Robotic servicing system for space material experiment

A containerless image furnace with an electrostatic positioning device has been developed as one of the material experiment facilities on the Japanese experimental module (JEM). It is characterized by heating/melting/cooling the sample whose position is kept without any contacts by actively controlled electrostatic force exerted between the sample and a set of electrodes. The experiment using the image furnace requires various servicing operations. We have been developing a robotic servicing system with an internal robot accommodated in the rack as an alternative to the crew. It aims to reduce the load on the crew by automating regular tasks and to increase the flexibility applicable to simple irregular tasks by introducing a remote teleoperation scheme. The present robot has poor capability to replace the crew. In order to compensate it, introducing of the concept of the robot friendliness and improving the controllability of the teleoperation by the ground operator aids are essential. In this paper, we identify the tasks to be performed by the robotic servicing system and discuss the way to compensate the capability of the robot. In addition we describe the evaluation tests using an experimental model

Traditional Chinese Medicines and Prescriptions Brought from China to Japan by a Monk (Jianzhen, Japanese: Ganjin): A Historical Review

(1) Background: Japanese Kampo medicine has its origin in ancient Chinese medicine. In 742, a Tang Dynasty monk named Jianzhen (Ganjin) was invited by Japanese clerics to visit Japan and teach commandments in Buddhism. Because of the dangers of the voyage and also other obstacles, he took 11 years to reach Japan on the sixth voyage and he was blind when he arrived in Japan. He was the first person in China to go to Japan to establish the Buddhism commandments, and he was also the first person in Japan to directly teach traditional Chinese medicine. Until now, there have been few reports in English about the details of the Chinese herbal medicines he brought to Japan, including the types of herbal medicines, pharmacological activities, and formulations. In the review, we systematically and comprehensively summarized Jianzhen’s life from the standpoint of his medical and pharmaceutical knowledge and the types and pharmacological activities of Chinese herbal medicines and prescriptions that were brought to Japan by Jianzhen; (2) Methods: A review was made on the relevant literature written by Chinese, Japanese, and English languages regarding the medical and pharmacological knowledge of Jianzhen, the 36 Chinese herbal medicines brought to Japan by Jianzhen, and the pharmacological and therapeutic effects of these 36 herbal medicines, as well as their formulations; (3) Results: The review of the literature proved that Jianzhen’s prescriptions served as a basis for current herbal medicines (Kampo) in Japan. In the process of the literature search, we found a book entitled Jianshangren (Holy Priest Jianzhen)’s Secret Prescription, which recorded the complete prescription of the 36 traditional Chinese medicines Jianzhen brought to Japan; (4) Conclusions: Jianzhen is one of the ancestors of traditional Chinese medicine/Kampo medicine, and he brought traditional Chinese medicine and medical books to Japan for patients. He made important contributions to the development of traditional Chinese medicine in Japan

Experimental beta-alaninuria induced by (aminooxy)acetate

Experimental beta-alaninuria was induced in rats by injection of (aminooxy)acetate (AOA), a potent inhibitor of aminotransferases, in order to elucidate the pathogenesis of hyper-beta-alaninemia. A 27-fold increase of beta-alanine (BALA) excretion was induced by subcutaneous injection of 1 5 mg of AOA per kg of body weight. A 13-fold and a 9-fold increase of beta-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), respectively, were also induced simultaneously by the AOA injection. Identification of BALA and BAIBA isolated from the rat urine was performed by chromatographic and mass spectrometric analyses. The effects of AOA injection on the tissue levels of these amino acids were also studied. Contents of BALA in the liver and kidney and GABA in the brain increased significantly in response to AOA injection. The present study indicates that BALA transaminase is involved in hyper-beta-alaninemia.</p

