Instanton Effects in Orientifold ABJM Theory

We investigate another supersymmetric Chern-Simons theory called the orientifold ABJM theory, which replaces the unitary supergroup structure of the ABJM theory with an orthosymplectic one. Its non-perturbative structure is completely clarified by considering the duplication of the quiver.Comment: 21 pages, 1 figure, v2: a reference added, minor changes, v3: typos corrected, published versio

BNIP3 Plays Crucial Roles in the Differentiation and Maintenance of Epidermal Keratinocytes

Transcriptome analysis of the epidermis of Hes1−/− mouse revealed the direct relationship between Hes1 (hairy and enhancer of split-1) and BNIP3 (BCL2 and adenovirus E1B 19-kDa-interacting protein 3), a potent inducer of autophagy. Keratinocyte differentiation is going along with activation of lysosomal enzymes and organelle clearance, expecting the contribution of autophagy in this process. We found that BNIP3 was expressed in the suprabasal layer of the epidermis, where autophagosome formation is normally observed. Forced expression of BNIP3 in human primary epidermal keratinocytes (HPEKs) resulted in autophagy induction and keratinocyte differentiation, whereas knockdown of BNIP3 had the opposite effect. Intriguingly, addition of an autophagy inhibitor significantly suppressed the BNIP3-stimulated differentiation of keratinocytes, suggesting that BNIP3 plays a crucial role in keratinocyte differentiation by inducing autophagy. Furthermore, the number of dead cells increased in the human epidermal equivalent of BNIP3 knockdown keratinocytes, which suggests that BNIP3 is important for maintenance of skin epidermis. Interestingly, although UVB irradiation stimulated BNIP3 expression and cleavage of caspase3, suppression of UVB-induced BNIP3 expression led to further increase in cleaved caspase3 levels. This suggests that BNIP3 has a protective effect against UVB-induced apoptosis in keratinocytes. Overall, our data provide valuable insights into the role of BNIP3 in the differentiation and maintenance of epidermal keratinocytes

MaestROB: A Robotics Framework for Integrated Orchestration of Low-Level Control and High-Level Reasoning

This paper describes a framework called MaestROB. It is designed to make the robots perform complex tasks with high precision by simple high-level instructions given by natural language or demonstration. To realize this, it handles a hierarchical structure by using the knowledge stored in the forms of ontology and rules for bridging among different levels of instructions. Accordingly, the framework has multiple layers of processing components; perception and actuation control at the low level, symbolic planner and Watson APIs for cognitive capabilities and semantic understanding, and orchestration of these components by a new open source robot middleware called Project Intu at its core. We show how this framework can be used in a complex scenario where multiple actors (human, a communication robot, and an industrial robot) collaborate to perform a common industrial task. Human teaches an assembly task to Pepper (a humanoid robot from SoftBank Robotics) using natural language conversation and demonstration. Our framework helps Pepper perceive the human demonstration and generate a sequence of actions for UR5 (collaborative robot arm from Universal Robots), which ultimately performs the assembly (e.g. insertion) task.Comment: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2018. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19JsdZi0TW

Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Cells with A Single Tet-Off Lentiviral Vector System

Objective: Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hASC) constitute an attractive source of stemcells for cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering as they are easy to acquire fromlipoaspirate, expansion, and genetic modification ex vivo. The combination of Pdx-1, MafA, and NeuroD1 has beenindicated to possess the ability to reprogram various types of cells into insulin-producing cells. The aim of this study is toinvestigate whether MafA and NeuroD1 would cooperate with Pdx-1 in the differentiation of hASC into insulin-producingcells.Materials and Methods:In this experimental study, we generated polycistronic expression vectors expressing Pdx1and MafA/NeuroD1 with a reporter from a human EF-1α promoter using 2A peptides in a single tet-off lentiviral vectorsystem. Briefly, hASC were transduced with the lentiviral vectors and allowed to differentiate into insulin-producing cellsin vitro and in vivo. Thereafter, RNA expression, dithizone staining, and immunofluorescent analysis were conducted.Results: Cleaved transcriptional factors from a single tet-off lentiviral vector were functionally equivalent to their nativeproteins and strictly regulated by doxycycline (Dox). Insulin gene expression in hASC transduced with Pdx1, Pdx1/MafA, and Pdx1/NeuroD1 in differentiation medium were successfully increased by 1.89 ± 0.39, 4.81 ± 0.98, 5.51 ±0.63, respectively, compared to venus-transduced, control hASC. These cells could form dithizone-positive cell clustersin vitro and were found to express insulin in vivo.Conclusion: Using our single tet-off lentiviral vector system, Pdx-1 and MafA/NeuroD1 could be simultaneouslyexpressed in the absence of Dox. Further, this system allowed the differentiation of hASC into insulin-producing cells

