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Sex determination is a crucial factor in the identification of unidentified human remains. Sex determination by DNA analysis is particularly useful because it can be applied to samples for which morphological characteristics are unavailable. Because samples handled in forensic DNA typing are easily degraded by environmental factors and microorganisms, there is a need for a method that can accurately determine sex even in highly decayed samples. Previous studies mainly used sex differences in an intron of the amelogenin gene. However, this region is highly polymorphic, and there are cases where accurate sexing cannot be performed because of genetic mutations in the target region. Thus, for reliable sex determination, it is desirable to select loci with as few non-sexual polymorphisms as possible. In this study, we focused on the exon 1 region of the amelogenin gene, which has very little polymorphism other than sex differences. We developed a primer set for sex determination and compared it with the GlobalFiler™ PCR Amplification Kit (GF), which is widely used for forensic DNA typing. The results showed that the amount of DNA required for accurate sex determination was 25 pg for both methods, achieving equivalent sensitivity. Next, we compared the two methods using ancient human skeletons and found that the present method with its shorter amplicon was considerably superior to GF. The present method is simple, rapid, inexpensive, and suitable for analyzing highly degraded samples. Therefore, this method is expected to contribute to forensic sciences and physical anthropology.

We developed a method that can detect each animal species of origin for crude drugs derived from multiple animal species based on massively parallel sequencing analysis of mitochondrial genes. The crude drugs derived from animals investigated in this study were Cervi Parvum Cornu and Trogopterorum feces, which are derived from a mix of different animal species, two chopped cicada sloughs, and two commercial Kampo drugs. The mitochondrial 12S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene regions were amplified and sequenced using MiSeq. The ratios of haplotype to total number of sequences reads were calculated after sequence extraction and trimming. Haplotypes that exceeded the threshold were defined as positive haplotypes, which were compared with all available sequences using BLAST. In the Cervi Parvum Cornu and Trogopterorum feces samples, the haplotype ratios corresponded roughly to the mixture ratios, although there was a slight difference from mixture ratios depending on the gene examined. This method could also roughly estimate the compositions of chopped cicada sloughs and Kampo drugs. This analysis, whereby the sequences of several genes are elucidated, is better for identifying the included animal species. This method should be useful for quality control of crude drugs and Kampo drugs.

We evaluated whether MinION, an inexpensive, portable sequencer, can be applied for identifying the animals of origin in crude drugs. Standard and nonstandard crude drugs with different species of origin were examined. In addition, the standards mixed with nonstandard samples were used. As a target gene, cytochrome c oxidase I was amplified and sequenced. The Fast mode results had a slightly lower match ratio than High-accuracy mode, but the animals of origin were correctly determined by BLAST for all samples. For antler velvet derived from Rangifer tarandus, even the sequences were aligned based on Cervus elaphus, the animal of origin was determined correctly. Minor contents could be detected from mixtures of two animals, if the mixtures contained at least 19:1 mtDNA when the coverage allele-fraction threshold was 0.05. By contrast, in Fast mode, two sequences could not be separated due to the low accuracy of the base-calling in each read. For field work, the species of origin of crude drugs could be identified, by only simple DNA extraction and library preparation. Therefore, MinION appears to be convenient tool for identifying the animal of origin in crude drugs.

Background Mirtazapine has a good tolerability and safety profile that demonstrates several benefits over other antidepressants and it is associated with few fatalities. Boric acid is an odorless white powder that is generally not recognized as a poisonous substance. We report a case of cardiac arrest induced by the intentional ingestion of mirtazapine, boric acid, and sennosides, by a patient who required percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass. Case presentation Our patient was a 49-year-old Japanese woman with a history of depression; she was found in an unconscious state after ingesting boric acid (unknown amount), mirtazapine (1950 mg), and sennosides (780 mg). On arrival, she was in a deep coma with marked hypotension induced by atrial fibrillation, tachycardia, and diffuse hypokinetic cardiac motion. She had systemic diffuse erythema. Her serum concentrations of boric acid and mirtazapine on arrival were 560.49 mg/L and 1270 ng/mL, respectively. She experienced repeated cardiac arrest, and was therefore treated with tracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation, percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass, and continuous hemodialysis filtration. Stable circulation and respiration and a normal kidney function were finally obtained and she was transferred to a local medical facility in a persistent unconscious state. Conclusions This is the first case of a return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest induced by the intentional ingestion of boric acid and mirtazapine, requiring percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass for survival. To maintain cerebral perfusion during percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass, even in a prolonged state of cardiac arrest induced by overdose, is medically, ethically, and economically challenging.

