Unmanned Construction System: Present Status and Challenges

ABSTRACT: This report analyzes past unmanned construction system done at the Unzen-fugendake and Usuzan volcanoes to organize the present status of unmanned construction systtem from varied perspectives, describes challenges and countermeasures, and introduces future prospects. Unmanned construction systtem have been done to perform emergency countermeasure work and restoration work at disaster sites. Remaining challenges include development of methods of performing remote hillside reforestation in devastated areas, remote traveling crane operation. Turning to the future, it is proposed that noise and vibration be provided around the operator’s seat in remote control rooms to create a sense of realism. Unmanned construction systtem should be used not only at disaster restoration sites, but also used effectively to increase safety at ordinary construction sites

Vitamin D receptor initiation codon polymorphism influences genetic susceptibility to type 1 diabetes mellitus in the Japanese population

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has been shown to exert manifold immunomodulatory effects. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is regarded to be immune-mediated and vitamin D prevents the development of diabetes in the NOD mouse. We studied the association between T1DM and the initiation codon polymorphism in exon 2 of the vitamin D receptor gene in a Japanese population. We also investigated associations between the vitamin D receptor polymorphism and GAD65-antibody (Ab) positivity. We carried out polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in 110 Japanese T1DM patients and 250 control subjects. GAD65 antibodies were assessed in 78 patients with T1DM. RESULTS: We found a significantly higher prevalence of the F allele / the FF genotype in the patients compared to the controls (P = 0.0069 and P = 0.014, respectively). Genotype and allele frequencies differed significantly between GAD65-Ab-positive patients and controls (P = 0.017 and P = 0.012, respectively), but neither between GAD65-Ab-negative patients and controls (P = 0.68 and P = 0.66, respectively) nor between GAD65-Ab-positive and -negative patients (P = 0.19 and P = 0.16, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the vitamin D receptor initiation codon polymorphism influences genetic susceptibility to T1DM among the Japanese. This polymorphism is also associated with GAD65-Ab-positive T1DM, although the absence of a significant difference between GAD65-Ab-negative patients and controls might be simply due to the small sample size of patients tested for GAD65 antibodies

A (não) representação das negras e negros no jornal laboratório Foca Livre

As pesquisas demográficas sobre os jornalistas no Brasil demonstram que a categoria é hegemonicamente branca. Estudos da área apontam que a representatividade nos veículos jornalísticos também privilegia a população branca em detrimento da parda e negra. Este texto volta o olhar para a formação das jornalistas, estudando a representação de negras e negros no jornal laboratorial Foca Livre, do curso de Jornalismo da Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa. Ao analisar os 25 anos do periódico, a pesquisa demonstra que a população negra não é representada, com presença ínfima em títulos, chamadas e fotografias. Quando aparecem, as negras e negros estão em contexto de mazelas sociais, o que reforça estereótipos de exclusão

Proteomic Profiling of Thyroid Papillary Carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. We performed shotgun liquid chromatography (LC)/tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis on pooled protein extracts from patients with PTC and compared the results with those from normal thyroid tissue validated by real-time (RT) PCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We detected 524 types of protein in PTC and 432 in normal thyroid gland. Among these proteins, 145 were specific to PTC and 53 were specific to normal thyroid gland. We have also identified two important new markers, nephronectin (NPNT) and malectin (MLEC). Reproducibility was confirmed with several known markers, but the one of two new candidate markers such as MLEC did not show large variations in expression levels. Furthermore, IHC confirmed the overexpression of both those markers in PTCs compared with normal surrounding tissues. Our protein data suggest that NPNT and MLEC could be a characteristic marker for PTC

Quinolizidines. VII. Structure of O-Methylpsychotrine : The Endocyclic versus the Exocyclic Double Bond Structure in the Dihydroisoquinoline Moiety

By comparison of its ultraviolet spectra in H_2O at various pH\u27s with those of model compounds, 11,14,16,17,and 18,the Ipecac alkaloid O-methylpsychotrine has been shown to have the genuine 3,4-dihydroisoquinoline structure (1), not the exocyclic double bond structure (4), in the free base form as well as in the protonated form. The ^1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and ^C NMR spectra of the alkaloid have also confirmed this endocyclic double bond structure in the dihydroisoquinoline moiety. These results indicate that the position of the double bond for simple 1-alkyl-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines is endocyclic, and factors that stabilize the exocyclic double bond structure are discussed. 1-tert-Butyl-3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxy-2-methylisoquinolinium iodide (30) has been found to be unstable in H_2O. On heating in H_2O at 90℃ for 10 min, it underwent ring opening to give 27 in good yield. The acid dissociation constants for 1-methyl-(16) and 1-tert-butyl-3,4-dihydro-6,7-dimethoxyisoquinoline (18) in H_2O at 20℃ were spectrometrically determined to be 9.16±0.02 and 8.80±0.02,respectively

Lack of association between estrogen receptor β dinucleotide repeat polymorphism and autoimmune thyroid diseases in Japanese patients

BACKGROUND: The autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITDs), such as Graves' disease (GD) and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), appear to develop as a result of complex interactions between predisposing genes and environmental triggers. Susceptibility to AITDs is conferred by genes in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and genes unlinked to HLA, including the CTLA-4 gene. Recently, estrogen receptor (ER) β, located at human chromosome 14q23-24.1, was identifed. We analyzed a dinucleotide (CA)n repeat polymorphism located in the flanking region of ERβ gene in patients with AITDs and in normal subjects. High heterozygosity makes this polymorphism a useful marker in the genetic study of disorders affecting female endocrine systems. We also correlated a ERβ gene microsatellite polymorphism with bone mineral density (BMD) in the distal radius and biochemical markers of bone turnover in patients with GD in remission. RESULTS: Fourteen different alleles were found in 133 patients with GD, 114 patients with HT, and 179 controls subjects. The various alleles were designated as allele(*)1 through allele(*)14 according to the number of the repeats, from 18 to 30. There was no significant difference in the distributions of ERβ alleles between patient groups and controls. Although recent study demonstrated a significant relation between a allele(*)9 in the ERβ gene and BMD in postmenopausal Japanese women, there were no statistically significant interaction between this allele and BMD in the distal radius, nor biochemical markers in patients with GD in remission. CONCLUSIONS: The present results do not support an association between the ERβ microsatellite marker and AITD in the Japanese population. We also suggest that the ERβ microsatellite polymorphism has at most a minor pathogenic importance in predicting the risk of osteoporosis as a complication of GD

The Biosynthesis of the Triterpene, Eburicoic Acid: The Utilization of Methyl-labeled Acetate

The C_(31)-triterpene, eburicoic acid, has been biosynthesized by allowing P. sulfureus to grow on a medium containing methyl-labeled acetate. By degradation of the acid, it has been shown that the carboxyl carbon, C_(21), and the two methyl groups, C_(30) and C_(31), of the gem-dimethyl group of ring A are derived from the methyl of acetate. Such a distribution is predicted on the basis of the squalene hypothesis of a "universal" biosynthetic mechanism leading to both the triterpenes and the sterols. It also was found that the extra carbon atom, C_(28), found on C_(24) of the side-chain is not derived from acetate