A new containerless image furnace with electro-static positioning device

A new containerless image furnace with a microwave discharge plasma lamp and electrostatic positioning device was developed for the use of the microgravity experiment on the Japanese experimental module (JEM). The electrostatic positioning system was tested under the reduced gravity environment in the MU-300 aircraft. Solid specimens (maximum weight is 1.3 gr and 10 mm in diameter) and water drops (maximum weight is 0.11 gr and 6 mm in diameter) were successfully controlled under the 0.02G environment. Rotation control of the dielectric specimen was also possible by means of supplying a rotating electric field while the specimen is levitating. The measured rotation speed of the glass shell specimen (0.08 gr, 10 mm) was up to 110 rpm, when the rotating field frequency was 6Hz

Protocol for Genome Editing to Produce Multiple Mutants in Wheat

Here, we describe a protocol for producing multiple recessive mutants via genome editing in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum) cv. Fielder. Using Agrobacterium-delivered CRISPR/Cas9 and three sub-genome-specific primer sets, all possible combinations of single, double, and triple transgene-free mutants can be generated. The technique for acceleration of generation advancement with embryo culture reduces time for mutant production. The mutants produced by this protocol can be used for the analysis of gene function and crop improvement. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Abe et al. (2019)

Therapeutic Effects of a Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitor in Diabetic Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Multiple large-scale clinical trials have indicated that sodium glucose cotransporter 2（SGLT2）inhibitors reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events, deterioration of renal function and mortality. However, the therapeutic effects of SGLT2 inhibitors are supposed to be limited in patients with reduced renal function considering the mechanism of their action. In this study, a SGLT2 inhibitor, ipragliflozin was given to 30 type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy whose estimated glomerular filtration rate（eGFR）was not lower than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2. After 12 to 16 weeks, hemoglobin A1c decreased by 0.6％（p＜0.001）, body weight was reduced by 1.8 kg（p＜0.01）and blood pressure was lowered by －10/－6 mmHg（p＜0.001/p ＜0.001）. This was accompanied by reductions in serum uric acid（－0.7 mg/dL, p＜0.001）, triglycerides （－25 mg/dL, p＝0.028）and g-glutamyl transferase（－8 U/L, p＝0.001）. On the other hand, plasma B-type natriuretic peptide also decreased by 12％（p＝0.020）and urinary albumin excretion was reduced by 23％ （p＝0.018）although the eGFR was not significantly changed. It is concluded that ipragliflozin is effective in lowering blood glucose even in patients with diabetic kidney disease and is beneficial in improving theaccompanying obesity and hypertension. In addition, ipragliflozin is thought to have favorable influences on the metabolisms of uric acid and lipids. These properties of ipragliflozin is expected to bring about protective effects against the progression of nephropathy and the development of cardiovascular disease resulting in the improvement of prognosis in diabetic patients with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease

Effects of thyroxine on L-cysteine desulfuration in mouse liver.

The effect of exogenous thyroxine (T4) administration on the activity of rhodanese, cystathionase, and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST) in the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions of mouse liver was investigated. Three groups of mice were treated for 6 consecutive days with subcutaneous injections of T4 (50 micrograms, 100 micrograms, and 250 micrograms per 100 g of body wt, respectively). The other 3 groups were given 100 micrograms of T4 per 100 g of body wt for 1, 2, or 3 days. The dose of 100 micrograms T4 per 100 g of body wt given for 6 days exerted the strongest effect on the activity of all of the investigated enzymes. In comparison to the control, rhodanese activity diminished in the mitochondrial fraction by 40% (P &#60; 0.05), cystathionase activity diminished in the cytosolic fraction by 15% (P &#60; 0.05), and MPST activity in the mitochondrial fraction was reduced by 34% (P &#60; 0.05), whereas cytosolic MPST activity was unaltered. Simultaneously, in the liver homogenate, elevated levels of ATP and sulfate were observed after 6 days of T4 administration. Thus, the present results seem to suggest that in the mouse liver, after 6 days of administration of 100 micrograms T4 per 100 g of body wt, the desulfuration metabolism of L-cysteine is diminished, which is probably accompanied by an increase in oxidative L-cysteine metabolism. The dose of 100 micrograms per 100 g of body wt administered for a shorter period, and the use of a lower dosage (50 micrograms T4 per 100 g of body wt) for 6 days had a stimulatory effect upon MPST activity level, and an increased level of sulfane sulfur was observed.</p