Response to Assist Torque Failure of Physical-Assistant Robots

Yoichi Asano,Koji Matsumoto,Hiroyuki Jinbo 제어로봇시스템학회 2017 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2017 No.10

In physical assistant robots used to mitigate burden on the lumbar, there is a risk that if the assist torque is lost, excessive burden may be applied to the lumbar. Therefore, for some products, a system to lock the moving parts on the lumbar is examined as a prevention measure against this risk. Through an experiment on a subject who wears test equipment that simulates a physical-assistant robot, the myogenic potential at the lumbar when the assist torque was lost was measured. Results indicated that if the moving part is locked within 151 msec after the loss of assist torque, the load of the lifted baggage can be supported by the frame of the robot and thus the burden on the user can be mitigated.

Development of a Test Method for Assisted Walking Trolleys

Yoichi Asano,Hiroyuki Jinbo,Naoya Watanabe 제어로봇시스템학회 2019 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2019 No.10

Manufacturers have recently been developing assistive walking devices with electric motors, based on rollators and walking trolleys, in Japan. These assistive devices have electric motors to assist walking on sloped surfaces. Furthermore, they have a function that automatically suppresses the speed on downhill slopes. Here a walking experiment was conducted to investigate the speed at which the suppression function needed to be applied in various walking conditions. The subjects in the experiment walked while leaning on the assistive device, applying forces of 37 (horizontal) and 204 N (vertical) on downhill slopes. Furthermore, an analysis of the walking data obtained from traditional walking trolleys revealed that 80% of the subjects walked at a speed of 2.5 km/h or more. Two experiments were conducted to develop a test method that analyzed the performance of the suppression function on downhill slopes. The proposed test method results yielded sufficient accuracy.

Phase II study of niraparib in recurrent or persistent rare fraction of gynecologic malignancies with homologous recombination deficiency (JGOG2052)

Hiroshi Asano,Katsutoshi Oda,Kosuke Yoshihara,Yoichi M Ito,Noriomi Matsumura,Muneaki Shimada,Hidemichi Watari,Takayuki Enomoto 대한부인종양학회 2022 Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Vol.33 No.4

Background: Poly (adenosine diphosphate)-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for tumors with homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), including pathogenic mutationsin , have been developed. Genomic analysis revealed that about 20% of uterine leiomyosarcoma (uLMS) have HRD, including 7.5%–10% of alterations and 4%–6% of carcinomas of the uterine corpus, and 2.5%–4% of the uterine cervix have alterations of. Preclinical and clinical case reports suggest that PARP inhibitors may be effective against those targets. The Japanese Gynecologic Oncology Group (JGOG) is now planning to conduct a new investigator-initiated clinical trial, JGOG2052. Methods: JGOG2052 is a single-arm, open-label, multi-center, phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of niraparib monotherapy for a recurrent or persistent rare fraction of gynecologic malignancies with mutations except for ovarian cancers. We will independently consider the effect of niraparib for uLMS or other gynecologic malignancies with mutations (cohort A, C) and HRD positive uLMS without mutations (cohort B). Participants must have 1–3 lines of previous chemotherapy and at least one measurable lesion according to RECIST (v.1.1). Niraparib will be orally administered once a day until lesion exacerbation or unacceptable adverse events occur. Efficacy will be evaluated by imaging through an additional computed tomography scan every 8 weeks. Safety will be measured weekly in cycle 1 and every 4 weeks after cycle 2 by blood tests and physical examinations. The sample size is 16–20 in each of cohort A and B, and 31 in cohort C. Primary endpoint is the objective response rate.

Development of a Test Method for Walking Trolleys with an Assist Function

Koji Matsumoto,Yoichi Asano,Hiroyuki Jinbo 제어로봇시스템학회 2019 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2019 No.10

Walking trolleys that are currently being manufactured have a function that prevents downslope movement when the user crosses a slope. In this study, we have developed a test method to evaluate this function. First, we measured the handle-operating force exerted by elderly persons when crossing a slope by carrying out an experiment with 17 elderly participants. Analysis of the results indicated that the handle-operating force was 28 N. Based on these results, we developed a test method and a test equipment. Furthermore, we used the test equipment to conduct experiments on walking trolleys with and without activating the assist function to validate the test method. It was found that the proposed test can be performed with sufficient accuracy.

