A self-organization learning algorithm for visuo-motor coordination in unstructured environments

In this paper, we propose a learning algorithm for coordinating a robot system where the movement of an arm is controlled through a stereo camera system. Instead of calibrating the usually complex non-linear transformation between the arm and cameras, the algorithm decomposes the whole transformation automatically into local linear transformations and then makes the linearization map recorded by the arm controller. The linearization is carried out by a learning process based on a Kohonen-style self-organization network. To deal with unstructured environments in which some obstacles exist, some virtual forces are introduced for dealing with the high degree of complexity underlying in the transformation. This work was presented, in part, at the International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 18–20, 1996     

Comparative study of oral and parenteral administration of sho-saiko-to (xiao-chaihu-tang) extract on D-galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats

The preventive effect of Sho-saiko-to (Xiao-Chaihu-Tang) extract (TJ-9) on the progression of D-galactosamine (GaIN)-induced liver injury was examined in five week-old male Wistar rats with oral (p.o.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of the same dose of TJ-9. Rats treated once with GaIN (500 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) received TJ-9 at a dose of 1.0 g/kg body weight (p.o. or i.p.) 2 hours after GaIN treatment at which time an apparent liver injury occurred. Both p.o. and i.p. administration of TJ-9 showed similar significant prevention against the progression of liver injury 24 hours after GaIN injection. Although total protein and albumin concentrations in serum and protein concentration in the liver decreased with the progression of GaIN-induced liver injury, oral or i.p. administration of TJ-9 prevented these decreases in similar degree. However, decreases in serum and liver triglyceride concentration with the progression of liver injury were not attenuated after p.o. or i.p. administration of TJ-9. The activities of liver 5'-nucleotidase and glucose-6-phosphatase, marker enzymes of liver plasma and microsomal membranes, respectively, decreased during the progression of liver injury. A similar preventive effect on the decrease of both enzyme activities was found after p.o. or i.p. administration of TJ-9. These results indicate that the preventive effect on progression of GaIN-induced liver injury by oral or i.p. administration is approximately equal, and that the effect may be through improving the impaired liver protein synthesis and disrupted liver plasma and microsomal membranes in a similar degree.     

Hemarthrosis of the knee and bone contusion

The displacement of porcine [125I] insulin bound to rat and lamprey isolated hepatocytes with unlabeled lamprey and porcine insulins was investigated. Binding affinity of lamprey insulin for insulin receptor of rat was similar to that of porcine insulin. In contrast, the binding affinity of lamprey insulin for its own insulin receptor was higher than for a rat receptor. To determine the binding affinity constants of lamprey insulin receptor, the competition binding experiments were carried out on isolated lamprey hepatocytes using lamprey insulin as unlabeled ligand and tracer. The affinity of the same binding sites on lamprey hepatocytes was assessed in similar experiments but employing porcine insulin as unlabeled ligand and tracer. It was found that while Kd of low affinity binding sites on lamprey hepatocytes were similar for lamprey and porcine insulins, the Kd of high affinity binding sites was different: the displacement curve for lamprey insulin being shifted to the left as compared to the curve for porcine insulin. The number of high and low affinity binding sites, calculated independently in Scatchard plots, was equal. We conclude that the high affinity insulin binding sites of lamprey but not of rat hepatocytes reveal some species specificity in ligand-receptor interaction.     

Molecular cloning, expression, and enzymatic characterization of rabbit hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase AST-RB2

Cytosolic sulfotransferases, which consist of at least three gene families, play a major role in activation and detoxification of both endogenous and exogenous chemicals. We recently purified a rabbit sulfotransferase, AST-RB2, showing high activities to both hydroxysteroids and amines. To characterize this enzyme, a rabbit cDNA library was screened using anti-AST-RB2 antibodies. The isolated cDNA was judged to encode AST-RB2 (ST2A8) based on the amino acid sequences of peptide fragments obtained from purified AST-RB2. The cDNA showed high similarity to other mammalian hydroxysteroid sulfotransferases (ST2) at the amino acid level (58-68%), but low similarity to aryl sulfotransferases (ST1) (less than 37%). The protein expressed in Escherichia coli catalyzed sulfation of typical ST2 substrates. Therefore, ST2A8 was judged to belong to the ST2 family from both its primary structure and substrate specificity. The ST2A8 protein expressed in E. coli clearly differed from rat ST2A1 and ST2A2 on its localization (cytosol/insoluble fraction ratio). ST2A8 had no activity to lithocholate, but showed the highest catalysis on dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone among the four forms (ST2A1, ST2A2, ST2A3, and ST2A8), indicating a clear difference between ST2A forms in substrate specificity to endogenous chemicals.     

