Application of Building Information Modelling (BIM) Technology in Drainage System Using Autodesk InfraWorks 360 Software

The increased number of physical drainage drawings at Samarahan district, Sarawak for new development areas is difficult to manage and handle by relevant authorities. Hence, this research is conducted to determine the feasibility of Building Information Technology (BIM) to create a proper drainage inventory system to accurately list and record current drainage information using Autodesk Infraworks 360 software. This inventory system will be employed to examine and validate corresponding drainage parameters based on the recorded information. Taman UniCentral, a residential neighbourhood in Kota Samarahan, has been chosen for this case study. Drainage data, such as drainage size, length, invert level, are entered into GIS-integrated Model Builder in Autodesk InfraWorks 360. Autodesk InfraWorks 360 will conduct a preliminary analysis, including watershed analysis, to delineate the catchment area and drainage performance inspections at rainfall intensities of 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 years (ARI). Thereafter, the InfraWorks model will be exported into Autodesk Civil3D to conduct a more extensive hydraulic analysis. The results show that full integration of these two Autodesk software packages had created a proper inventory system of existing drainage information and simulated its sufficiency in catering surcharge runoff from the new development area at the upper catchment

ATPase activity of DFCP1 controls selective autophagy

Cellular homeostasis is governed by removal of damaged organelles and protein aggregates by selective autophagy mediated by cargo adaptors such as p62/SQSTM1. Autophagosomes can assemble in specialized cup-shaped regions of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) known as omegasomes, which are characterized by the presence of the ER protein DFCP1/ZFYVE1. The function of DFCP1 is unknown, as are the mechanisms of omegasome formation and constriction. Here, we demonstrate that DFCP1 is an ATPase that is activated by membrane binding and dimerizes in an ATP-dependent fashion. Whereas depletion of DFCP1 has a minor effect on bulk autophagic flux, DFCP1 is required to maintain the autophagic flux of p62 under both fed and starved conditions, and this is dependent on its ability to bind and hydrolyse ATP. While DFCP1 mutants defective in ATP binding or hydrolysis localize to forming omegasomes, these omegasomes fail to constrict properly in a size-dependent manner. Consequently, the release of nascent autophagosomes from large omegasomes is markedly delayed. While knockout of DFCP1 does not affect bulk autophagy, it inhibits selective autophagy, including aggrephagy, mitophagy and micronucleophagy. We conclude that DFCP1 mediates ATPase-driven constriction of large omegasomes to release autophagosomes for selective autophagy

STIM2 regulates PKA-dependent phosphorylation and trafficking of AMPARs

STIMs (STIM1 and STIM2 in mammals) are transmembrane proteins that reside in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and regulate store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). The function of STIMs in the brain is only beginning to be explored, and the relevance of SOCE in nerve cells is being debated. Here we identify STIM2 as a central organizer of excitatory synapses. STIM2, but not its paralogue STIM1, influences the formation of dendritic spines and shapes basal synaptic transmission in excitatory neurons. We further demonstrate that STIM2 is essential for cAMP/PKA-dependent phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluA1. cAMP triggers rapid migration of STIM2 to ER–plasma membrane (PM) contact sites, enhances recruitment of GluA1 to these ER-PM junctions, and promotes localization of STIM2 in dendritic spines. Both biochemical and imaging data suggest that STIM2 regulates GluA1 phosphorylation by coupling PKA to the AMPAR in a SOCE-independent manner. Consistent with a central role of STIM2 in regulating AMPAR phosphorylation, STIM2 promotes cAMP-dependent surface delivery of GluA1 through combined effects on exocytosis and endocytosis. Collectively our results point to a unique mechanism of synaptic plasticity driven by dynamic assembly of a STIM2 signaling complex at ER-PM contact sites

Pharmacological activation of serotonergic activity in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): A model of chronic stress

Chronic stress is the principal component to many human and animal disorders. As stress responses are remarkably conserved between mammals and teleosts, the use of teleosts in comparative models has been a useful tool in neurobiology. In particular, salmonid fishes have emerged as model organisms for chronic social stress due to their well-characterized social behavior and physiology. The serotonergic system is involved in a wide variety of functions, among which are the control of the neuroendocrine stress response and the regulation of an array of behaviors such as feeding and aggression. In salmonid models of chronic social stress, serotonergic activity in subordinate individuals has been found to be elevated in many brain regions, in some instances to pathological levels. In this study, the serotonergic system of Atlantic salmon was pharmacologically activated with fluoxetine for 18 days and the behavioral, physiological and neurochemical responses were examined. Fluoxetine induced anorexia, surfacing behavior and an increased tendency for treated fish to position themselves in a head up, tail down position. Physiologically, fluoxetine treated salmon had increased brain stem serotonergic and norepinephrine activity, greatly elevated cortisol levels, larger relative heart sizes, upregulated hypothalamic AVT and 5-HT1Aβ receptor mRNA levels. All of these behavioral and physiological parameters are strikingly similar to those exhibited by subordinate salmonids in chronic social stress models. These results indicate that long term pharmacological activation of the serotonergic system in Atlantic salmon recapitulates many of the typical behavioral and physiological markers found in salmonid models of chronic social stress. The utilization of fluoxetine and other pharmacological tools to manipulate serotonergic signaling may thus be of further use in elucidating the intricacies of the stress response and mechanisms that lead to its dysfunction

Fully-automated image processing software to analyze calcium traces in populations of single cells

