The Optimal Cut-offValue of Ankle Brachial Index for Screening Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Hemodialysis Patients

Article信州医学雑誌 64(3): 135-146(2016)journal articl

Flight density of aquatic insect fauna over river water surface in the middle reaches of the Shinano River, mainly among Caddisflies (Trichoptera).

We focused on the relative number of flying adult caddisflies on the river surface captured by sticky board traps with the aim of elucidating differences in the distribution pattern of caddisfly larvae along the slope in the middle reaches of the Shinano River. The individual number of adult caddisflies caught increased from April and decreased from October. Even in the same middle reaches of a river, there was a large difference geographically in the species captured. Hydroptila sp. was caught mainly downstream of the Taishyobashi Bridge, Psychomyia acutipennis (Ulmer 1908) in the vicinity of the Taishyobashi Bridge, and Stenopsyche marmorata Navás 1920 upstream of the Awasabashi Bridge. It is known that the slope of the Shinano River bed suddenly becomes less and the flow rate slower in the area from the Taishyobashi Bridge to the Awasabashi Bridge, and it was shown that the species composition and number of aquatic insects caught changes with the change in the slope of the river bed.ArticleZoosymposia.10:203-213(2016)journal articl

PotPet: Pet-like Flowerpot Robot

ABSTRACT We propose a flowerpot-type robot called PotPet that helps users grow plants more effectively and enjoyably. PotPet acts autonomously like pets: it automatically moves to sunny places or approaches people when it requires water. Basically, PotPet consists of a "real" plant, several sensors to detect plant status, a robot with wheels for mobility, and a microcontroller to control the above devices. Here we explain the concepts and implementation of the PotPet

Submolecular-scale imaging of α-helices and C-terminal domains of tubulins by frequency modulation atomic force microscopy in liquid

In this study, we directly imaged subnanometer-scale structures of tubulins by performing frequency modulation atomic force microscopy (FM-AFM) in liquid. Individual α-helices at the surface of a tubulin protofilament were imaged as periodic corrugations with a spacing of 0.53 nm, which corresponds to the common pitch of an α-helix backbone (0.54 nm). The identification of individual α-helices allowed us to determine the orientation of the deposited tubulin protofilament. As a result, C-terminal domains of tubulins were identified as protrusions with a height of 0.4 nm from the surface of the tubulin. The imaging mechanism for the observed subnanometer-scale contrasts is discussed in relation to the possible structures of the C-terminal domains. Because the C-terminal domains are chemically modified to regulate the interactions between tubulins and other biomolecules (e.g., motor proteins and microtubule-associated proteins), detailed structural information on individual C-terminal domains is valuable for understanding such regulation mechanisms. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that FM-AFM is capable of visualizing the structural variation of tubulins with subnanometer resolution. This is an important first step toward using FM-AFM to analyze the functions of tubulins. © 2011 Biophysical Society

RotoSwype : word-gesture typing using a ring

Funding: NSERC Discovery Grant #2018-05187, the Canada Foundation for Innovation Infrastructure Fund “Facility for Fully Interactive Physio-digital Spaces” (#33151), and Ontario Early Researcher Award #ER16-12-184.We propose RotoSwype, a technique for word-gesture typing using the orientation of a ring worn on the index finger. RotoSwype enables one-handed text-input without encumbering the hand with a device, a desirable quality in many scenarios, including virtual or augmented reality. The method is evaluated using two arm positions: with the hand raised up with the palm parallel to the ground; and with the hand resting at the side with the palm facing the body. A five-day study finds both hand positions achieved speeds of at least 14 words-per-minute (WPM) with uncorrected error rates near 1%, outperforming previous comparable techniques.Postprin