of melanoma development and progression is important. Here, we review MAPK and AKT signaling networks associated with melanoma development and progression