Quadcopters can play an important role in precision agriculture; mostly having been researched and commercialized for the open field conditions. While greenhouse applications have been limited by the positioning system. Conventional GPS positioning systems are difficult to use in greenhouses. Spread Spectrum Sound-based Positioning System (SSSPS) on the other hand, has the potential to be used on a quadcopter in a greenhouse. In this research, we evaluated whether acoustic noise from a quadcopter over wide frequency range would interfere with the SSSPS operation. We set a microphone on the quadcopter, and evaluated the SSSPS system for quadcopter noise tolerance with several signals. The results demonstrate the navigation system can tolerate quadcopter noise over distances up to 15 m between the tweeter and the microphone on the quadcopter with the RMSE of 5.9 mm.

As social problems at home and abroad grow increasingly complex and diverse, the Government of Japan is pursuing its vision of Society 5.0, the supersmart society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems and where all can live comfortable lives. Meanwhile, the UN has advocated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address global challenges and has called upon industry to contribute to SDGs through business activities.

Electrically powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are useful in performing inspection at various infrastructures or plants. A power supply through a tether cable is effective in extending flight time. During inspection activities, some or all satellites may be occluded. UAVs for inspection must be operated even in GPS-denied areas; therefore, a navigation system for GPS-denied areas is required. Depth information cannot be obtained correctly by a monocular camera. The ARToolkit, which is widely applied in augmented reality (AR), is not sufficient as a UAV navigation system. We have proposed a hybrid navigation method that integrates the ARToolkit and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). An analytic solution for both the worst and best estimation of yaw angle can be obtained by simple computation and helps remove outliers in measurements. From experimental results, it was proven that position estimation using the proposed method corresponded reasonably; however, it was necessary to correct the difference between the camera origin and the body’s center of gravity.

This study proposes a novel method for safety management in train operation and maneuvering based upon Hollnagel’s functional resonance analysis method (FRAM), which assumes that components of a system interact mutually and resonantly. According to the original FRAM, the general functions of train drivers’ and conductors’ tasks are defined, and the normal procedure of a common case is represented. Our method first attempts to replay how fluctuations of some of the tasks propagate through the entire system. Then we examine whether a countermeasure found by replaying is valid under various situations. In this way, we demonstrate that our method is able to detect latent hazards of the system as well as to identify how the system is influenced by various external and internal changes.

In this study, analysis of team situation awareness using a serious game of supply chain management for steel production is provided. By tracing the development of the performances of the game made by two different teams, a comparative analysis is done with respect to team situation awareness shared within the team. Especially, we focus into the individual players’ mental models that may evolve and grow as they accumulate a number of game sessions. From the acquired protocols of players during the sessions, players’ temporal mental models of situation awareness are traced, then the progress of team situation awareness among the players are derived. Through a comparative analysis of the two different teams with respect to their shared team situation awareness, we discuss about the relationships between the maturity of the teams and performance scores attained by the teams. Finally, a simulation model for generating such multiple players’ behaviors within a variety of teams is proposed. This is based upon a descriptive decision model of Garbage Can Model, and findings discovered during the gaming sessions are verified and generalized through a model-based constructive approach.

The present paper investigates train drivers’ eye-gaze data to find important features to explain behavioral differences between experienced and inexperienced drivers. The obtained eye-gaze data contain too complex transition structure to find any meaningful patterns that might be common across or differentiate drivers. The Markov Cluster Algorithm, which is an unsupervised algorithm for graph clustering, is therefore utilized to divide such a structure into clusters that represent constituent eye-gaze patterns of frequent occurrence. As a result, a common eye-gaze pattern was identified to represent a perception tactic that drivers would repetitively move their gaze ahead soon after looking at other specific areas. Comparing cluster structures extracted with different clustering parameter settings clarified that all of the drivers implement this tactic more or less, but that they are different in that the experienced drivers can consistently follow it while the inexperienced drivers can not.

Train driver's attentive behavior can be considered to reflect differences in his/her level of expertise. In this paper, the authors investigate train drivers' eye-gaze movements to identif...

A new radiolabeling method using a microreactor was developed for the rapid synthesis of [(11)C]raclopride. A chip bearing a Y-shaped mixing junction with a 200 µm (width)×20 µm (depth)×250 mm (length) flow channel was designed, and the efficiency of O-[11C]methylation was evaluated. Dimethyl sulfoxide solutions containing the O-desmethyl precursor or [11C]CH3I were introduced into separate injection ports by infusion syringes, and the radiochemical yields were measured under various conditions. The decay-corrected radiochemical yield of microreactor-derived [11C]raclopride reached 12% in 20 s at 25 °C, which was observed to increase with increasing temperature. In contrast, batch synthesis at 25 °C produced a yield of 5%: this indicates that this device could effectively achieve O-[11C]methylation in a shorter period of time. The microreactor technique may facilitate simple and efficient routine production of 11C-labeled compounds via O-[11C]methylation with [11C]CH3I.

