Standardizing Navigation Data: A Status Update

This paper presents the work of the Navigation Working Group of the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) on development of standards addressing the transfer of orbit, attitude and tracking data for space objects. Much progress has been made since the initial presentation of the standards in 2004, including the progression of the orbit data standard to an accepted standard, and the near completion of the attitude and tracking data standards. The orbit, attitude and tracking standards attempt to address predominant parameterizations for their respective data, and create a message format that enables communication of the data across space agencies and other entities. The messages detailed in each standard are built upon a keyword = value paradigm, where a fixed list of keywords is provided in the standard where users specify information about their data, and also use keywords to encapsulate their data. The paper presents a primer on the CCSDS standardization process to put in context the state of the message standards, and the parameterizations supported in each standard, then shows examples of these standards for orbit, attitude and tracking data. Finalization of the standards is expected by the end of calendar year 2007

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

Development of a ubiquitous healthcare monitoring system combined with non-conscious and ambulatory physiological measurements and its application to medical care

The demand for ubiquitous healthcare monitoring has been increasingly raised for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, acute life support or chronic therapies for inpatients and/or outpatients having chronic disorder and home medical care. From these view points, we developed a non-conscious healthcare monitoring system without any attachment of biological sensors and operations of devices, and an ambulatory postural changes and activities monitoring system. Furthermore in this study, in order to investigate those applicability to the ubiquitous healthcare monitoring, we have developed a new healthcare monitoring system combined with the non-conscious and the ambulatory measurements developed by us. In patients with chronic cardiovascular disease or stroke, the daily health conditions such as pulse, respiration, activities and so on, could be continuously measured in the hospital, the rehabilitation room and subject\u27s own home, using the present system. The results demonstrated that the system appears useful for the ubiquitous healthcare monitoring not only at medical facility, but also during daily living at home. © 2011 IEEE

Development of a ubiquitous healthcare monitoring system combined with non-conscious and ambulatory physiological measurements and its application to medical care.

The demand for ubiquitous healthcare monitoring has been increasingly raised for prevention of lifestyle-related diseases, acute life support or chronic therapies for inpatients and/or outpatients having chronic disorder and home medical care. From these view points, we developed a non-conscious healthcare monitoring system without any attachment of biological sensors and operations of devices, and an ambulatory postural changes and activities monitoring system. Furthermore in this study, in order to investigate those applicability to the ubiquitous healthcare monitoring, we have developed a new healthcare monitoring system combined with the non-conscious and the ambulatory measurements developed by us. In patients with chronic cardiovascular disease or stroke, the daily health conditions such as pulse, respiration, activities and so on, could be continuously measured in the hospital, the rehabilitation room and subject\u27s own home, using the present system. The results demonstrated that the system appears useful for the ubiquitous healthcare monitoring not only at medical facility, but also during daily living at home

Anthrax Toxins Induce Shock in Rats by Depressed Cardiac Ventricular Function

Anthrax infections are frequently associated with severe and often irreversible hypotensive shock. The isolated toxic proteins of Bacillus anthracis produce a non-cytokine-mediated hypotension in rats by unknown mechanisms. These observations suggest the anthrax toxins have direct cardiovascular effects. Here, we characterize these effects. As a first step, we administered systemically anthrax lethal toxin (LeTx) and edema toxin (EdTx) to cohorts of three to twelve rats at different doses and determined the time of onset, degree of hypotension and mortality. We measured serum concentrations of the protective antigen (PA) toxin component at various time points after infusion. Peak serum levels of PA were in the µg/mL range with half-lives of 10–20 minutes. With doses that produced hypotension with delayed lethality, we then gave bolus intravenous infusions of toxins to groups of four to six instrumented rats and continuously monitored blood pressure by telemetry. Finally, the same doses used in the telemetry experiments were given to additional groups of four rats, and echocardiography was performed pretreatment and one, two, three and twenty-four hours post-treatment. LeTx and EdTx each produced hypotension. We observed a doubling of the velocity of propagation and 20% increases in left ventricular diastolic and systolic areas in LeTx-treated rats, but not in EdTx-treated rats. EdTx-but not LeTx-treated rats showed a significant increase in heart rate. These results indicate that LeTx reduced left ventricular systolic function and EdTx reduced preload. Uptake of toxins occurs readily into tissues with biological effects occurring within minutes to hours of serum toxin concentrations in the µg/mL range. LeTx and EdTx yield an irreversible shock with subsequent death. These findings should provide a basis for the rational design of drug interventions to reduce the dismal prognosis of systemic anthrax infections

