Development the interactive tonality blending system and artworks

The definition of "tonality" includes two meanings on artistic field. In the visual area, it means the system of tones or tints, or the color scheme, of a picture. In the meantime, it means the musical system of the relations of pitch, scale, chord and their progressions. In general, both definitions are expanded as the word that means the quality of visual, auditory perception. This artwork is the trial for assembling visual and auditory "tonality" in an interactive system

Development the interactive tonality blending system and artworks

The definition of "tonality" includes two meanings on artistic field. In the visual area, it means the system of tones or tints, or the color scheme, of a picture. In the meantime, it means the musical system of the relations of pitch, scale, chord and their progressions. In general, both definitions are expanded as the word that means the quality of visual, auditory perception. This artwork is the trial for assembling visual and auditory "tonality" in an interactive system

Positioning device for outdoor mobile robots using optical sensors and lasers

We propose a novel method for positioning a mobile robot in an outdoor environment using lasers and optical sensors. Position estimation via a noncontact optical method is useful because the information from the wheel odometer and the global positioning system in a mobile robot is unreliable in some situations. Contact optical sensors such as computer mouse are designed to be in contact with a surface and do not function well in strong ambient light conditions. To mitigate the challenges of an outdoor environment, we developed an optical device with a bandpass filter and a pipe to restrict solar light and to detect translation. The use of two devices enables sensing of the mobile robot’s position, including posture. Furthermore, employing a collimated laser beam allows measurements against a surface to be invariable with the distance to the surface. In this paper, we describe motion estimation, device configurations, and several tests for performance evaluation. We also present the experimental positioning results from a vehicle equipped with our optical device on an outdoor path. Finally, we discuss an improvement in postural accuracy by combining an optical device with precise gyroscopes

The mutual relationship between the host immune system and radiotherapy: stimulating the action of immune cells by irradiation

The effects of irradiation on tumor tissue and the host immune system are interrelated. The antitumor effect of irradiation is attenuated in the immunocompromised hosts. In addition, radiation alone positively and negatively influences the host immune system. The positive effects of radiation are summarized by the ability to help induce and enhance tumor-antigen-specific immune responses. The cancer-immunity cycle is a multistep framework that illustrates how the tumor-antigen-specific immune responses are induced and how the induced antigen-specific immune cells exert their functions in tumor tissues. Irradiation affects each step of this cancer-immunity cycle, primarily in a positive manner. In contrast, radiation also has negative effects on the immune system. The first is that irradiation has the possibility to kill irradiated effector immune cells. The second is that irradiation upregulates immunosuppressive molecules in the tumor microenvironment, whereas the third is that irradiation to the tumor condenses immunosuppressor cells in the tumor microenvironment. When used in conjunction with radiotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors can further leverage the positive effects of radiation on the immune system and compensate for the negative effects of irradiation, which supports the rationale for the combination of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In this review, we summarize the preclinical evidence for the reciprocal effects of radiation exposure and the immune system, and up-front topics of the combination therapy of immune checkpoint inhibitors and radiotherapy

Development of a Multifunctional Lightweight Membrane with a High Specific Power Generation Capacity

As a lighter power generation system, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Sakase Adtech Corp. are developing a demonstrator component named “Harvesting Energy with Lightweight Integrated Origami Structure” (HELIOS), which is a deployable lightweight membrane structure. HELIOS has solar arrays on its surface and demonstrates the technology which enables higher specific power generation capacity compared to the conventional solar array panels. The membrane also has communication antennas, showing the potency of lightweight membrane’s multifunctionality such as large data transmitting by 5G antennas and high-resolution observation by interferometer antennas. This paper presents the component’s concept and design, and the expected achievements