Evidence for divergence of DNA methylation maintenance and a conserved inhibitory mechanism from DNA demethylation in chickens and mammals

Masako Tada,Ayaka Hayashi,Yumi Asano,Musashi Kubiura-Ichimaru,Takamasa Ito,Miho Yoshii,Hiroshi Kimura,Yoichi Matsuda,Mitsuo Oshimura 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.3

Background DNA methylation is a signifcant epigenetic modifcation that is evolutionarily conserved in various species and often serves as a repressive mark for transcription. DNA methylation levels and patterns are regulated by a balance of opposing enzyme functions, DNA methyltransferases, DNMT1/3A/3B and methylcytosine dioxygenases, TET1/2/3. In mice, the TET enzyme converts DNA cytosine methylation (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) at the beginning of fertilisation and gastrulation and initiates a global loss of 5mC, while the 5mC level is increased on the onset of cell differentiation during early embryonic development. Objective Global loss and gain of DNA methylation may be diferently regulated in diverged species. Methods Chicken B-cell lymphoma DT40 cells were used as an avian model to compare diferences in the overall regulation of DNA modifcation with mammals. Results We found that DNA methylation is maintained at high levels in DT40 cells through compact chromatin formation, which inhibits TET-mediated demethylation. Human and mouse chromosomes introduced into DT40 cells by cell fusion lost the majority of 5mC, except for human subtelomeric repeats. Conclusion Our attempt to elucidate the diferences in the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms between birds and mammals explored the evidence that they share a common chromatin-based regulation of TET–DNA access, while chicken DNMT1 is involved in diferent target sequence recognition systems, suggesting that factors inducing DNMT–DNA association have already diverged.

Insect’s intestinal organ for symbiont sorting

Ohbayashi, Tsubasa,Takeshita, Kazutaka,Kitagawa, Wataru,Nikoh, Naruo,Koga, Ryuichi,Meng, Xian-Ying,Tago, Kanako,Hori, Tomoyuki,Hayatsu, Masahito,Asano, Kozo,Kamagata, Yoichi,Lee, Bok Luel,Fukatsu, Tak National Academy of Sciences 2015 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF Vol.112 No.37

<P><B>Significance</B></P><P>In general, animals have a mouth for feeding, an anus for defecation, and a gut connecting them for digestion and absorption. However, we discovered that the stinkbug’s gut is functionally disconnected in the middle by a previously unrecognized organ for symbiont sorting, which blocks food fluid and nonsymbiotic bacteria but selectively allows passing of a specific bacterial symbiont. Though very tiny and inconspicuous, the organ governs the configuration and specificity of stinkbug gut symbiosis, wherein the posterior gut region is devoid of food flow, populated by a specific bacterial symbiont, and transformed into an isolated organ for symbiosis. Mutant analyses showed that the symbiont’s flagellar motility is needed for passing the host organ, highlighting intricate host–symbiont interactions underpinning the symbiont sorting process.</P><P>Symbiosis has significantly contributed to organismal adaptation and diversification. For establishment and maintenance of such host–symbiont associations, host organisms must have evolved mechanisms for selective incorporation, accommodation, and maintenance of their specific microbial partners. Here we report the discovery of a previously unrecognized type of animal organ for symbiont sorting. In the bean bug <I>Riptortus pedestris</I>, the posterior midgut is morphologically differentiated for harboring specific symbiotic bacteria of a beneficial nature. The sorting organ lies in the middle of the intestine as a constricted region, which partitions the midgut into an anterior nonsymbiotic region and a posterior symbiotic region. Oral administration of GFP-labeled <I>Burkholderia</I> symbionts to nymphal stinkbugs showed that the symbionts pass through the constricted region and colonize the posterior midgut. However, administration of food colorings revealed that food fluid enters neither the constricted region nor the posterior midgut, indicating selective symbiont passage at the constricted region and functional isolation of the posterior midgut for symbiosis. Coadministration of the GFP-labeled symbiont and red fluorescent protein-labeled <I>Escherichia coli</I> unveiled selective passage of the symbiont and blockage of <I>E. coli</I> at the constricted region, demonstrating the organ’s ability to discriminate the specific bacterial symbiont from nonsymbiotic bacteria. Transposon mutagenesis and screening revealed that symbiont mutants in flagella-related genes fail to pass through the constricted region, highlighting that both host’s control and symbiont’s motility are involved in the sorting process. The blocking of food flow at the constricted region is conserved among diverse stinkbug groups, suggesting the evolutionary origin of the intestinal organ in their common ancestor.</P>