Status of Nanosatellite Development for Mothership Daughtership Space Experiment by Japanese Universities

We have begun the feasibility study to build a small satellite in the 3kg mass range and in the power range less than 30W since October in 1998, sponsored by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). This satellite installs three reaction wheels for an attitude control and camera which will demonstrate optical navigation experiment by using image processing. The BBM design status is described in this paper. The components such as a small reaction wheel, electric flash and onboard computer were built. Mothership - daughtership technology and formation flying experiments are planned. New electric propulsion is being developed for small satellite

Efficacy and Safety of Switching Prostaglandin Analog Monotherapy to Tafluprost/Timolol Fixed-Combination Therapy

Purpose. To assess the efficacy and safety of switching from prostaglandin analog (PGA) monotherapy to tafluprost/timolol fixed-combination (Taf/Tim) therapy. Subjects and Methods. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, normal-tension glaucoma, or ocular hypertension who had received PGA monotherapy for at least 3 months were enrolled. Patients were examined at 1, 2, and 3 months after changing therapies. Subsequently, the patients were returned to PGA monotherapy. The examined parameters included intraocular pressure (IOP) and adverse events. A questionnaire survey was conducted after the switch to Taf/Tim therapy. Results. Forty patients with a mean age of 66.5 ± 10.3 years were enrolled; 39 of these patients completed the study protocol. Switching to Taf/Tim significantly reduced the IOP from 18.2 ± 2.6 mmHg at baseline to 14.8 ± 2.5 mmHg at 1 month, 15.2 ± 2.8 mmHg at 2 months, and 14.9 ± 2.5 mmHg at 3 months (P<0.001). Switching back to the original PGA monotherapy returned the IOP values to baseline levels. Taf/Tim reduced the pulse rate insignificantly. No significant differences were observed in blood pressure, conjunctival hyperemia, or corneal adverse events. A questionnaire showed that the introduction of Taf/Tim did not significantly influence symptoms. Conclusions. Compared with PGA monotherapy, Taf/Tim fixed-combination therapy significantly reduced IOP without severe adverse events

Efficacy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin in combination with corticosteroid for two cases of combined hepatitis C and autoimmune hepatitis

The treatment strategy for cases of combined autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) has not yet been established. A 47-year-old woman and a 53-year-old-woman were hospitalized for treatment of CHC. Ultrasonography and histological findings revealed that their liver was not cirrhotic but did have chronic damage. The histological findings of both patients were suggestive of AIH. The patients were systematically treated with pegylated interferon-alpha 2b plus ribavirin which was preceded by and combined with corticosteroid (CS), and showed sustained virological responses and normal liver function. Although these two patients with combined AIH and CHC were successfully treated with this regimen, careful attention to exacerbation of hepatic inflammation is needed because hepatitis C viral load was increased due to immunosuppression during CS treatment

Development of observation system for tsunami and crustal deformation

The 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku earthquake (M9) occurred at 11 March in last year and huge tsunami brought severe damage around the Tohoku area. The huge earthquake brought large crustal movement. The movements were 24m on the forearc and 50m near the trench (Sato et al., 2011; Fujiwara et al., 2012). The observation, however, was measured after the occurrence and not in real-time. Therefore, we are developing new real-time observation system for tsunami and crustal movement developed by Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and Tohoku University. Our system is composed of seafloor stations and a buoy on sea surface, and these data are sent via satellites in real-time. We selected the m-TRITON buoy developed by JAMSTEC as the platform on sea surface. Because our target is the future Tonankai and Nankai earthquake, the buoy has to adapt slack mooring to stand strong sea current like the Kuroshio with speed of over 5 knots around Japan. We will attach recording systems for tsunami and geodetic movement and the transfer system to send data to satellites in real-time on the buoy. The power supply for them is covered with lithium batteries and the solar power generation. The seafloor station is composed of an equipment to transfer pressure data for tsunami detection and some transponders to detect geodetic movement. Tsunami data recorded by the seafloor pressure sensor is sent acoustically with interval of 15 minutes normally, but the interval changes to 15 seconds in tsunami occurrence. The geodetic movement data is collected with interval of one week. As positioning to monitor geodetic movement with high accuracy less than 10 cm, we adapt the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technical scheme developed by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and have a plan to construct total system to four years.Abstract AOGS/AGU (WPGM) Joint Assembly at Singapore, 13-17 August, 201

Long-term survival after resection of a gastric metastasis from transverse colon cancer: a case report

Metastatic neoplasms in the stomach from remote primary tumors are uncommon, and gastric metastases of colorectal origin are rare. We herein report a case of gastric metastasis originating from transverse colon cancer in a 61-year-old female patient. Curative right extended hemicolectomy and partial gastrectomy were performed. Histologically, both the colon and stomach tumors were moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with similar features. The postoperative TNM classification was stage IV disease (T4N0M1). The patient received 7 cycles of postoperative bevasizumab+FOLFOX (oxaliplatin plus an infusion of 5-fluorouracil/levofolinate) therapy and 4 cycles of additional chemotherapy with bevacizumab+FOLFIRI (irinotecan plus an infusion of 5-fluorauracil/levofolinate). The patient has a good quality of life with no signs of recurrence at seven years and four months after surgery

Regional Systems

Satellite-based augmentation systems (SBASs) are designed to enhance the performance of standard global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning. SBASs improve the positioning accuracy by providing corrections for the largest error sources. More importantly, SBASs provide assured confidence bounds on these corrections that allows users to place integrity limits on their position errors. Several systems have been implemented around the world and several more are in development. They have been put into place by civil aviation authorities for the express purpose of enhancing air navigation services. However, SBAS services have been widely adopted by other user communities, as the signals are free of charge and easily integrated into GNSS receivers. This chapter describes the basic architecture, functions, and application of SBAS. Because the key motivation behind SBAS is integrity, it is essential first to understand the error sources that affect GNSS and how they may vary with time or location. It is then explained how the corrections and confidence intervals are determined and applied by the user. The different SBASs that have been developed around the world are described and how they are developed to the same international standards such that each is interoperable with the others. The performances and services of each system are described. Finally, the evolution of SBAS from its current single-frequency single-constellation form into systems that support multiple-frequencies and multiple-constellations is described. The goal of this chapter is to explain the motivation for developing SBASs and provide the reader with a working knowledge of how they function and how they may be used to enhance GNSS positioning accuracy and integrity