ModelicaGym: Applying Reinforcement Learning to Modelica Models

This paper presents ModelicaGym toolbox that was developed to employ Reinforcement Learning (RL) for solving optimization and control tasks in Modelica models. The developed tool allows connecting models using Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) toOpenAI Gym toolkit in order to exploit Modelica equation-based modelling and co-simulation together with RL algorithms as a functionality of the tools correspondingly. Thus, ModelicaGym facilitates fast and convenient development of RL algorithms and their comparison when solving optimal control problem for Modelicadynamic models. Inheritance structure ofModelicaGymtoolbox's classes and the implemented methods are discussed in details. The toolbox functionality validation is performed on Cart-Pole balancing problem. This includes physical system model description and its integration using the toolbox, experiments on selection and influence of the model parameters (i.e. force magnitude, Cart-pole mass ratio, reward ratio, and simulation time step) on the learning process of Q-learning algorithm supported with the discussion of the simulation results.Comment: accepted at EOOLT'1

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide type 1 receptor signaling evokes long-lasting nociceptive behaviors through the activation of spinal astrocytes in mice

AbstractIntrathecal (i.t.) administration of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) induces long-lasting nociceptive behaviors for more than 60 min in mice, while the involvement of PACAP type1 receptor (PAC1-R) has not been clarified yet. The present study investigated signaling mechanisms of the PACAP-induced prolonged nociceptive behaviors. Single i.t. injection of a selective PAC1-R agonist, maxadilan (Max), mimicked nociceptive behaviors in a dose-dependent manner similar to PACAP. Pre- or post-treatment of a selective PAC1-R antagonist, max.d.4, significantly inhibited the nociceptive behaviors by PACAP or Max. Coadministration of a protein kinase A inhibitor, Rp-8-Br-cAMPS, a mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase inhibitor, PD98059 or a c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor, SP600125, significantly inhibited the nociceptive behaviors by Max. Immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting analysis revealed that spinal administration of Max-induced ERK phosphorylation and JNK phosphorylation, and also augmented an astrocyte marker, glial fibrillary acidic protein in mouse spinal cord. Furthermore, an astroglial toxin, l-α-aminoadipate, significantly attenuated the development of the nociceptive behaviors and ERK phosphorylation by Max. These results suggest that the activation of spinal PAC1-R induces long-lasting nociception through the interaction of neurons and astrocytes

Adenocarcinoma of the Uterine Cervix Detected Over Long-Term Mass Screening in Japan

We retrospectively reviewed the history, records of detailed examination and/or treatment, and cytologic/histologic specimens of 32 adenocarcinoma cases (0.006%) detected among 482,451 examinees in a mass screening for cervical cancer conducted over a 20-year period (1975-1994). The detection rate of adenocarcinoma had increased gradually until 1989 with the increase of total examinees but became markedly lower in the last five-year period (p = 0.0227), probably because of the significant decrease in the number of initial examinees (p<0.0001). The frequency of early-stage adenocarcinoma (stage 0 or Ia) was 37.5% (12/ 32), markedly higher than the 8.4% (7/83) of the adenocarcinoma cases treated at our institution during the same period (p = 0.0004). Glandular epithelial neoplasms were suggested by cervical smears at detection in only 5/12 (41.7%) of the early-stage adenocarcinoma cases and in 17/ 20 (85.0%) of the frankly invasive adenocarcinoma cases (p= 0.0184). Atypical glandular epithelial cells could not be found in the smears at detection from the remaining 10 cases. Atypical cells from coexisting squamous cell neoplasms were found. The rate of the histologic coexistence of squamous cell neoplasms was 9/12 (75.0%) in the earlystage group and 6/20 (30.0%) in the frankly invasive group (p = 0.0269). This rate tended to decrease with the progress of the stage. Mass screening can detect early-stage adenocarcinoma in cervical smears, but half or more of the cases are discovered in smears with atypical cells from coexisting squamous cell neoplasms and incidentally found later in histologic specimens. To improve the accuracy of detecting cervical adenocarcinomas, we should investigate the cytologic features of atypical glandular epithelial cells obtained from early-stage adenocarcinomas. The its epidemiologic profile of this cancer should be furthur delineated for efficient mass screening programs