A multi-ethnic meta-analysis identifies novel genes, including ACSL5, associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating progressive motor neuron disease that affects people of all ethnicities. Approximately 90% of ALS cases are sporadic and thought to have multifactorial pathogenesis. To understand the genetics of sporadic ALS, we conducted a genome-wide association study using 1,173 sporadic ALS cases and 8,925 controls in a Japanese population. A combined meta-analysis of our Japanese cohort with individuals of European ancestry revealed a significant association at the ACSL5 locus (top SNP p = 2.97 × 10−8). We validated the association with ACSL5 in a replication study with a Chinese population and an independent Japanese population (1941 ALS cases, 3821 controls; top SNP p = 1.82 × 10−4). In the combined meta-analysis, the intronic ACSL5 SNP rs3736947 showed the strongest association (p = 7.81 × 10−11). Using a gene-based analysis of the full multi-ethnic dataset, we uncovered additional genes significantly associated with ALS: ERGIC1, RAPGEF5, FNBP1, and ATXN3. These results advance our understanding of the genetic basis of sporadic ALS

Dealing with Disasters: Environmental History of Early Modern Cities (Edo, Istanbul, London, Pest, and Prague)

List of ContributorsForeword Introduction The Ordinary and the Extraordinary in Early Modern Cities / Koichi Watanabe trans. by Hisashi Kuboyama Part I: Aspects of Urban Disasters Chapter 1 Typhoon Damage in 1856 Edo: Integrating Archaeology, Climatology and History / Koichi Watanabe, Junpei Hirano, Hiroyuki Ishigami, and Masumi Zaiki trans. by Hisashi Kuboyama Chapter 2 The Great Flood in Pest, 1838 / Csaba Katona Chapter 3 Fire Disasters in European Cities, 1600-1800 David Garrioch Comment Disaster of Beijing in the Qing Dynasty 1644-1911 / Akira Horichi trans. by Yoko Onodera Part II: Disasters and Responses Chapter 4 Prevent the Big Water. Flood Control Measures in Prague (Bohemia) Issued by Public Administrative Bodies in Late 18th Century / Ondřej Hudeček Chapter 5 Citizens’ Awareness of Firefighting in Edo: Analysing Eighteenth-Century Textbooks on Firefighting / Reiji Iwabuchi trans. by Hisashi Kuboyama Part III: Infrastructure as Artificial Nature Chapter 6 The Ordinary Made Extraordinary: The Archaeology of Water Management in a Global City / Sophie Jackson Chapter 7 Management and Civil Engineering of Urban Water Supply and Sewage System in Edo as Seen from Archaeological Excavation / Hiroyuki Ishigami trans. by Mina Ishizu Chapter 8 Dredging the Edo Castle\u27s Moat: a Case of the Okayama-Domain Dredging in 1765 / Reiji Iwabuchi trans. by Naoko Nomoto Chapter 9 Canal, Dredging and Sedimentation in the Lowland Area of East Edo: Considering Physical and Spatial Characteristics of Canals in a Historical Context / Genki Takahashi trans. by Hisashi Kuboyama Part IV: Hinterland and Nature Chapter 10 Flooding in Edo and the Tone-gawa River and Tama-gawa River Systems / Koichi Watanabe trans. by Hisashi Kuboyama Chapter 11 The Great Edo Flood of 1742 and the Okutama Valley / Koichi Watanabe trans. by Hisashi Kuboyama Chapter 12 The Deluge of Istanbul in 1563: a Case of Flood Where There Was No River / Kazuaki Sawai trans. by Yoko Onodera Chapter 13 Storms, Flooding and the Development of London 1300-1500 / Matthew Davies Chapter 14 Bridging London’s River’s General Situation of London, the Thames, the Bridge / Vanessa Hardin

Holocene paleolimnological studies of lakes in the Soya Kaigan of Antarctica inferred from the analyses of lake sediment cores

第3回極域科学シンポジウム　横断セッション「海・陸・氷床から探る後期新生代の南極寒冷圏環境変動」11月26日（月）、27日（火） ２階ラウン

Holocene paleolimnological studies in Lake Maruwan-oike of Soya Kaigan in Antarctica inferred from the analyses of sediment core

第3回極域科学シンポジウム/第34回極域生物シンポジウム 11月27日（火） 国立極地研究所 ３階ラウン