Effect of KCA-098, a new benzofuroquinoline derivative, on bone mineral metabolism

The effect of 3,9-bis(N,N-dimethylcarbamoyloxy)-5H-benzofuro[3,2-c]quinoli ne-6-one designated as KCA-098) on the bone mineral metabolism of chick embryonic bone was examined. KCA-098 dose-dependently inhibited bone resorption of cultured chick embryonic femora and calvariae. It increased the length, dry weight, and calcium and phosphorus contents of 9-d-old chick embryonic femurs cultivated for 6 d, indicating that it stimulated bone formation. These results show that KCA-098 has the unique effects of inhibiting bone resorption and stimulating bone formation of chick embryo. In addition, in an in vivo experiment, oral administration of KCA-098 (3.0 mg/kg/d) for 16 weeks led to an increase in calcium and phosphorus content as well as an increase in the amount of force required to break the femur from ovariectomized rats, suggesting that it may be useful for the treatment of bone diseases.     

Normal spectral emissivities of liquid Ag-Cu alloys in the visible and infrared regions

The wavelength and composition dependencies of normal spectral emissivities for liquid Ag-Cu alloys have been measured over a wavelength range between 450 and 1500 nm at temperatures from 1273 to 1423 K in a cold crucible furnace. The spectral emissivities abruptly increase in the visible region with decreasing wavelength. The wavelength at the abrupt increase in the emissivity shifts to a shorter wavelength as the concentration of silver in the alloy increases. This suggests that the abrupt increases are attributed to the direct interband transition, and the energy gap between the d band and the Fermi level increases with an increase in silver concentration in the alloy. To the contrary, the spectral emissivities in the infrared region were found to exhibit weak negative wavelength dependencies, which are attributed to the intraband transition. The composition dependencies of spectral emissivities observed in the infrared region have been explained by the Drude model.     

Suppressive effects of antihistaminic and/or anti-PAF agents on passive anaphylactic shock in mice sensitized with allogeneic monoclonal IgE and IgG1 antibodies and hyperimmune serum

Normal modes analyses for different molecules with biological interest have been performed and checked via the calculation of resonance Raman intensities. For this purpose, molecular orbital calculations were used to determine bond order changes in the lowest-lying electronic transitions. These bond order changes were used to calculate resonance Raman intensities in order to obtain correct vibrational assignments and reliable force fields.     

Investigation of the hepatic excretion mechanism of indocyanine green in patients with liver disease

The purpose of the present paper is to clarify the disturbance of the indocyanine green (ICG) uptake-excretion mechanism in patients with liver disease. The following parameters were used to indicate the disappearance rate of various dyes from plasma; K for ICG, KAU for 198Au colloid and KRB for 131I-rose bengal. ICG was administered intravenously using three different continuous infusion rates on all patients. The maximum rate of biliary excretion (Tm) as well as the relative hepatic storage capacity (S) were determined. Tm and S definitely decreased in cases with liver cirrhosis. Tm had no relationship to the degree of liver damage, but S fell in proportion to its dysfunction. KAU and KRB significantly decreased in cases of liver cirrhosis, while chronic aggressive hepatitis revealed a marked decrease of Krb without an equivalent decrease of KAU. The correlation coefficient between K and S was definitely higher than that between K and Tm, and K was more closely correlated with KRB than KAU. From these results, it was reasonable to presume that K was more influenced by the hepatic uptake and storage than by the excretion of ICG in the bile, and indicated that the capacity of the liver to handle dyes.