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The automation of waste cranes has been demanded to perform garbage incineration work with fewer workers efficiently. In particular, data-driven learning approaches are desirable for waste crane automation. When deciding whether to re-grab garbage by a waste crane to grab more garbage, human operators are efficiently making decisions based on visual information. However, the current automation system has to lift up the bucket to measure grabbed garbage weight to decide re-grab. The lifting motion after grabbing makes the crane motion inefficient. For this limitation, we propose a re-grabbing decision system with feedback from in-bucket camera images for the efficiency of waste crane automation by introducing the vision sensor in the bucket. To simplify the decision process of re-grabbing, we separate the re-grabbing decision system from the in-bucket image into grabbed garbage weight estimation and the re-grabbing decision policy based on estimated garbage weight. Moreover, the weight estimator model and the re-grabbing policy model are designed based on a Bayesian manner for data efficiency. The effectiveness is verified in a robotic waste crane system with an in-bucket camera. We confirmed the proposed method could learn re-grabbing decisions from the autonomously collected data. It achieved more efficient re-grabbing by waste cranes than the conventional automated system.

We newly designed and synthesized two kinds of 1,3,5-triazine-cored star-shaped (D-p)3-A molecules with 1-aza 15-crown 5-ether receptors (TSM-ACE) and dipicolylamino receptors (TSM-DPA), which possess an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) nature and exhibit ICT-based optical properties (ICT transition absorption and fluorescence from a ICT excited state). Both TSM-ACEand TSM-DPAdisplay proton-induced optical spectral blue-shifts followed by red-shifts depending on their inherent two-step protonation behavior. Furthermore, TSM-ACEdisplays optical spectral blue-shifts followed by red-shifts upon stepwise complexation of Mg2+, whereas TSM-DPAdisplays optical spectral blue-shifts upon the complexation of Zn2+. The cation sensing mechanism can be explained as follows: (i) the initial blue shift is caused by the decreased ICT donor abilities of three amino-donor-type receptors (a decrease of the ICT efficiency) upon binding cations, and (ii) the second red shift is caused by an increased acceptor ability of the 1,3,5-triazine core upon binding cations. Consequently, we revealed that TSM-ACEand TSM-DPAwith different cation-recognition functionalities serve as a unique optical sensor capable of visual and distinct detection of not only protons but also different kinds of metal ions.We have synthesized two kinds of 1,3,5-triazine-cored star-shaped (D-p)3-A molecules with two different types of amino-type cation receptors, TSM-ACEand TSM-DPA, which exhibit a pronounced fluorosolvatochromism. We revealed that TSM-ACEand TSM-DPAwith different cation-recognition functionalities serve as a unique optical sensor capable of visually and distinctly detecting not only protons but also different kinds of metal ions.

This paper describes a novel type of force transmission system for haptic display devices. The system consists of an array of end-effecter elements, a force/displacement transmitter and a single actuator producing a large force/displacement. It has tulip-shaped electrostatic clutch devices to distribute the force/displacement from the actuator among the individual end effecters. The specifications of three components were determined to stimulate touched human fingers. The components were fabricated by using micro-electromechanical systems and conventional machining technologies, and finally they were assembled by hand. The performance of the assembled transmission system was experimentally examined and it was confirmed that each projection in the arrayed end effecters could be moved individually. The actuator in a system whose total size was only 3.0 cm × 3.0 cm × 4.0 cm produced a 600 mN force and displaced individual array elements by 18 µm.

