State Estimation for Linear Discrete-Time Systems with State-Dependent Noise

In this paper, the state estimation problem is considered for a class of linear systems with state-dependent noise. The optimal nonlinear estimator in the mean square sense is first derived on the basis of the Bayesian approach. Then a sub-optimal estimator is proposed, in which the estimate is still nonlinear in the observation data, and the covariances are obtained recursively using the observation data. The case where the state-dependent noise is white is treated specifically. Some simulations for this case are made in order to examine the practicability of the proposed sub-optimal estimator, and the result is compared with that of the linear estimator by McLane

The hemolytic and cytolytic activities of Serratia marcescens phospholipase A (PhlA) depend on lysophospholipid production by PhlA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Serratia marcescens </it>is a gram-negative bacterium and often causes nosocomial infections. There have been few studies of the virulence factors of this bacterium. The only <it>S. marcescens </it>hemolytic and cytotoxic factor reported, thus far, is the hemolysin ShlA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>An <it>S. marcescens shl</it>AB deletion mutant was constructed and shown to have no contact hemolytic activity. However, the deletion mutant retained hemolytic activity on human blood agar plates, indicating the presence of another <it>S. marcescens </it>hemolytic factor. Functional cloning of <it>S. marcescens </it>identified a phospholipase A (PhlA) with hemolytic activity on human blood agar plates. A <it>phl</it>AB deletion mutant lost hemolytic activity on human blood agar plates. Purified recombinant PhlA hydrolyzed several types of phospholipids and exhibited phospholipase A1 (PLA1), but not phospholipase A2 (PLA2), activity. The cytotoxic and hemolytic activities of PhlA both required phospholipids as substrates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have shown that the <it>S. marcescens phlA </it>gene produces hemolysis on human blood agar plates. PhlA induces destabilization of target cell membranes in the presence of phospholipids. Our results indicated that the lysophospholipids produced by PhlA affected cell membranes resulting in hemolysis and cell death.</p

ショウガイ ガクシュウ コウザ : コウサク ジッシュウ : ミニチュア ハウス オ ツクル

生涯学習講座「ミニチュアハウスをつくる」はシニア向けの工作実習として、3週に渡る2015年9月25日、10月2日と9日に実施した。その内容は、ミニチュアハウスを配した情景模型(ビネット)の製作である。縮尺は1/45としている。なるべく一般的な工作材料を使用し、初心者でも取り組めること、作品は棚に飾るディスプレーとして楽しめる内容とした。また、学んだ技法はドールハウスや鉄道模型に活用できることを狙いとした。これは男女を問わず工作への関心を持ってもらうための配慮である。講座の参加者は15名であった。初日は説明とスチレンシート切り抜き、2日目は建物の組み立てと塗装、3日目は情景パネルと樹木の製作を行った。参加者の作品は10月24、25日の翔風祭(学園祭)ならびに11月1日に学内で実施された区民祭までの期間、展示した。Building Miniature House Models is a craft seminar for senior citizen, and held on September 25, October 2 and October 9. The aim is to build a vignette( small diorama) with small house. Scale of the model is 1/45. It was planned to use commonly available materials, easily built by beginners, and suitable for shelf display. The techniques can be applied to doll house hobby and model railroads. 15 people attended the seminar.Guidance lectures and styrene foam sheet cutting was shown on the first day, building and painting structures were taught on the second day, and building scenery plate and trees were guided on the third day.Attendants\u27 pieces of work were exhibited during school festivals on October 24 and 25, and community festival held in the campus on November 1

Big-Volume SliceGAN for Improving a Synthetic 3D Microstructure Image of Additive-Manufactured TYPE 316L Steel

A modified SliceGAN architecture was proposed to generate a high-quality synthetic three-dimensional (3D) microstructure image of TYPE 316L material manufactured through additive methods. The quality of the resulting 3D image was evaluated using an auto-correlation function, and it was discovered that maintaining a high resolution while doubling the training image size was crucial in creating a more realistic synthetic 3D image. To meet this requirement, modified 3D image generator and critic architecture was developed within the SliceGAN framework.Sugiura K., Ogawa T., Adachi Y., et al. Big-Volume SliceGAN for Improving a Synthetic 3D Microstructure Image of Additive-Manufactured TYPE 316L Steel. Journal of Imaging 9, 90 (2023); https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging9050090

ディジタル オーディオ キキ ニ オケル サンプリング ジッター ノ ショ ヨウソウ ト ソノ ヨウイン

いくつかの種類のディジタルオーディオ機器におけるサンプリングジッター測定の結果を示した。解析信号を用いたジッター測定は、CD-Rメディアの製造メーカの違い、信号のビットパターン、ディジタル信号伝送系、DAC, ADCそしてプレーヤのクロック発振器など、複数の要因が、オーディオ機器の微細なジッター特性に影響を与えていることを示した。ジッター測定を通じて得られた最大のジッター成分振幅は、ジッター周波数2 Hz以上において、2nsを下回った。従来の周波数変動検知実験の結果と比較すると、この程度のジッターが音質に与える影響を聴取者が検知することは困難であると予想される。Results of sampling jitter measurement for several kinds of digital audio products are introduced. Jitter measurement using analytic signals revealed that several factors, that is, bit patterns of a signal, manufactures of CD-R media, a system of digital signal transmission, DAC, ADC and a clock generator, affect minute jitter characteristics of digital audio products. Throughout the measurement, maximum amplitude of a jitter component was less than 2 ns above jitter frequency of 2 Hz. According to the previous experiments on frequency modulation detection, the effect of jitter obtained from the audio products tested here on sound quality is supposed to be undetectable for a human listener

