DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL VEHICLE GUIDANCE SYSTEM: VEHICLE RISK MITIGATION AND CONTROL

Over a half of fatal vehicular crashes occur due to vehicles leaving their designated travel lane and entering other lanes or leaving the roadway. Lane departure accidents also result in billions of dollars in cost to society. Recent vehicle technology research into driver assistance and vehicle autonomy has developed to assume various driving tasks. However, these systems are do not work for all roads and travel conditions. The purpose of this research study was to begin the development a novel vehicle guidance approach, specifically studying how the vehicle interacts with the system to detect departures and control the vehicle A literature review was conducted, covering topics such as vehicle sensors, control methods, environment recognition, driver assistance methods, vehicle autonomy methods, communication, positioning, and regulations. Researchers identified environment independence, recognition accuracy, computational load, and industry collaboration as areas of need in intelligent transportation. A novel method of vehicle guidance was conceptualized known as the MwRSF Smart Barrier. The vision of this method is to send verified road path data, based AASHTO design and vehicle dynamic aspects, to guide the vehicle. To further development research was done to determine various aspects of vehicle dynamics and trajectory trends can be used to predict departures and control the vehicle. Tire-to-road friction capacity and roll stability were identified as traits that can be prevented with future road path knowledge. Road departure characteristics were mathematically developed. It was shown that lateral departure, orientation error, and curvature error are parametrically linked, and discussion was given for these metrics as the basis for of departure prediction. A three parallel PID controller for modulating vehicle steering inputs to a virtual vehicle to remain on the path was developed. The controller was informed by a matrix of XY road coordinates, road curvature and future road curvature and was able to keep the simulated vehicle to within 1 in of the centerline target path. Recommendations were made for the creation of warning modules, threshold levels, improvements to be applied to vehicle controller, and ultimately full-scale testing. Advisor: Cody S. Stoll

Conidial Morphogenesis and Septin-Mediated Plant Infection Require Smo1, a Ras GTPase-Activating Protein in Magnaporthe oryzae

The pathogenic life cycle of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae involves a series of morphogenetic changes, essential for its ability to cause disease. The smo mutation was identified > 25 years ago, and affects the shape and development of diverse cell types in M. oryzae, including conidia, appressoria, and asci. All attempts to clone the SMO1 gene by map-based cloning or complementation have failed over many years. Here, we report the identification of SMO1 by a combination of bulk segregant analysis and comparative genome analysis. SMO1 encodes a GTPase-activating protein, which regulates Ras signaling during infection-related development. Targeted deletion of SMO1 results in abnormal, nonadherent conidia, impaired in their production of spore tip mucilage. Smo1 mutants also develop smaller appressoria, with a severely reduced capacity to infect rice plants. SMO1 is necessary for the organization of microtubules and for septin-dependent remodeling of the F-actin cytoskeleton at the appressorium pore. Smol physically interacts with components of the Ras2 signaling complex, and a range of other signaling and cytoskeletal components, including the four core septins. SMO1 is therefore necessary for the regulation of RAS activation required for conidial morphogenesis and septin-mediated plant infection

Glycogen metabolic genes are involved in trehalose-6-phosphate synthase-mediated regulation of pathogenicity by the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

© 2013 Badaruddin et al.Editor - Peter N. Dodds, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), AustraliaThis work was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and a European Research Council Advanced Investigator Award to NJT. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.The filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae is the causal agent of rice blast disease. Here we show that glycogen metabolic genes play an important role in plant infection by M. oryzae. Targeted deletion of AGL1 and GPH1, which encode amyloglucosidase and glycogen phosphorylase, respectively, prevented mobilisation of glycogen stores during appressorium development and caused a significant reduction in the ability of M. oryzae to cause rice blast disease. By contrast, targeted mutation of GSN1, which encodes glycogen synthase, significantly reduced the synthesis of intracellular glycogen, but had no effect on fungal pathogenicity. We found that loss of AGL1 and GPH1 led to a reduction in expression of TPS1 and TPS3, which encode components of the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase complex, that acts as a genetic switch in M. oryzae. Tps1 responds to glucose-6-phosphate levels and the balance of NADP/NADPH to regulate virulence-associated gene expression, in association with Nmr transcriptional inhibitors. We show that deletion of the NMR3 transcriptional inhibitor gene partially restores virulence to a Δagl1Δgph1 mutant, suggesting that glycogen metabolic genes are necessary for operation of the NADPH-dependent genetic switch in M. oryzae.Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)European Research Council (ERC

Infection-Associated Nuclear Degeneration in the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae Requires Non-Selective Macro-Autophagy

addresses: School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom.notes: PMCID: PMC3308974Freely-available open access article.The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae elaborates a specialized infection structure called an appressorium to breach the rice leaf surface and gain access to plant tissue. Appressorium development is controlled by cell cycle progression, and a single round of nuclear division occurs prior to appressorium formation. Mitosis is always followed by programmed cell death of the spore from which the appressorium develops. Nuclear degeneration in the spore is known to be essential for plant infection, but the precise mechanism by which it occurs is not known

