No abstract

No abstract

Abstract. Defects in insulin receptor function have been associated with insulin resistant states such as obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several types of mutations in the insulin receptor gene have been identified in patients with genetic syndromes of extreme insulin resistance. We have studied a 10-year-old Japanese girl with type A insulin resistance with hirsutism and hyperinsulinemia but without the dysmorphic features characteristic of leprechaunism or RabsonMendenhall syndrome. Despite the presence of severe insulin resistance, the patient did not develop overt diabetes mellitus at the time of investigation. Using direct sequencing, we identified a nonsense mutation causing premature termination after amino acid 345 in the a subunit of the insulin receptor.

Gas hydrate production commenced from two production wells drilled in 1,000 m of water in the Nankai Trough, Japan, in May 2016. Two adjacent monitoring wells were drilled to monitor the in-situ event change of the hydrate reservoir over a two-year monitoring period. To achieve this monitoring purpose, an innovative design of wellbore gauges was installed downhole to provide valuable temperature and pressure data to show the dynamic nature of the gas hydrate dissociation front. Using two seabed located autonomous subsea monitoring systems, data were continually logged from the monitoring gauges since they were installed in May 2016. To gain access to the recorded wellbore data, early project thoughts revolved around either recovering the large subsea monitoring systems or deploying remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to tieback umbilical cables from the two subsea monitoring systems to the drillship, once it arrived at the field site. These techniques proved to be expensive and of increased risk to both personnel and equipment. With a view to future safe and more cost-effective data harvesting techniques, a project was instigated to investigate using autonomous, unmanned surface vehicle (USV) along with vessel-based "dunker" methods to upload data from each of the monitoring wells using integrated high telemetry acoustic modem technology. The main objectives of the study were to verify data could be harvested and delivered to the client using a USV along with safe and repeatable piloting of the USV from a remote location. Two USV missions have since been conducted, one in June 2016 and the other in March 2017. Lessons learnt from the initial USV mission, such as higher than expected sea surface currents and thrust limitations of the USV, were incorporated into the second deployment. This resulted in roughly 200 days' worth of data being uploaded and delivered from each of the two monitoring wells. In this paper, we will outline how the project objectives were met and how some of the challenges, both technical and environmental, were overcome.

This paper describes an algorithm to reduce risks for personal mobility robots. The algorithm we propose is designed for mobility assistance robots that move around in everyday spaces such as pedestrian roads and shopping centers. Since such robots must be designed to remain safe while moving, we based our risk assessment on limiting their speed. Our algorithm allows for the completion of tasks safely based on the risk analysis, and can be used to calculate a speed limit for mobility assistance robots based on their environments. The algorithm is optimized for ensuring safe operation of practical life support robots. It is based on a 2D occupancy polar grid map updated in real time, with information on nearby obstacles. It can be adapted to various environments through the use of laser range finders, and is implemented in a low-cost microprocesser-based system. The implemented risk reducing algorithm has been evaluated through successive practicality tests at Robot Safety Center as well as public environments of the mobility robot special district at TSUKUBA, showing the validity of our approach.