Building prognostic models for adverse outcomes in a prospective cohort of hospitalised patients with acute leptospirosis infection in the Philippines

Leptospirosis is endemic to the Philippines. Ten per cent of cases will develop severe or fatal disease. Predicting progression to severity is difficult. Risk factors have been suggested, but few attempts have been made to create predictive models to guide clinical decisions. We present two models to predict the risk of mortality and progression to severe disease. Data was used from a prospective cohort study conducted between 2011 and 2013 in San Lazaro Hospital, Manila. Predictive factors were identified from a literature review. A strategy utilizing backwards stepwise-elimination and multivariate fractional polynomials identified key predictive factors. A total of 203 patients met the inclusion criteria. The overall mortality rate was 6.84%. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that neutrophil counts [OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.15–1.67] and platelet counts [OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97–0.99] were predictive for risk of mortality. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that male sex (OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.22–12.57) and number of days between symptom onset and antibiotic use (OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.08–1.53) were predictive for risk of progression to severe disease. The multivariable prognostic models for the risks of mortality and progression to severe disease developed could be useful in guiding clinical management by the early identification of patients at risk of adverse outcomes

Leptospirosis in Squirrels Imported from United States to Japan

We diagnosed leptospirosis in 2 patients exposed to southern flying squirrels imported from the United States to Japan. Patients worked with exotic animals in their company. Leptospira isolates from 1 patient and 5 of 10 squirrels at the company were genetically and serologically identical and were identified as Leptospira kirschneri

Unique characteristics of new complete blood count parameters, the Immature Platelet Fraction and the Immature Platelet Fraction Count, in dengue patients

The advanced platelet parameters Immature Platelet Fraction and Immature Platelet Fraction Count have been implemented in clinical practice as measures of thrombopoietic activity, mainly in hematologic disorders that cause thrombocytopenia. The purpose of this observational study was to examine thrombopoiesis as reflected by these 2 new CBC parameters in patients infected with dengue. The study was conducted in infectious disease referral hospital in Metro Manila, the Philippines. We enrolled hospitalized patients at admission who were diagnosed with acute dengue or community acquired bacterial infection (CABI). Immature Platelet Fraction (IPF) and Immature Platelet Fraction Count were evaluated at admission and during hospitalization. A total of 606 patients were enrolled from May 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018. The participants consisted of 152 patients with dengue infection, 180 confirmed CABI, and 274 suspected CABI patients. At admission, the percent IPF (IPF%) of the patients with dengue was significantly higher than that of the confirmed CABI patients (median 3.7% versus 1.9%; p <0.001). In a time course evaluation, there was no significant difference of IPF% between the patients with dengue infection and the confirmed CABI patients in the febrile phase (median 1.9% versus 2.4%; p = 0.488), however, the IPF% of the patients with dengue infection increased to be significantly higher than that of the confirmed CABI patients in the critical phase (median 5.2% versus 2.2%; p <0.001). Our study elucidated the unique characteristics and time-course trends of IPF percent and number (IPF#) in the patients with dengue infection. IPF% and IPF# are potentially valuable parameters in dengue and further investigation is required for the optimal use in clinical practice

Genetic cholesteryl ester transfer protein deficiency caused by two prevalent mutations as a major determinant of increased levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol

金沢大学大学院医学系研究科病態検査学Genetic determinants of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the general population are poorly understood. We previously described plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) deficiency due to an intron 14 G(+1)-to-A mutation(Int14 A) in several families with very high HDL-C levels in Japan. Subjects with HDL-C ≥ 100 mg/dl (n = 130) were screened by PCR single strand conformational polymorphism analysis of the CETP gene. Two other mutations were identified by DNA sequencing or primer-mediated restriction map modification of PCR products: a novel intron 14 splice donor site mutation caused by a T insertion at position +3 from the exon14/intron14 boundary (Int14 T) and a missense mutation (Asp442 to Gly) within exon 15 (D442G). The Int14 T mutation was only found in one family. However, the D442G and Int14 A mutations were highly prevalent in subjects with HDL-C ≥ 60 mg/dl, with combined allele frequencies of 9%, 12%, 21%, and 43% for HDL-C 60-79, 80-99, 100-119, and ≥ 120 mg/dl, respectively. Furthermore, prevalences of the D442G and Int14 A mutations were extremely high in a general sample of Japanese men (n = 236), with heterozygote frequencies of 7% and 2%, respectively. These two mutations accounted for about 10% of the total variance of HDL-C in this population. The phenotype in a genetic compound heterozygote (Int14 T and Int14 A) was similar to that of Int14 A homozygotes (no detectable CETP and markedly increased HDL-C), indicating that the Int14 T produces a null allele. In four D442G homozygotes, mean HDL-C levels (86±26 mg/dl) were lower than in Int14 A homozygotes (158±35 mg/dl), reflecting residual CETP activity in plasma. In 47 D442G heterozygotes, mean HDL-C levels were 91±23 mg/dl, similar to the level in D442G homozygotes, and significantly greater than mean HDL-C levels in Int14 A heterozygotes (69±15 mg/dl). Thus, the D442G mutation acts differently to the null mutations with weaker effects on HDL in the homozygous state and stronger effects in the heterozygotes, suggesting dominant expression of a partially defective allele. CETP deficiency, reflecting two prevalent mutations (D442G and Int14 A), is the first example of a genetic deficiency state which is sufficiently common to explain a significant fraction of the variation in HDL-C in the general population