Genome-wide Analysis Reflects Novel 5-Hydroxymethylcytosines Implicated in Diabetic Nephropathy

Long-term complications of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are the major causes for T2D-related disability and mortality. Notably, diabetic nephropathy (DN) has become the most frequent cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in most countries. Understanding epigenetic contributors to DN can provide novel insights into this complex disorder and lay the foundation for more effective monitoring tools and preventive interventions, critical for achieving the ultimate goal of improving patient care and reducing healthcare burden. We have used a selective chemical labeling technique (5hmC-Seal) to profile genome-wide distributions of 5-hydroxymethylcytosines (5hmC), a gene activation mark, in patient-derived circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Differentially modified 5hmC genes were identified across T2D patients with DN (n = 12), T2D patients with non-DN vascular complications (non-DN) (n = 29), and T2D patients with no complications (controls) (n = 14). Specifically, differential 5hmC markers between DN and controls revealed relevant pathways such as NOD-like receptor signaling pathway and tyrosine metabolism. A ten-gene panel was shown to provide differential 5hmC patterns between controls and DN, as well as between controls and non-DN patients using a machine learning approach. The 5hmC profiles in cfDNA reflected novel DN-associated epigenetic modifications relevant to the disease pathogenesis of DN. Importantly, these findings in cfDNA, a convenient liquid biopsy, have the potential to be exploited as a clinically useful tool for predicting DN in high risk T2D patients. Keywords: diabetes, nephropathy, epigenetics, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, cfDNA

MoFlus: An Open-Source Android Software for Fluorescence-Based Point of Care

High-sensitivity fluorescence-based tests are utilized to monitor various activities in life science research. These tests are specifically used as health monitoring tools to detect diseases. Fluorescence-based test facilities in rural areas and developing countries, however, remain limited. Point-of-care (POC) tests based on fluorescence detection have become a solution to the limitations of fluorescence-based tools in developing countries. POC software for smartphone cameras was generally developed for specific devices and tools, and it ability to select the desired region of interest (ROI) is limited. In this work, we developed Mobile Fluorescence Spectroscopy (MoFlus), an open-source Android software for camera-based POC. We mainly aimed to develop camera-based POC software that can be used for the dynamic selection of ROI; the number of samples; and the types of detection, color, data, and for communication with servers. MoFlus facilitated the use of touch screens and data given that it was developed on the basis of the SurfaceView library in Android and Javascript object notation applications. Moreover, the function and endurance of the app when used multiple times and with different numbers of images were tested.

Analisis Kinerja Wireless Access Point Menggunakan Wifi Monitoring Tools Berbasis Raspberry Pi 3

Komputer mini sekarang cukup maju hingga dapat dimanfaatkan dalam berbagai bidang. Salah satu komputer mini yang banyak digunakan adalah Raspberry Pi 3. Raspberry Pi 3 adalah salah satu komputer mini yang memiliki fitur berupa wireless LAN. Fitur wireless LAN pada komputer mini dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai Wireless Access Point. Sehingga Raspberry Pi 3 dapat menjadi alternatif Wireless Access Point. Namun komputer mini mempunyai kemampuan yang berbeda dengan Wireless Access Point pada umumnya karena mempunyai spesifikasi yang berbeda. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kinerja dari Wireless Access Point yang berbasis Raspberry Pi 3. Raspberry Pi 3 dihubungkan dengan laptop yang sudah terhubung dengan internet melalui kabel LAN dengan tujuan agar Raspberry Pi 3 dapat terhubung ke internet. Raspberry Pi 3 dikonfigurasikan sebagai Wireless Access Point (WAP) dan diprogram untuk pengambilan data dan monitoring yang berupa trafik dan informasi user yang ditampilkan dalam tampilan web. Pada penelitian ini telah dilakukan pengujian Raspberry Pi 3 sebagai Wireless Access Point. Kemampuan Raspberry Pi 3 sebagai Wireless Access Point sangat dipengaruhi oleh trafik yang dilakukan oleh user. Menurut hasil pengujian Raspberry Pi 3 sebagai Wireless Access Point memiliki batas maksimum user sejumlah 13 dengan beban trafik yang tinggi, 17 user dengan beban yang sedang dan 27 dengan beban yang rendah. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa Raspberry Pi 3 layak digunakan sebagai Wireless Access point dalam skala kecil.