シンケイ リンパシュショウ デ サイハツシタ チュウスウ シンケイケイ ゲンパツ アクセイ リンパシュ ノ 1ショウレイ

【緒言】神経リンパ腫症は中枢神経または末梢神経への悪性リンパ腫細胞の浸潤によるリンパ節外悪性リンパ腫と考えられる稀な病態である。今回中枢神経系原発悪性リンパ腫の治療後完全寛解後に末梢神経浸潤にて再発を認め、化学療法と自己末梢血幹細胞移植にて完全寛解を得られた症例を経験したので報告する。【症例】50代男性、20XX年に中枢神経系原発悪性リンパ腫と診断、標準的な治療として大量メソトレキセート療法3回施行にて部分寛解、救援療法としてカルボプラチン、エトポシド療法3回と全脳照射(39.6Gy)を施行し完全寛解となった。9ヶ月後、歩行障害、右上肢麻痺、両下肢・右上肢の感覚障害と疼痛を認めた。頭部および脊椎造影MRIに異常所見はなかった。FDG-PET/CTにて右腕神経叢と脊椎神経根に異常集積を認めた。神経リンパ腫症が強く疑われた。脳脊髄液の細胞診とフローサイトメトリー(FCM)にて中枢神経系原発悪性リンパ腫の再発と診断。神経リンパ腫症と診断した。リツキシマブ、メトトレキサート、ビンクリスチン、プロカルバジン併用療法(R-MPV療法)、髄腔内化学療法、およびブスルファン、チオテパ併用(BU/TT)自己末梢血幹細胞移植を施行し完全寛解に至った。【結論】脳脊髄液細胞診とFCM、FDG-PET/CTを併用することで、神経リンパ腫症の診断が可能となった。中枢神経系原発悪性リンパ腫の再発としての末梢神経の神経リンパ腫症ついては確立された治療法はないことを考えると本症例はR-MVP療法とそれに続くBU/TT併用自己末梢血幹細胞移植の有用性を示唆するものである。[Introduction] Neurolymphomatosis is a rare extranodal malignant lymphoma caused by infiltration of malignant lymphoma cells into the peripheral or central nerves. We report a case of neurolymphomatosis as a relapse of primary central nervous system malignant lymphoma. He achieved complete remission with disappearance of neurological symptom by the combination of chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. [Case] A 50s-year-old male patient was diagnosed as primary central nervous system malignant lymphoma. His disease achieved partial remission with three courses of high-dose methotrexate therapy as induction therapy. The subsequent salvage therapy with carboplatin/etoposide and whole-brain irradiation (39.8Gy) led him complete remission. Nine months later, he developed gait disorder, right upper extremity paralysis, sensory disturbance and pain in both lower extremities and upper right extremities. There were no abnormal findings on head and spine imaging MRI. However, PET-CT scan demonstrated abnormal uptake of FDG in the right brachial plexus and spinal nerve roots. The cerebrospinal fluid cytology and flow cytometry confirmed the diagnosis of neurolymphomatosis as a recurrence of primary central nervous system malignant lymphoma. He underwent R-MPV therapy, intrathecal chemotherapy, and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation with a preconditioning of busulfan and thiotepa, resulting in complete remission of neurolymphomatosis with disappearance of neurological symptoms. [Conclusion] The cerebrospinal fluid cytology and flow cytometry together with PET-CT enabled us to make a diagnosis of neurolymphomatosis. Given that there are no established treatments for neurolymphomatosis of the peripheral nerves as a recurrence of primary central nervous system malignant lymphoma, this case suggests the possible efficacy of the R-MPV therapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation with busulfan and thiotepa

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month