Advances in fluorescence live cell imaging over the last decade have revolutionized cell biology by providing access to single-cell information in space and time. One current limitation of live-cell imaging is the lack of automated procedures to analyze single-cell data in large cell populations. Most commercially available image processing softwares do not have built-in image segmentation tools that can automatically and accurately extract single-cell data in a time series. Consequently, individual cells are usually identified manually, a process which is time consuming and inherently low-throughput. We have developed a MATLAB-based image segmentation algorithm that reliably detects individual cells in dense populations and measures their fluorescence intensity over time. To demonstrate the value of this algorithm, we measured store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) in hundreds of individual cells. Rapid access to single-cell calcium signals in large populations allowed us to precisely determine the relationship between SOCE activity and STIM1 levels, a key component of SOCE. Our image processing tool can in principle be applied to a wide range of live-cell imaging modalities and cell-based drug screening platforms

JIP4 is recruited by the phosphoinositide-binding protein Phafin2 to promote recycling tubules on macropinosomes

ABSTRACT Macropinocytosis allows cells to take up extracellular material in a non-selective manner into large vesicles called macropinosomes. After internalization, macropinosomes acquire phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns3P) on their limiting membrane as they mature into endosomal-like vesicles. The molecular mechanisms that underlie recycling of membranes and transmembrane proteins from these macropinosomes still need to be defined. Here, we report that JIP4 (officially known as SPAG9), a protein previously described to bind to microtubule motors, is recruited to tubulating subdomains on macropinosomes by the PtdIns3P-binding protein Phafin2 (officially known as PLEKHF2). These JIP4-positive tubulating subdomains on macropinosomes contain F-actin, the retromer recycling complex and the retromer cargo VAMP3. Disruption of the JIP4–Phafin2 interaction, deletion of Phafin2 or inhibition of PtdIns3P production by VPS34 impairs JIP4 recruitment to macropinosomes. Whereas knockout of JIP4 suppresses tubulation, its overexpression enhances tubulation from macropinosomes. JIP4-knockout cells display increased retention of macropinocytic cargo in both early and late macropinosomes. Collectively, these data identify JIP4 and Phafin2 as components of a tubular recycling pathway that operates from macropinosomes. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper

Mesoporous SiO2/BiVO4/CuOx nanospheres for Z-scheme, visible light aerobic C–N coupling and dehydrogenation

In light of the growing demand to use renewable energy, we have synthesized a mesoporous bismuth vanadate-copper oxide-silica photocatalyst (SiO2/BiVO4/CuOx) to act as a chromophore in a Z-scheme system. These photocatalysts are intended for effective light harvesting and charge separation in the synthesis of solar chemicals, using air as an environmentally benign oxidant. Full characterization of the SiO2/BiVO4/CuOx was conducted, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), which confirm the presence of CuOx at the heterojunction of the nanostructures. The other characterization methods that were employed included powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), elemental mapping, UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), N2 sorption experiments, photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and photocurrent measurements. Notably, the SiO2/BiVO4/CuOx nanospheres perform seven times faster than bulk BiVO4 and provide higher yields for the oxidative coupling of amines to imines, which are valuable precursors for agrochemicals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The superior photocatalysis of SiO2/BiVO4/CuOx is attributed to the surface CuOx nanoparticles that increase the average PL lifetime from 2.3 to 4.5 ns, which improved the charge separation and decreased the unproductive recombinations of electron-hole pairs. In addition, the photocurrent density of the SiO2/BiVO4/CuOx electrode was about 3.5 times higher than that of SiO2/BiVO4, while lower charge transfer resistance was observed by EIS. Meanwhile, chemical scavenging experiments revealed that holes and superoxide radicals were the main reactive oxygen species in the photocatalytic reaction. The nanospheres also show broad functional group tolerance, good recyclability with high conversions, and high to moderate yields for the oxidatively coupled imine products after eight runs. Thus, we demonstrate that an effective and green approach in artificial photosynthesis is applicable for organic synthesis as well.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Ministry of Education (MOE)Accepted versionH.S.S. is supported by MOE Tier 1 grants RG 12/16 and RG 13/17, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) AME IRG grant A1783c0002, and the Solar Fuels Lab at NTU. T.C.S. and T.W.G are supported by a MOE Tier 1 grant RG173/16 and MOE Tier 2 grants MOE2015-T2-2-015, MOE2016-T2-1-034, and MOE2017- T2-1-110

Code-Mixing of English in the Entertainment News of Chinese Newspapers in Malaysia

Abstract Code-mixing occurs when lexical items and grammatical features of two or more languages exist in the same sentence (Muysken

The phosphoinositide coincidence detector Phafin2 promotes macropinocytosis by coordinating actin organisation at forming macropinosomes

Abstract Uptake of large volumes of extracellular fluid by actin-dependent macropinocytosis has an important role in infection, immunity and cancer development. A key question is how actin assembly and disassembly are coordinated around macropinosomes to allow them to form and subsequently pass through the dense actin network underlying the plasma membrane to move towards the cell center for maturation. Here we show that the PH and FYVE domain protein Phafin2 is recruited transiently to newly-formed macropinosomes by a mechanism that involves coincidence detection of PtdIns3P and PtdIns4P. Phafin2 also interacts with actin via its PH domain, and recruitment of Phafin2 coincides with actin reorganization around nascent macropinosomes. Moreover, forced relocalization of Phafin2 to the plasma membrane causes rearrangement of the subcortical actin cytoskeleton. Depletion of Phafin2 inhibits macropinosome internalization and maturation and prevents KRAS-transformed cancer cells from utilizing extracellular protein as an amino acid source. We conclude that Phafin2 promotes macropinocytosis by controlling timely delamination of actin from nascent macropinosomes for their navigation through the dense subcortical actin network