Path evaluation for a mobile robot based on a risk of collision

An odometry system that mobile robot uses for positioning has cumulative error because of wheels' slippage and uneven ground. It causes a risk of collision of obstacles. Therefore, we propose a path evaluation method for a mobile robot based on a risk of collision. To evaluate a robot's path, we define an evaluation value as an integral of a risk of collision along the path. To evaluate the risk of collision at each point, we use an estimated positioning error generated in the odometry system. Using the evaluation method, the robot can plan a path based on a risk of collision, not the shortest path. We also consider sensing points planning for position adjustment of the mobile robot, based on the same approach. Some examples of path evaluation results support a validity of the proposed method.</p

Diarylethene Isomerization by Using Triplet–Triplet Annihilation Photon Upconversion

Green-to-blue triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion with the well-studied upconversion pair 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA)/platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) was used to reversibly drive the photoisomerization of diarylethene (DAE) photoswitches by using visible light. By carefully selecting the kinetic and spectral properties of the molecular system as well as the experimental geometry, a single green light source can be used to selectively trigger both the ring-opening and the ring-closing reactions, whilst also inducing fluorescence from the colored closed isomer that can be used as a readout to monitor the isomerization process in situ. The upconversion solution and the DAE solution are kept physically separated, allowing them to be characterized both concomitantly and individually without further separation processes. The ring-closing reaction using upconverted photons was quantified and compared to the efficiency of direct isomerization with ultraviolet light

Anthropometrics, Lifestyle and BP

Background : High blood pressure (BP) is a healthcare problem in young persons. There are racial differences in anthropometrics, dietary habit and lifestyle relating to BP. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between anthropometrics, lifestyle and BP obtained in the Japanese university students. Materials and Methods : Participants were recruited in annual health screening including questionnaire, measurements of BP and anthropometrics calculating body mass index (BMI). Totally, 14,280 students (10,273 males and 4,007 females) were eligible. Multiple regression analyses were applied to predict contributors to high BP. Results : BMI was the most powerful contributor to high BP in many subgroups divided by gender and graduation (p < 0.001). In lifestyle, contribution of lack of exercise to high BPs was observed in the undergraduates. Smoking drinking and breakfast skipping had no significant impact on high BP. However, smoking and drinking permeated and exercise habit declined after graduation. Prevalence of obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg / m2) and hypertension ( ≥ 140 / 90 mmHg) increased in subgroups with advanced age (p < 0.001). Conclusion: BMI was found to be the most powerful contributor to high BPs. Health literacy to modify lifestyle is important to prevent hypertension for university students who are exposed to social trends of unhealthy lifestyle

Near-infrared two-photon absorption and excited state dynamics of a fluorescent diarylethene derivative

The version of record of this article, first published in Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43630-024-00573-y.Abstract: Near-infrared two-photon absorption and excited state dynamics of a fluorescent diarylethene (fDAE) derivative were investigated by time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies. Prescreening with quantum chemical calculation predicted that a derivative with methylthienyl groups (mt-fDAE) in the closed-ring isomer has a two-photon absorption cross-section larger than 1000 GM, which was experimentally verified by Z-scan measurements and excitation power dependence in transient absorption. Comparison of transient absorption spectra under one-photon and simultaneous two-photon excitation conditions revealed that the closed-ring isomer of mt-fDAE populated into higher excited states deactivates following three pathways on a timescale of ca. 200 fs: (i) the cycloreversion reaction more efficient than that by the one-photon process, (ii) internal conversion into the S1 state, and (iii) relaxation into a lower state (S1’ state) different from the S1 state. Time-resolved fluorescence measurements demonstrated that this S1’ state is relaxed to the S1 state with the large emission probability. These findings obtained in the present work contribute to extension of the ON–OFF switching capability of fDAE to the biological window and application to super-resolution fluorescence imaging in a two-photon manner

Emission color tuning and white-light generation based on photochromic control of energy transfer reactions in polymer micelles

We encapsulate a fluorescent donor molecule and a photochromic acceptor unit (photoswitch) in polymer micelles and show that the color of the emitted fluorescence is continuously changed from blue to yellow upon light-induced isomerization of the acceptor. Interestingly, white-light generation is achieved in between. With the photoswitch in the colorless form, intense blue emission from the donor is observed, while UV-induced isomerization to the colored form induces an energy transfer reaction that quenches the donor emission and sensitizes the yellow emission from the colored photoswitch. The process is reversed by exposure to visible light, triggering isomerization to the colorless form

Marker-free genome editing in the edible mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus, using transient expression of genes required for CRISPR/Cas9 and for selection

In a previous study, we reported a transient transformation system using repeated screening for hygromycin B (Hyg) resistance in the basidiomycete Ceriporiopsis subvermispora. In the present study, by combining this technique with CRISPR/Cas9, we demonstrated successful marker-free genome editing in Pleurotus ostreatus, which is one of the most economically important cultivated mushrooms as well as a model white-rot fungus. At first, transformant selection mediated by the transient expression of marker genes was demonstrated using a plasmid harboring the Hyg resistance gene (hph) in P. ostreatus. Then, genome editing of fcy1, which confers 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC) resistance to the host cell, was performed by the transient expression of Cas9, gRNA, and hph and strains with 5-FC resistance and Hyg sensitivity were isolated. Additionally, genome editing of fcy1 in these strains was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. To our knowledge, this is the first report of marker-free genome editing through the transient expression of Cas9, gRNA, and hph in agaricomycetes, which opens the door for repeated genome editing in these fungi

Expression and Role of IL-1β Signaling in Chondrocytes Associated with Retinoid Signaling during Fracture Healing

The process of fracture healing consists of an inflammatory reaction and cartilage and bone tissue reconstruction. The inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) signal is an important major factor in fracture healing, whereas its relevance to retinoid receptor (an RAR inverse agonist, which promotes endochondral bone formation) remains unclear. Herein, we investigated the expressions of IL-1β and retinoic acid receptor gamma (RARγ) in a rat fracture model and the effects of IL-1β in the presence of one of several RAR inverse agonists on chondrocytes. An immunohistochemical analysis revealed that IL-1β and RARγ were expressed in chondrocytes at the fracture site in the rat ribs on day 7 post-fracture. In chondrogenic ATDC5 cells, IL-1β decreases the levels of aggrecan and type II collagen but significantly increased the metalloproteinase-13 (Mmp13) mRNA by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. An RAR inverse agonist (AGN194310) inhibited IL-1β-stimulated Mmp13 and Ccn2 mRNA in a dose-dependent manner. Phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated-kinases (pERK1/2) and p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) were increased time-dependently by IL-1β treatment, and the IL-1β-induced p-p38 MAPK was inhibited by AGN194310. Experimental p38 inhibition led to a drop in the IL-1β-stimulated expressions of Mmp13 and Ccn2 mRNA. MMP13, CCN2, and p-p38 MAPK were expressed in hypertrophic chondrocytes near the invaded vascular endothelial cells. As a whole, these results point to role of the IL-1β via p38 MAPK as important signaling in the regulation of the endochondral bone formation in fracture healing, and to the actions of RAR inverse agonists as potentially relevant modulators of this process