The effects of different storage methods on both DNA degradation and the results of preliminary blood tests were evaluated. Bloodstains stored at room temperature, 4°C, –20°C, and –80°C for 20 years; whole blood samples stored at –20°C and –80°C for 20 years; and fresh whole blood samples were analyzed. DNA degradation was evaluated by quantifying the ratios of 305 and 129 base pair (bp) fragments to 41bp fragments. Preliminary testing included leuco-malachite-green staining, anti-human hemoglobin (Hb) testing by immunochromatography, and the detection of the hemoglobin-beta (HBB) mRNA. Bloodstains stored at room temperature and 4°C were more highly degraded than fresh blood, as indicated by the ratio of 129:41bp DNA fragments and 305:41bp DNA fragments. All samples tested positive using leuco-malachite-green staining and anti-human Hb assays. HBB was not detected in any whole blood samples stored at –20°C or –80°C, although HBB was detected in all bloodstain samples. Therefore, to prevent DNA degradation during long-term storage, it is recommended that blood samples be stored at below –20°C. In addition, stored bloodstains are suitable for preliminary tests of blood, rather than storing blood.

Global momentum towards a "Nuclear-Weapon-Free World" (NWFW) has been growing since the end of the Cold War. Nevertheless, in the international community, it is still difficult to discern a unified voice about how to approach a NWFW, utilising international law. This is possibly because of ongoing disagreement between nuclear weapon States (NWS) and non-nuclear weapon States (NNWS), particularly the non-aligned countries. The issue revolves around the understanding of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), especially art 6 of that treaty which sets out the contracting parties' nuclear disarmament obligations. Reflecting the discord between the NWS and NNWS, this article sheds light on the gap between the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)'s perceptions of, and actions taken towards, the realisation of a NWFW. The article calls for the minimisation of disharmony by reinvestigating the roles of the United Nations system and the NPT in establishing a NWFW, and through observing the UNGA's current position.

Glucose fluctuation (GF) is a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it remains unknown whether specific indices of GF are risk factors for CAD. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between GF, as determined by a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) or the glucose level at 2h after a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (75g OGTT 120), and the severity of CAD in prediabetic patients. We also evaluated whether nitrotyrosine (NT) and glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end-products (Glycer-AGE) were induced by GF.Twenty-eight prediabetic patients underwent coronary angiography (CAG), and the Gensini score and the SYNTAX score were evaluated as the severity of CAD, while the mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) by CGMS and 75g OGTT 120 were evaluated. Serum NT and Glycer-AGE were measured.The MAGE was closely associated with the Gensini score (r=0.742, p0.001) and the SYNTAX score (r=0.776, p0.001), respectively. The 75g OGTT 120 was not associated with the Gensini score (r=0.36, p=0.06), but it was significantly associated with the SYNTAX score (r=0.413, p=0.036). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the MAGE was the only independent determinant for the severity of CAD. The levels of NT and Glycer-AGE were significantly higher in the high MAGE group than in the low MAGE group.Diurnal GF is associated with the severity of CAD, even in prediabetic patients. GF, NT, and Glycer-AGE may play a pathological role in the progression of CAD.

In the field of positron emission tomography (PET) radiochemistry, compact microreactors provide reliable and reproducible synthesis methods that reduce the use of expensive precursors for radiolabeling and make effective use of the limited space in a hot cell. To develop more compact microreactors for radiosynthesis of 18F-labeled compounds required for the multistep procedure, we attempted radiosynthesis of N-succinimidyl 4-[18F]fluorobenzoate ([18F]SFB) via a three-step procedure using a microreactor. We examined individual steps for [18F]SFB using a batch reactor and microreactor and developed a new continuous-flow synthetic method with a single microfluidic chip to achieve rapid and efficient radiosynthesis of [18F]SFB. In the synthesis of [18F]SFB using this continuous-flow method, the three-step reaction was successfully completed within 6.5 min and the radiochemical yield was 64 ± 2% (n = 5). In addition, it was shown that the quality of [18F]SFB synthesized on this method was equal to that synthesized by conventional methods using a batch reactor in the radiolabeling of bovine serum albumin with [18F]SFB.