PLA2G4C, encoding cytosolic phospholipase A2‐γ (cPLA2‐γ), is a 17‐exon gene located on chromosome 19q13.3 within the putative glioma tumor suppressor gene region. Given the clinical importance of assessing 1p and 19q loss in human gliomas, the development of convenient and practical assays for detecting allelic loss is of considerable priority in neuro‐oncology. We report a minisatellite polymorphism in the untranslated region of exon 1, with allelic variants that have one, two or three 27‐bp repeats. The polymorphism is informative in 55.7% of a reference population, and accurately detects allelic loss of 19q in human gliomas. This novel marker offers distinct advantages for assessing 19q status in malignant gliomas. The relatively large size of the repeats allows detection of allelic variants with standard ethidium bromide‐stained agarose gels and the PLA2G4Cmarker is the closest polymorphism to the smallest common deletion area in the putative glioma tumor suppressor gene region. These characteristics suggest that the PLA2G4Cpolymorphism will be a convenient and practical assay for clinical and research evaluation of 19q status in human gliomas.

Allelic loss of 10q is a common genetic event in malignant gliomas, with three 10q tumor suppressor genes, ERCC6, PTEN, and DMBT1, putatively implicated in the most common type of malignant glioma, glioblastoma. Anaplastic oligodendroglioma, another type of malignant glioma, provides a unique opportunity to study the relevance of particular genetic alterations to chemosensitivity and survival. We therefore analyzed these three genes in 72 anaplastic oligodendrogliomas. Deletion mapping demonstrated 10q loss in 14 of 67 informative cases, with the PTENand DMBT1regions involved in all deletions but with the ERCC6locus spared in two cases. Seven tumors had PTENgene alterations; two had homozygous DMBT1deletions, but at least one reflected unmasking of a germline DMBT1deletion. No mutations were found in ERCC6exon 2. Chemotherapeutic response occurred in two of the seven tumors with PTENalterations, but with unexpected short survival times. PTENgene alterations were not associated with poor therapeutic response in multivariate analysis, but were independently predictive of poor prognosis even after multivariate adjustment for both 10q and 1p loss. In anaplastic oligodendroglioma, therefore, PTENis a target of 10q loss, and PTENalterations are associated with poor prognosis, even in chemosensitive cases.

A new spiral-winder was developed for continuous manufacturing of cylindrical laminated veneer lumber (LVL), and a suitable resin adhesive for this cylindrical LVL manufacturing system was investigated. This phase was followed by trial manufacturing and evaluation of cylindrical LVL with the optimum resin adhesive identified. The results are summarized as follows. (1) The shortest gelation time was recorded with a mixture of two commercial resorcinol based resins (DF-1000 and D-33) at a weight ratio of 25∶75. (2) Bath temperature had a remarkable effect on the gelation time of the adhesive mix. (3) High bonding strength was recorded by 25∶75 DF-1000/D-33 adhesive mix at a high press temperature despite a short pressing duration. Based on the results of items (1) to (3), 25∶75 DF-1000/ D-33 is recommended for use in the new spiral-winder. (4) The mechanical properties of cylindrical LVL could be improved by using 25∶75 DF-1000/D-33 with wider veneer width and longer pressing time. (5) The mechanical properties, especially the modulus of rupture, of the cylindrical LVL manufactured require further improvement for practical structural application.

CNTF rescues various types of lesioned neurons in vivo, and it needs to be released from astrocytes into the extracellular space to have the effect. However, direct evidence for CNTF release has not been unequivocally demonstrated. We hypothesized that the rapid sequestration by CNTF receptor present on cultured astrocytes might be the cause of the inability to detect CNTF released into astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM). Therefore, we measured CNTF immunoreactivity in medium conditioned by astrocytes treated with phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) which was used to prevent released CNTF from binding to the CNTF receptor, since PI-PLC cleaves glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol anchor of CNTFRa, the unique component involved in CNTF binding. CNTF was not detectable in untreated ACM, but was detectable in PI-PLC-treated ACM. These results together with the evidence that PI-PLC treatment did not have a toxic effect on astrocytes prove the fact that CNTF can be released from astrocytes without cell lysis. Subsequently, the effect of cytokines such as IL-1ß, TNF-a, and EGF on CNTF release was examined. These cytokines increased CNTF protein levels in ACMs without increasing CNTF protein levels in astrocyte-extracts, indicating that they enhanced CNTF release from astrocytes.

