Lessons Learned From Operations Planning and Preparation for EQUULEUS Launched Toward the Moon by SLS Artemis-1

EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) will be the world\u27s smallest spacecraft to explore around the Earth–Moon Lagrange point, which was launched on November 16, 2022, by NASA\u27s SLS (Space Launch System) Artemis-1. The primary mission of spacecraft is a trajectory control experiment, and its objective is to develop and demonstrate trajectory control techniques within the Sun-Earth-Moon region by flying to a libration orbit around the Earth-Moon Lagrange point L2 (EML2) along a low-energy transfer. EQUULEUS must perform a maneuver before the lunar flyby to stay within the Sun-Earth-Moon region. To perform DV1, we need to calculate and optimize the trajectory from launch to EML2. In addition, it is necessary to optimize the operation plan until the first lunar flyby, which is less than a week after launch. The reason for this is that the EQUULEUS trajectory will be significantly changed by the first lunar flyby, so appropriate trajectory control must be performed by that time. This paper presents the lessons learned in the operational preparation of EQUULEUS and those that should be applied to future missions to explore deep space, including the Moon and planets, by small and micro-satellites

EQUULEUS: Initial Operation Results of an Artemis-1 CubeSat to the Earth—Moon Lagrange Point

EQUULEUS is a 6U CubeSat developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the University of Tokyo, aiming to reach the Earth-Moon second Lagrange point (EML2) and perform scientific observations there. After being inserted into a lunar transfer orbit by SLS Artemis-1 on November 16, 2022, the spacecraft completed checkout operations and successfully performed a delta-V maneuver and subsequent trajectory correction maneuver. This enabled a precise lunar flyby as planned and successful insertion into the orbit toward EML2, which will take advantage of multiple lunar gravity assists and the gravity of the Sun. EQUULEUS is equipped with a water propulsion system newly developed by the University of Tokyo, and became the first spacecraft in the world to successfully control its orbit beyond low Earth orbit using water propulsion. The successful precise orbit control in the Sun–Earth–Moon region by EQUULEUS, a 6U CubeSat weighing only 10kg, has opened the possibility of full-scale lunar and planetary exploration by CubeSats. This paper describes the early operational results of EQUULEUS during its flight to EML2, with special emphasis on its precise orbit determination, guidance, and control results

Prilocaine-and Lidocaine-Induced Methemoglobinemia Is Caused by Human Carboxylesterase-, CYP2E1-, and CYP3A4-Mediated Metabolic Activation

ABSTRACT Prilocaine and lidocaine are classified as amide-type local anesthetics for which serious adverse effects include methemoglobinemia. Although the hydrolyzed metabolites of prilocaine (o-toluidine) and lidocaine (2,6-xylidine) have been suspected to induce methemoglobinemia, the metabolic enzymes that are involved remain uncharacterized. In the present study, we aimed to identify the human enzymes that are responsible for prilocaine-and lidocaine-induced methemoglobinemia. Our experiments revealed that prilocaine was hydrolyzed by recombinant human carboxylesterase (CES) 1A and CES2, whereas lidocaine was hydrolyzed by only human CES1A. When the parent compounds (prilocaine and lidocaine) were incubated with human liver microsomes (HLM), methemoglobin (MetHb) formation was lower than when the hydrolyzed metabolites were incubated with HLM. In addition, Met-Hb formation when prilocaine and o-toluidine were incubated with HLM was higher than that when lidocaine and 2,6-xylidine were incubated with HLM. Incubation with diisopropyl fluorophosphate and bis-(4-nitrophenyl) phosphate, which are general inhibitors of CES, significantly decreased Met-Hb formation when prilocaine and lidocaine were incubated with HLM. An anti-CYP3A4 antibody further decreased the residual formation of Met-Hb. Met-Hb formation after the incubation of o-toluidine and 2,6-xylidine with HLM was only markedly decreased by incubation with an anti-CYP2E1 antibody. o-Toluidine and 2,6-xylidine were further metabolized by CYP2E1 to 4-and 6-hydroxy-o-toluidine and 4-hydroxy-2,6-xylidine, respectively, and these metabolites were shown to more efficiently induce Met-Hb formation than the parent compounds. Collectively, we found that the metabolites produced by human CES-, CYP2E1-, and CYP3A4-mediated metabolism were involved in prilocaine-and lidocaineinduced methemoglobinemia

Poorer prognosis with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia: a single-center case-control study.

In ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP), automated platelet counts are lower than actual counts because of EDTA-induced aggregation. Factors contributing to the incidence of EDTA-PTCP are unknown, and no study has assessed the prognosis of EDTA-PTCP patients. This retrospective study assessed characteristics in EDTA-PTCP patients and matched controls to determine differences in prognosis. A retrospective case-control study was designed. From the University of Tokyo Hospital database, we identified patients diagnosed with EDTA-PTCP between 2009 and 2012, and performed 1:2 case:control matching for age and sex. A control group of sex- and age-matched patients was selected at random from the same database. We investigated differences in the frequency of complications, medication history, and blood transfusion history between the groups at the time of blood collection. Prognosis was evaluated using multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, autoimmune disease, liver disease, and malignant tumor. We identified 104 EDTA-PTCP patients and 208 matched controls. The median age was 69.0 years (interquartile range: 54-76), with men comprising 51%. EDTA-PTCP patients had a higher frequency of malignant tumor and a lower frequency of hypertension and diabetes than controls. After adjustment for background factors, prognosis of EDTA-PTCP patients was significantly poorer than controls (hazard ratio, 11.8; 95% confidence intervals, 2.62-53.54). In conclusion, EDTA-PTCP patients had higher mortality, and EDTA-PTCP may need to be recognized as an indicator of worse prognosis

Development and scale-up of perfusion cell culture process for higer productivity

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Impact of a New Medical Record System for Emergency Departments Designed to Accelerate Clinical Documentation: A Crossover Study.

Recording information in emergency departments (EDs) constitutes a major obstacle to efficient treatment. A new electronic medical records (EMR) system focusing on clinical documentation was developed to accelerate patient flow. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of a new EMR system on ED length of stay and physician satisfaction.We integrated a new EMR system at a hospital already using a standard system. A crossover design was adopted whereby residents were randomized into 2 groups. Group A used the existing EMR system first, followed by the newly developed system, for 2 weeks each. Group B followed the opposite sequence. The time required to provide overall medical care, length of stay in ED, and degree of physician satisfaction were compared between the 2 EMR systems.The study involved 6 residents and 526 patients (277 assessed using the standard system and 249 assessed with the new system). Mean time for clinical documentation decreased from 133.7 ± 5.1 minutes to 107.5 ± 5.4 minutes with the new EMR system (P < 0.001). The time for overall medical care was significantly reduced in all patient groups except triage level 5 (nonurgent). The new EMR system significantly reduced the length of stay in ED for triage level 2 (emergency) patients (145.4 ± 13.6 minutes vs 184.3 ± 13.6 minutes for standard system; P = 0.047). As for the degree of physician satisfaction, there was a high degree of satisfaction in terms of the physical findings support system and the ability to capture images and enter negative findings.The new EMR system shortened the time for overall medical care and was associated with a high degree of resident satisfaction

Biometric assessment of deep-sea vent megabenthic communities using multi-resolution 3D image reconstructions

This paper describes a method to survey the distribution of megabenthos over multi-hectare regions of the seafloor. Quantitative biomass estimates are made by combining high-resolution 3D image reconstructions, used to model spatial relationships between representative taxa, with lower-resolution reconstructions taken over a wider area in which the distribution of larger predatory animals can be observed. The method is applied to a region of the Iheya North field that was the target of scientific drilling during the IODP Expedition 331 in 2010. An area of 2.5 ha was surveyed 3 years and 4 months after the site was drilled. More than 100,000 organisms from 6 taxa were identified. The visible effects of drilling on the distribution of megabenthos were confined to a 20 m radius of the artificially created hydrothermal discharges, with the associated densities of biomass lower than observed in nearby naturally discharging areas

Visual onset expands subjective time

We report a distortion of subjective time perception in which the duration of a first interval is perceived to be longer than the succeeding interval of the same duration. The amount of time expansion depends on the onset type defining the first interval. When a stimulus appears abruptly, its duration is perceived to be longer than when it appears following a stationary array. The difference in the processing time for the stimulus onset and motion onset, measured as reaction times, agrees with the difference in time expansion. Our results suggest that initial transient responses for a visual onset serve as a temporal marker for time estimation, and a systematic change in the processing time for onsets affects perceived time