Path planning for planetary rover using extended elevation map

This paper describes a path planning method for planetary rovers to search for paths on planetary surfaces. The planetary rover is required to travel safely over a long distance for many days over unfamiliar terrain. Hence it is very important how planetary rovers process sensory information in order to understand the planetary environment and to make decisions based on that information. As a new data structure for informational mapping, an extended elevation map (EEM) has been introduced, which includes the effect of the size of the rover. The proposed path planning can be conducted in such a way as if the rover were a point while the size of the rover is automatically taken into account. The validity of the proposed methods is verified by computer simulations

Defect in Synaptic Vesicle Precursor Transport and Neuronal Cell Death in KIF1A Motor Protein–deficient Mice

The nerve axon is a good model system for studying the molecular mechanism of organelle transport in cells. Recently, the new kinesin superfamily proteins (KIFs) have been identified as candidate motor proteins involved in organelle transport. Among them KIF1A, a murine homologue of unc-104 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans, is a unique monomeric neuron– specific microtubule plus end–directed motor and has been proposed as a transporter of synaptic vesicle precursors (Okada, Y., H. Yamazaki, Y. Sekine-Aizawa, and N. Hirokawa. 1995. Cell. 81:769–780). To elucidate the function of KIF1A in vivo, we disrupted the KIF1A gene in mice. KIF1A mutants died mostly within a day after birth showing motor and sensory disturbances. In the nervous systems of these mutants, the transport of synaptic vesicle precursors showed a specific and significant decrease. Consequently, synaptic vesicle density decreased dramatically, and clusters of clear small vesicles accumulated in the cell bodies. Furthermore, marked neuronal degeneration and death occurred both in KIF1A mutant mice and in cultures of mutant neurons. The neuronal death in cultures was blocked by coculture with wild-type neurons or exposure to a low concentration of glutamate. These results in cultures suggested that the mutant neurons might not sufficiently receive afferent stimulation, such as neuronal contacts or neurotransmission, resulting in cell death. Thus, our results demonstrate that KIF1A transports a synaptic vesicle precursor and that KIF1A-mediated axonal transport plays a critical role in viability, maintenance, and function of neurons, particularly mature neurons

Principle and clinical usefulness of the infrared fluorescence endoscopy

Since there is no infrared fluorescence materials in the living body, infrared fluorescence labeling materials are very useful for making a diagnosis of a micro cancer. We have developed an infrared fluorescence endoscope (IRFE) and indocyanin green (ICG)-derivative as infrared fluorescence labeling materials to evaluate gastrointestinal neoplastic lesions. The study aims were to apply an IRFE and to demonstrate its usefulness in detecting cancerous tissue using an antibody coupled with ICG-derivative. IRFE consisted of an infrared endoscope equipped with excitation (710-790nm) and barrier (810-920nm) filters and an intensified CCD camera. We have developed ICG N-hydroxy sulfo succinimide ester (ICG-sulfo-OSu) and 3-ICG-acyl-1, 3-thiazolidine-2-thione (ICG-ATT) as an infrared fluorescent-labeling reagent. ICG-derivative-labeled mouse anti-human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)antibodyandMUC1 antibody were employed in this study. Moreover, we examined the ability of a reinforcement agent, octylglucoside, to intensity fluorescence from the labeled antibody. Biopsy specimens of gastric cancer were stained with anti-CEA antibody by the avidin-biotinylated peroxidase complex method. Among the positive specimens, freshly resected stomach from three cases were used for the infrared (IR) imaging analysis. The incubation of freshly resected stomach specimens with ICG-anti-CEA antibody-complex resulted in positive staining of the tumor sites by IRFE, and the IR fluorescent images correlated well with the tumor sites. The immunohistochemical studies suggested that the intensity of IR fluorescence of ICG-ATT-MUC1was stronger than that of ICG-sulfo-OSu. In tumor sections, the reinforcement agent intensified fluorescence, ever at low antibody concentrations. Therefore, we conclude that an anti-CEA (and/orMUC1) antibody with affinity for cancerous lesions and labeled with ICG-derivative can be imaged with this IRFE. Specific antibodies tagged with ICG-derivative with the reinforcement agent can label cancer cells and generate a strong enough fluorescent signal to detect small cancers when examined with an IR fluorescence endoscope

