Involvement and Possible Role of Eosinophils in Asthma Exacerbation

Eosinophils are involved in the development of asthma exacerbation. Recent studies have suggested that sputum and blood eosinophil counts are important factors for predicting asthma exacerbation. In severe eosinophilic asthma, anti-interleukin (IL)-5 monoclonal antibody decreases blood eosinophil count and asthma exacerbation frequency. However, even in the absence of IL-5, eosinophilic airway inflammation can be sufficiently maintained by the T helper (Th) 2 network, which comprises a cascade of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1/CC chemokines/eosinophil growth factors, including granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Periostin, an extracellular matrix protein and a biomarker of the Th2 immune response in asthma, directly activates eosinophils in vitro. A major cause of asthma exacerbation is viral infection, especially rhinovirus (RV) infection. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, a cellular receptor for the majority of RVs, on epithelial cells is increased after RV infection, and adhesion of eosinophils to ICAM-1 can upregulate the functions of eosinophils. The expressions of cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs) and CXCL10 are upregulated in virus-induced asthma. CysLTs can directly provoke eosinophilic infiltration in vivo and activate eosinophils in vitro. Furthermore, eosinophils express the CXC chemokine receptor 3, and CXCL10 activates eosinophils in vitro. Both eosinophils and neutrophils contribute to the development of severe asthma or asthma exacerbation. IL-8, which is an important chemoattractant for neutrophils, is upregulated in some cases of severe asthma. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which induces IL-8 from epithelial cells, is also increased in the lower airways of corticosteroid-resistant asthma. IL-8 or LPS-stimulated neutrophils increase the transbasement membrane migration of eosinophils, even in the absence of chemoattractants for eosinophils. Therefore, eosinophils are likely to contribute to the development of asthma exacerbation through several mechanisms, including activation by Th2 cytokines, such as IL-5 or GM-CSF or by virus infection-related proteins, such as CXCL10, and interaction with other cells, such as neutrophils

Single-Switch User Interface for Robot Arm to Help Disabled People Using RT-Middleware

We are developing a manipulator system in order to support disabled people with less muscle strength such as muscular dystrophy patients. Such a manipulator should have an easy user interface for the users to control it. But the supporting manipulator for disabled people cannot make large industry, so we should offer inexpensive manufacturing way. These type products are called “orphan products.” We report on the construction of the user interface system using RT-Middleware which is an open software platform for robot systems. Therefore other user interface components or robot components which are adapted to other symptoms can be replaced with the user interface without any change of the contents. A single switch and scanning menu panel are introduced as the input device for the manual control of the robot arm. The scanning menu panel is designed to perform various actions of the robot arm with the single switch. A manipulator simulation system was constructed to evaluate the input performance. Two muscular dystrophy patients tried our user interface to control the robot simulator and made comments. According to the comments by them, we made several improvements on the user interface. This improvements examples prepare inexpensive manufacturing way for orphan products

Tool Exchangeable Grasp/Assembly Planner

This paper proposes a novel assembly planner for a manipulator which can simultaneously plan assembly sequence, robot motion, grasping configuration, and exchange of grippers. Our assembly planner assumes multiple grippers and can automatically selects a feasible one to assemble a part. For a given AND/OR graph of an assembly task, we consider generating the assembly graph from which assembly motion of a robot can be planned. The edges of the assembly graph are composed of three kinds of paths, i.e., transfer/assembly paths, transit paths and tool exchange paths. In this paper, we first explain the proposed method for planning assembly motion sequence including the function of gripper exchange. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed through some numerical examples and a physical experiment.Comment: This is to appear Int. Conf. on Intelligent Autonomous System

Development of the class in “global social learning” that became a focus on environmental issues : Make use of cooperation of the three affiliated elementary school

本研究は，グローバル化による環境面での影響に着目し，それが社会問題化する背景を探る一方，児童が環境問題の現状や要因をとらえ，人々に与える影響や解決策を考えられる方法を検討し，授業開発を行った。その結果，地球環境学の「関係価値」に着目することで，現代の環境問題に迫る初等社会科授業案を提示できた。また授業開発する視点として，①学習材や環境問題の焦点化，②関係性を含み込んだグローバル化に関する教育内容の設定，③学習内容における「関係性によって成り立つ事例」や「身近な地域の関係性に関する事例」の取り扱い，④地球環境問題と人々や自然との関係性を扱う位置づけ，の４点を明らかにした。 今後は，更なる授業開発・実践に取り組みながらその有効性を検証するとともに，３年間で積み重ねた知見を踏まえ，「グローバル社会学習」のカリキュラム構築にも着手していく。This study developed classes with a focus on influences of environmental aspects that the other side children grasp the state and factor, and considers the influences and solutions that impacted on people, one side we investigate the background of social problem. As a result, to focus on global environmental studies, it is possible to develop elementary school classes of social studies to approach the contemporary environmental problem. In addition, we suggest a perspective from which to develop classes: (1) Focusing learning material on the environmental problem. (2) Creating learning material on globalization and relationship. (3) Pursuing a case study consisting of relationship and case study about relationship of familiar place in learning contents. (4) Positioning to take up relationship between the global environmental problem and man and nature. Henceforth, we will verify the effectiveness of lessons while taking further the development and practice of classes and start creating curriculums of global social learning based on the theory that we have developed for three years