Cell adhesion molecules are among the key factors in the development of the malignant potential of brain tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) in human astrocytic tumors and assess any relationship between NCAM expression and the degree of malignancy. The expression of NCAM was examined in 52 astrocytic tumors by Western blot analysis. From them the authors selected 23 adult supratentorial ordinary astrocytic tumors and performed quantitative Western blot analysis for each isoform (NCAM 172-180, NCAM 145, NCAM 125-130) to investigate any correlation between the expression of each NCAM isoform and the histologic and biologic malignancy (histology, proliferating cell indices [PCIs] determined by MIB-1 immunohistochemistry, and manifestation on magnetic resonance images [MRIs]). Immunohistochemistry with antihuman NCAM monoclonal antibody was also performed on the tumors from which cryostat sections were available. Most of the astrocytomas and anaplastic astrocytomas revealed 3 bands at 180, 145, and 125-130kD, whereas in glioblastomas the bands tended to diminish. The expression of each NCAM isoform in astrocytic tumors decreased in proportion to the progression of the histologic malignancy, and the results were also corroborated by immunohistochemical evaluation. An inverse correlation was also observed between the amount of NCAM expression and MIB-1 PCIs. NCAM expression was hardly detectable in those tumors with highly invasive manifestation on MRIs. To the authors' knowledge, this study provides the first direct evidence that NCAM is down-regulated in the development of the malignancy of astrocytic tumors; and it is suggested that reduced NCAM expression might be involved in the development of biologic malignancy. Cancer 1998;82:1921-31. © 1998 American Cancer Society.

Steam-injection pressing is a recent development for manufacturing wood products. The curing mechanism and behavior of wood adhesives during steam-injection heating and hot-platen heating may cause differences in both chemical and physical aspects. The curing of wood adhesives under high steam pressure using an especially designed reaction cell is discussed. The adhesives used in this study were phenol-formaldehyde (PF), urea-formaldehyde (UF), melamine-formaldehyde (MF), and isocyanate (IC) resins. At different curing times, the heating temperature (steam pressure) applied to cure the adhesives was 160°C (6 kgf/cm2). Results were examined by analytical methods using FR-IR, 13C-NMR, dynamic mechanical analysis and solvent extraction. (1) By steam-injection heating, PF resin immediately cured to some degree in a few minutes and maintained an equilibrium situation. In this case, the reaction was accompanied by the disappearance of the ether structure. (2) In UF resin, results from IR data clarified different reactions between hot-platen heating and steam-injection heating. During steam-injection heating, as heating time increased, UF resin returned to its liquid state under the influence of hydrolysis. (3) MF resin was almost cured under steam-injection in a short heating time compared with hot-platen heating. (4) IC resin foamed and cured in a short heating time under steam-injection. It was proved that steam-injection heating was more effective than by hot-platen heating for IC resin.

Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are the only known trophic factors for pontine cholinergic neurons. The present study revealed that astrocyte-extract pretreated with IL-1β and TNF-α significantly enhanced choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity of the pontine neurons in the presence of a supramaximal dose of insulin, while various trophic factors including IGFs failed to increase the ChAT activity under the same culture conditions, suggesting that IL-1β and TNF-α co-operatively enhanced the expression of a novel trophic factor for pontine cholinergic neurons in astrocytes.

For the preparation of specimens for testing the stress distribution with the photoelastic method, various techniques are applicable. In this paper the so-called glass-transition temperature method is tested on a specimen imitating the layered structure of wood. The observations made on this specimen are compared with those obtained from a specimen with isotropic properties.