PROBLEMATIC ISSUES OF OPERATION OF SYSTEMS OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING OF CONTROLLED PERSONS IN THE FPS OF RUSSIA AND PROMISING SOLUTIONS

Система электронного мониторинга подучетных лиц (далее - СЭМПЛ) в уголовно-исполнительной системе Российской Федерации положительно себя зарекомендовала, хотя и имеет ряд существенных проблем, связанных с законодательным урегулированием и практическим применением. Существует проблемы по использованию оборудования СЭМПЛ в связи с их недостаточно высокими техническими данными. Так, электронные браслеты функционируют в оптимальном режиме при температуре не ниже пяти градусов Цельсия, однако климатические условия во многих регионах нашей страны значительно суровее (к примеру, территории Крайнего Севера). Еще одним спорным моментом является осуществление контроля за лицом при помощи использования других средств контроля, к примеру, установка камер видеонаблюдения в том жилом помещении, где совместно с подозреваемым или обвиняемым проживают иные лица (родственники). В статье также отмечается, что СЭМПЛ применяется к такой категории преступников, которые совершили преступления небольшой и средней тяжести. Авторы предлагают установить перечень лиц, к которым целесообразно применять определенный набор технических средств мониторинга. Примерная классификация может выглядеть так: лица, которые условно-досрочно освободились из исправительных учреждений; лица, которые были привлечены к ответственности за преступления, связанные с половой свободой и неприкосновенностью; лица, которые были привлечены к уголовной ответственности не один раз. The system of electronic monitoring of controlled persons in the penal system of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the SAMPL) has proved to be positive in terms of practice for several years, although it has a number of significant problems requiring both legislative settlement and practical application. There are problems with the use of the SAMPL equipment due to insufficient technical data. Thus, electronic bracelets function optimally at a temperature not lower than 5 degrees of centigrade. In many regions of our country, climate conditions are not favourable, such as the territories of the Far North. Another point of contention is the control of the person by other means of control, for example, the installation of video surveillance cameras in the accommodation where other persons (relatives) live together with the suspect or accused. Thus, the SAMPL applies to the category of criminals who have committed misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. The authors also propose to establish a list of persons to whom it is advisable to apply a certain set of technical monitoring tools. An approximate classification may look like this: persons who were released from correctional institutions on parole; persons who were brought to justice for sexual offences; a category of persons who were brought to criminal responsibility more than once.

Fast Urban Land Cover Mapping Exploiting Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Data

The rapid change and expansion of human settlements raise the need for precise remote-sensing monitoring tools. While some Land Cover (LC) maps are publicly available, the knowledge of the up-to-date urban extent for a specific instance in time is often missing. The lack of a relevant urban mask, especially in developing countries, increases the burden on Earth Observation (EO) data users or requires them to rely on time-consuming manual classification. This paper explores fast and effective exploitation of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) data for the generation of urban LC, which can be frequently updated. The method is based on an Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA), where one Multi-Spectral (MS) image is used to define clusters of similar pixels through super-pixel segmentation. A short stack (<2 months) of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data is then employed to classify the clusters, exploiting the unique characteristics of the radio backscatter from human-made targets. The repeated illumination and acquisition geometry allows defining robust features based on amplitude, coherence, and polarimetry. Data from ascending and descending orbits are combined to overcome distortions and decrease sensitivity to the orientation of structures. Finally, an unsupervised Machine Learning (ML) model is used to separate the signature of urban targets in a mixed environment. The method was validated in two sites in Portugal, with diverse types of LC and complex topography. Comparative analysis was performed with two state-of-the-art high-resolution solutions, which require long sensing periods, indicating significant agreement between the methods (averaged accuracy of around 90%).