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL VEHICLE GUIDANCE SYSTEM: VEHICLE RISK MITIGATION AND CONTROL

Over a half of fatal vehicular crashes occur due to vehicles leaving their designated travel lane and entering other lanes or leaving the roadway. Lane departure accidents also result in billions of dollars in cost to society. Recent vehicle technology research into driver assistance and vehicle autonomy has developed to assume various driving tasks. However, these systems are do not work for all roads and travel conditions. The purpose of this research study was to begin the development a novel vehicle guidance approach, specifically studying how the vehicle interacts with the system to detect departures and control the vehicle A literature review was conducted, covering topics such as vehicle sensors, control methods, environment recognition, driver assistance methods, vehicle autonomy methods, communication, positioning, and regulations. Researchers identified environment independence, recognition accuracy, computational load, and industry collaboration as areas of need in intelligent transportation. A novel method of vehicle guidance was conceptualized known as the MwRSF Smart Barrier. The vision of this method is to send verified road path data, based AASHTO design and vehicle dynamic aspects, to guide the vehicle. To further development research was done to determine various aspects of vehicle dynamics and trajectory trends can be used to predict departures and control the vehicle. Tire-to-road friction capacity and roll stability were identified as traits that can be prevented with future road path knowledge. Road departure characteristics were mathematically developed. It was shown that lateral departure, orientation error, and curvature error are parametrically linked, and discussion was given for these metrics as the basis for of departure prediction. A three parallel PID controller for modulating vehicle steering inputs to a virtual vehicle to remain on the path was developed. The controller was informed by a matrix of XY road coordinates, road curvature and future road curvature and was able to keep the simulated vehicle to within 1 in of the centerline target path. Recommendations were made for the creation of warning modules, threshold levels, improvements to be applied to vehicle controller, and ultimately full-scale testing. Advisor: Cody S. Stoll

Genome-wide functional analysis reveals that infection-associated fungal autophagy is necessary for rice blast disease

To cause rice blast disease, the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae elaborates specialized infection structures called appressoria, which use enormous turgor to rupture the tough outer cuticle of a rice leaf. Here, we report the generation of a set of 22 isogenic M. oryzae mutants each differing by a single component of the predicted autophagic machinery of the fungus. Analysis of this set of targeted deletion mutants demonstrated that loss of any of the 16 genes necessary for nonselective macroautophagy renders the fungus unable to cause rice blast disease, due to impairment of both conidial programmed cell death and appressorium maturation. In contrast, genes necessary only for selective forms of autophagy, such as pexophagy and mitophagy, are dispensable for appressorium-mediated plant infection. A genome-wide analysis therefore demonstrates the importance of infection-associated, nonselective autophagy for the establishment of rice blast disease

Saprotrophic competitiveness and biocontrol fitness of a genetically modified strain of the plant-growth-promoting fungus Trichoderma hamatum GD12

This is an author manuscript that has been accepted for publication in Microbiology, copyright Society for General Microbiology, but has not been copy-edited, formatted or proofed. Cite this article as appearing in Microbiology. This version of the manuscript may not be duplicated or reproduced, other than for personal use or within the rule of 'Fair Use of Copyrighted Materials' (section 17, Title 17, US Code), without permission from the copyright owner, Society for General Microbiology. The Society for General Microbiology disclaims any responsibility or liability for errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or in any version derived from it by any other parties. The final copy-edited, published article, which is the version of record, can be found at http://mic.sgmjournals.org, and is freely available without a subscription 12 months after publication.Copyright © 2012 Society for General MicrobiologyTrichoderma species are ubiquitous soil fungi that hold enormous potential for the development of credible alternatives to agrochemicals and synthetic fertilizers in sustainable crop production. In this paper, we show that substantial improvements in plant productivity can be met by genetic modification of a plant-growth-promoting and biocontrol strain of Trichoderma hamatum, but that these improvements are obtained in the absence of disease pressure only. Using a quantitative monoclonal antibody-based ELISA, we show that an N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase-deficient mutant of T. hamatum, generated by insertional mutagenesis of the corresponding gene, has impaired saprotrophic competitiveness during antagonistic interactions with Rhizoctonia solani in soil. Furthermore, its fitness as a biocontrol agent of the pre-emergence damping-off pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is significantly reduced, and its ability to promote plant growth is constrained by the presence of both pathogens. This work shows that while gains in T. hamatum-mediated plant-growth-promotion can be met through genetic manipulation of a single beneficial trait, such a modification has negative impacts on other aspects of its biology and ecology that contribute to its success as a saprotrophic competitor and antagonist of soil-borne pathogens. The work has important implications for fungal morphogenesis, demonstrating a clear link between hyphal architecture and secretory potential. Furthermore, it highlights the need for a holistic approach to the development of genetically modified Trichoderma strains for use as crop stimulants and biocontrol agents in plant agriculture

Cytochrome P450-generated metabolites derived from ω-3 fatty acids attenuate neovascularization

Ocular neovascularization, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a primary cause of blindness in individuals of industrialized countries. With a projected increase in the prevalence of these blinding neovascular diseases, there is an urgent need for new pharmacological interventions for their treatment or prevention. Increasing evidence has implicated eicosanoid-like metabolites of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in the regulation of neovascular disease. In particular, metabolites generated by the cytochrome P450 (CYP)-epoxygenase pathway have been shown to be potent modulators of angiogenesis, making this pathway a reasonable previously unidentified target for intervention in neovascular ocular disease. Here we show that dietary supplementation with {omega}-3 LCPUFAs promotes regression of choroidal neovessels in a well-characterized mouse model of neovascular AMD. Leukocyte recruitment and adhesion molecule expression in choroidal neovascular lesions were down-regulated in mice fed {omega}-3 LCPUFAs. The serum of these mice showed increased levels of anti-inflammatory eicosanoids derived from eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. 17,18-epoxyeicosatetraenoic acid and 19,20-epoxydocosapentaenoic acid, the major CYP-generated metabolites of these primary {omega}-3 LCPUFAs, were identified as key lipid mediators of disease resolution. We conclude that CYP-derived bioactive lipid metabolites from {omega}-3 LCPUFAs are potent inhibitors of intraocular neovascular disease and show promising therapeutic potential for resolution of neovascular AMD