Zusammenfassung: Zu Beginn werden grundlegende Fragen bei der Spannungsanalyse von Holz durch das Reilack-Verfahren errtert; Einflsse, welche die Empfindlichkeit und die Ridichte eines berzuges bestimmen, wie z. B. Trocknungs bedingungen, berzugsdicke, Prftemperatur und Grnndierung, die Fehler bei der Bestimmung der Druckdehnung von Holz, die Abmessung der Risse, die durch die Dehnung in den Jahrringen entstehen und das Verhltnis zwischen der Anzahl der Messungen und dem relativen Fehler. Im folgenden wird gezeigt, wie die Spannungsverteilung in Holz durch den Riverlauf im berzug dargestellt wird Es werden einige, an Proben mit kreisrunden Bohrungen, unter Zug und Biegung erhaltene Ergebnisse analysiert und erluterf.

Chordomas are invasive tumors that develop from notochordal remnants and frequently occur in the skull base. The T gene and its product (brachyury) have recently been suggested to play an important role in chordoma progression. To date, few studies have investigated the relationship between the molecular/genetic characteristics of chordoma and patient prognosis. We analyzed 37 skull base chordomas for chromosomal copy number aberrations using comparative genomic hybridization, brachyury expression by immunohisto-chemistry, and T gene copy number by fluorescence in situ hybridization. The results of these molecular analyses and clinical parameters were compared with the patients' clinical courses. Univariate analyses using the log-rank test demonstrated that losses on chromosome 1p and gains on 1q and 2p were negatively correlated with progression-free survival, as were factors such as female sex, partial tumor removal, lack of postoperative irradiation, and high MIB-1 index. Expression of brachyury and copy number gain of the T gene were also significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival. Multivariate analysis using the Cox hazards model showed that lack of irradiation, gain on chromosome 2p, and expression of brachyury were independently associated with a poor prognosis. Our results suggest that brachyury-negative chordomas are biologically distinct from brachyury-positive chordomas and that T/brachyury might be an appropriate molecular therapeutic target for chordoma.

Allelic loss of chromosome 1p predicts increased chemosensitivity and better survival in oligodendroglial tumors. Clinical testing for 1p loss in oligodendroglial tumors at our hospital has allowed us to postulate that certain histological appearances are associated with 1p allelic status. Forty-four cases received for genetic testing were diagnosed by referring pathologists as pure low-grade oligodendroglioma. Central neuropathological review divided the series equally into 22 cases with classical oligodendroglioma histology and 22 with more astrocytic features. Molecular genetic analyses demonstrated 1p loss in 19 of 22 classic oligodendrogliomas (86%) and maintenance of both 1p alleles in 16 of 22 gliomas with astrocytic features (73%). No glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cell type (gliofibrillary oligodendrocyte, minigemistocyte, cellular processes) was associated with 1p allelic status. Fourteen of the 44 cases were treated with chemotherapy at tumor progression: 3 “astrocytic” gliomas with 1p loss responded to PCV chemotherapy and 2 classic oligodendrogliomas that maintained both 1p alleles included a responder and a non-responder. These results suggest that histological appearance correctly predicts genotype in approximately 80% of low-grade gliomas, but that tumor genotype more closely predicts chemosensitivity. As a result, such objective molecular genetic analyses should be incorporated into patient management and into clinical trials of low-grade diffuse gliomas.

Thin films of Ti and TiN interposed between the Cu layer and SiO2are examined as a diffusion barrier as well as an adhesion-promoting layer for Cu metallization technology. Solid-phase reactions and/or interdiffusion taking place in the Cu/Ti/ SiO2/Si and Cu/TiN/ SiO2/Si systems are examined by X-ray diffraction and the depth profiling method using Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reduction of SiO2through the formation of Ti-oxides occurs at the Ti/ SiO2interface even in the as-deposited Cu/Ti/ SiO2/Si system. In addition to this, the formation of Ti5Si3and interdiffusion which result in the formation of Cu-Ti intermetallic compounds due to annealing at 450° C are evident, and lead to intermixing of the whole system. The use of TiN instead of Ti drastically suppresses the reaction and interdiffusion, and the Cu/TiN/ SiO2/Si system is stable even after annealing at 850° C, though the incorporation of a small amount of Ti into the Cu layer is observed.