Research and Innovation Supporting the European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy: A Technology Perspective from Recent European Union Projects

Many concepts and innovations aim to improve transport and mobility, while helping to decrease the externalities that transport imposes on society. Research and innovation monitoring tools are important to assess the current state of development so that research funding and policy making efforts can be aligned optimally. This paper presents a comprehensive approach which links technological developments in the transport sector in Europe to the objectives of the most recent policy developments, in particular, the 2020 European Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. It does so by identifying and evaluating technologies from European Union-funded projects between 2007 and 2020, by means of a technology taxonomy. Information is provided at an aggregated level on funding characteristics of both projects and the technologies, while at the same time, the level of maturity of researched technologies in the most recent projects is identified. This study can aid policy makers to support the future development of transport technologies as part of pertinent policy strategies and identify research gaps.

Hydraulic Numerical Simulations of La Sabana River Floodplain, Mexico, as a Tool for a Flood Terrain Response Analysis

The floodplain of La Sabana River, Guerrero State, Mexico, was subject to disastrous floods due to the passage of extreme weather phenomena. This is a situation facing many ungauged rivers in Mexico, as well as in other developing countries, where increased urbanization and a lack of monitoring systems make many inhabited areas more vulnerable to flooding. The purpose of this work is to provide a tool for determining the flood terrain response to flooding based on a hydraulic study. This methodology combines a hydrological analysis of the river basin with the floodplain hydraulic study for the precise identification of overflow points and the resulting flood levels. Results show that, for an ungauged river, hydraulic analysis is an essential tool for determining the main potential flood points and establishing whether the river has the capacity to contain floods. Specifically, it is shown that La Sabana River is predisposed to overflow long before the river reaches its maximum flow, even in correspondence with more frequent flood scenarios. This study shows a further application that a hydraulic model can have to improve flood risk preparedness for ungauged rivers of regions where other types of monitoring tools cannot be used.

Monitoring of cyanobacteria using derivative spectrophotometry and improvement of the method detection limit by changing pathlength

Effective monitoring tools and methods are needed for the early detection and management of cyanobacteria in water bodies to minimize their harmful impacts on the environment and public health. This research investigated changing the cuvette pathlength (10-, 50-, and 100-mm) to improve the detection of cyanobacteria using UV-Vis spectrophotometry with subsequent application of derivative spectrophotometry and Savitzky-Golay (S-G) transformation. A non-toxigenic strain of blue-green cyanobacteria, Microcystis aeruginosa (CPCC 632), and a green algae strain for comparison, Chlorella vulgaris (CPCC 90), were studied in a wide range of concentrations (955,000–1,855 cells/mL). In each concentration range, method detection limits were established with absorbance measurements and S-G first derivative of absorbance using 10-, 50-, and 100-mm cuvette pathlengths. Increasing the cuvette pathlength from 10 to 100 mm resulted in a 15-fold improvement in sensitivity with absorbance and a 13-fold improvement with S-G first derivative of absorbance for M. aeruginosa. Overall, adoption of 100 mm pathlength and application of S-G derivative spectra improved the method detection limit for M. aeruginosa from 337,398 cells/mL to 4,916 cells/mL, which is below the WHO guideline for low probability of adverse health effects (&lt;20,000 cells/mL). Similarly, the detection limit for C. vulgaris was improved from 650,414 cells/mL to 11,661 cells/mL. The results also showed that spectrophotometry could differentiate M. aeruginosa from C. vulgaris based on the variations in their pigment absorbance peaks.

Olean (1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane): A Novel Intraspecific Chemical Cue in Coraebus undatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

The main aim of this work was to identify semiochemicals from the jewel beetle Coraebus undatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) that may aid in the improvement of current monitoring tools. First, HS-SPME collections revealed that individually sampled adults (>7 days old) of both sexes release the spiroacetal 1,7-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane (olean). Electroantennographic recordings from both sexes exposed to increasing amounts of olean followed a dose-dependent pattern, with females being more responsive than males to the highest amount of the compound (100 µg). In double-choice assays, adults older than seven days were significantly attracted to olean, whereas this attraction was not detected in insects aged less than seven days. Indeed, a repellent effect was observed in young females. Subsequent field trials employing sticky purple prism traps revealed that there were no differences among the number of insects caught in control and olean-baited traps at two different release rates (0.75 and 3.75 mg/day). Interestingly, all the trapped specimens were determined as mated females, regardless of the presence of olean. Overall, these findings provide a basis for unraveling the chemical ecology of the species, although further research is still needed to determine the specific role of this compound within the chemical communication of the species.