Multifocal Motor Neuropathy

Objective: Our objective was to do an epidemiologic survey of patients with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) in comparison with those with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in Japan. Methods: In this retrospective study, we examined 46 patients with MMN and 1,051 patients with ALS from major neuromuscular centers in Japan from 2005 to 2009. Diagnosis was based on the European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society (EFNS/PNS) and the revised El Escorial criteria. The efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) was also taken into consideration in the diagnosis of MMN. Results: The ratio of MMN to ALS patients (0-0.10) varied among the centers, but mostly converged to 0.05. The prevalence was estimated to be 0.29 MMN patients and 6.63 ALS patients per 100,000 population. Conclusions: The frequency of MMN patients was around 1 out of 20 ALS patients, and MMN was possibly underdiagnosed in some centers

MINERVA Rover which Became a Small Artificial Solar Satellite

Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), JAXA of Japan is operating the deep space explorer “Hayabusa” which made a rendezvous with the target asteroid “Itokawa” in September 2005. Hayabusa precisely observed the asteroid from the vicinity of the target and then landed on the surface in order to get some fragments from the asteroid, which will be brought back to the Earth in 2010. The authors have installed an experimental small rover named “MINERVA” into the explorer. It was supposed to make a world first surface exploration after having been deployed onto the surface from the mother spacecraft. MINERVA was deployed on 12 November 2005. Unfortunately it could not reach at the asteroid because the deployment was not done at the good timing. Thus it became a smallest artificial planet. It survived more than 18 hours after the deployment, all the while the obtained data were transmitted to the Earth via the mother spacecraft. This paper describes the operation and the obtained data of MINERVA

Development of an LC-MS/MS-based analytical method for quantification of soybean allergen Gly m 4 in soybean grains and processed foods

Gly m 4 is one of important soybean allergens, which has property to cross-react with birch pollen allergen. However, a universal method for quantifying soybean allergen is unavailable. We aimed to develop an LC-MS/MS-based method for Gly m 4 quantification. A recombinant Gly m 4 (rGly m 4) was used to plot a standard curve and conduct a recovery test. The recovery of rGly m 4 from soybean grain extracts was 128% and the intra- and inter-day coefficients of variation were 12.8% and 13.2%, respectively. The method had a limit of quantification of 0.1 µg/mL. Using a validated method, Gly m 4 content was found to range from 309 to 421 µg/g in soybean grains and 2.7–67 µg/g in soybean processed foods. The newly developed method demonstrated sufficient reproducibility, sensitivity and accuracy, and might be helpful for individuals with soybean allergy to control Gly m 4 intake from food products

Micro- and nanolander on the surface of Ryugu – Commonalities, differences and lessons learned for future microgravity exploration

Recent Space missions to the small bodies in our Solar System have shown an increasing importance of in-situ investigations. Philae, the comet lander of the ESA Rosetta mission performed the first landing on such a small body and its results clearly enhanced the overall scientific output of the Rosetta mission. While Philae was a rather heavy (~100 kg), very complex (and comparably expensive) lander, significant scientific results can be obtained also with much smaller devices. This has not least been demonstrated by the Hayabusa2 mission, delivering the MINERVA II and MASCOT landers to the surface of (162173)Ryugu. In this paper we will compare the benefits (and drawbacks) of surface packages in the 10 kg and 10 cubic decimeter class (MASCOT-Type) with the smaller (volume ~1 cubic decimeter and mass <1 kg) MINERVA-type rovers. The MASCOT-type lander is able to carry a suite of 4-6 miniaturized high resolution scientific instruments and is equipped with attitude control/determination systems and/or orientation mechanism, In contrast stands the much smaller MINERVA-type rovers, with limited possibility to accommodate scientific instruments of high resolution, but a high robustness due to a power system based on energy storage in a capacitor, an optimized mobility. Because of its small size and low mass, there is the advantage to carry several MINERVA units on one mission