動作分析において，分節化は重要な役割を果たす．特異スペクトル変換により，筋力変化だけでなく，周辺環境など外力変化によっても発生した動作変化点を抽出できる．このため，動作分析において特異スペクトル変換は有効な手段であるが，抽出した動作変化点列を直接分析することは困難であった．本稿では，動作変化点列の非類似度を定義する．その非類似度に基づいて動作変化点列を低次元空間へ布置することにより，動作変化点列の関係性を可視化できる．さらに，低次元空間における投影点に対して感度解析を用いることにより，動作変化点列の変化を抽出する方法を提案する．歩行動作の分析に適用した結果により，提案手法の有効性を示す．

Adaptation to environmental changes, such as wind, plays a very important role in improving the reliability of autonomous unmanned helicopters. Adaptive yaw (heading) control for an autonomous helicopter is discussed in this paper. The control structure is based on a hierarchal scheme that utilizes an inner yaw feedback control loop plus an outer feedback loop. The outer loop estimates the direction of the airspeed using roll angle and roll angular rate. Stable coupling in yaw and roll motion is induced by the proposed controller to improve the stability of the helicopter’s flight. Turning utilizing the proposed adaptive control system is discussed in particular. Results of flight experiments show that bifurcation of the helicopter’smaneuvering in turning occurs depending on airspeed. The results indicate that the autonomous unmanned helicopter can select a turning maneuver that is suitable for the environmental conditions, thus stabilizing its flight.

In this article, we focus on the coordinative structure of human behavior, which contributes to specifying dynamics from time-series kinematic data. We propose a method for the extraction of dynamical interaction from time-series data of human behavior using Singular Spectrum Transformation. Using the proposed method, human behavior can be described as a letter string whose letters indicate where the motion segmentation is detected. We also discuss a method of extracting coordinative structures by constructing multiple alignments from the timing structure of extracted motion change points. To confirm the effectivity of the proposed method, the results of motion analysis are shown.

This study analyzes the work domain of position teaching in terms of means-end relations for the purpose of developing a practical support tool for human workers engaged in industrial robot teaching. A mechanical explanation model is introduced into the analysis to capture the force-displacement relationship inherent in and informative on the work system. The resulting models are used for the analysis of the robot operators’ decisions in search of accurate operation positions, and this in turn helps to clarify a rational operation strategy for making use of an invariant frame of reference in the position search space. After these findings, a prototype GUI is proposed that can provide effective information supports for different granularities of the activity in position teaching. Based on the principles of Ecological Interface Design, the proposed GUI represents the activity-related information in a way that encourages the robot operators’ intuitive and strategic operations.

Investigation of small planetary bodies is now attracted and some missions on asteroids and comets have been realized. Such bodies are full of geographical features that next demand would be direct surface investigation by a rover. In order to navigate the rover to the specific points, the localization of the rover is required. However, conventional localization method is not adequate on small bodies whose size is less than 1[km]. One of the conventional methods, localization by camera images obtained on the rover needs a map made by a mother spacecraft. The resolution of the map is not enough for the rover's local view. Another method, localization by observing the movements of stars and the sun has little accuracy. Global positioning system (GPS) is not practical for small planetary bodies because it needs several orbiters. In this paper, we propose a reasonable method which localizes the rover on a small body with reasonable accuracy, with reasonable time and with reasonable resource. This method measures two way range between a rover and a mother spacecraft repeatedly. Even this method uses only one orbiter, the localization accuracy is estimated about 1[m] assuming ITOKAWA-size asteroidwhoseradiusisatmost600[m].

Measurement of the heading free from magnetic declination using several GPS antennas is widely used, but it is not suitable for small unmanned aerial vehicles because of limited payload and body length. In this paper, we propose two methods to estimate magnetic declination. One is for UAV for 3D terrain mapping with a laser scanner. Measurements which are collected from different directions are matched to estimate magnet declination. The other uses an IMU and one GPS antenna. It consists of 1) estimation of acceleration of motion from GPS measurements and 2) estimation of magnetic declination using the estimated acceleration and IMU measurement. We show that the estimation of magnetic declination results in reduced QUEST, an eigenvalue problem of a 2 × 2 real matrix using a quaternion which expresses rotation. Experimental results of flight control of an unmanned helicopter demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed methods.

To achieve a rapid assay for ABO blood grouping using a latex reagent, two latex reagents were produced, one of which combined with mouse monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) isolated from commercial ABO blood grouping reagent, and the other of which combined with its F(ab')2 fragment prepared by cold pepsin digestion. The latex reagent adsorbing the F(ab')2 fragment was able to detect the 1000-fold diluted saliva and provided much better sensitivity than that of IgM. This suggests that the difference in sensitivity between the two latex reagents is responsible for adsorption orientation of the antigen site on the latex particles. The new assay successfully completed the ABO blood grouping of cigarette ends within 30 min.