Publications by authors named "Minoru Konno"

For the safety, underground facilities are required to be inspected regularly, especially with image analysis. Traditional wireless and wired transmission techniques have a weakness of limited transmission range in narrow underground environments. In this study, a new image transmission method based on visible light communication (VLC) has been thus proposed.

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Article Synopsis
  • Regular inspections of underground pipelines are crucial to detect leaks caused by corrosion or deformation, which could lead to serious disasters.
  • A new robot chain system (RCS) utilizing visible light relay communication (VLRC) was developed, allowing for more stable and efficient data transmission compared to previous wireless methods.
  • The article evaluates two types of image transmission systems—analog image signal relay transmission (AISRT) and digital image frame relay transmission (DIFRT)—and finds that DIFRT provides better image quality and longer transmission range.
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The gas pipeline requires regular inspection since the leakage brings damage to the stable gas supply. Compared to current detection methods such as destructive inspection, using pipeline robots has advantages including low cost and high efficiency. However, they have a limited inspection range in the complex pipe owing to restrictions by the cable friction or wireless signal attenuation.

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To reconsider the problems arising from the use of the phase plate as a test plate inserted into a polarized light microscope system for the analysis of triclinic calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate (t-CPPD) crystals, or Ca(2)P(2)O(7) x 2H(2)O in the synovial fluid of arthritis patients, we made the polarized light microscopy observations using a phase plate with a retardation of 530 nm for the synthesized t-CPPD crystals well-characterized by X-ray powder pattern indexing and single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements. The microscopy observations were made of crystals of different sizes, thicknesses and shapes. The retardation was assessed using the interference color chart at four extinction and diagonal positions both with and without the test plate.

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We have developed and evaluated a new staining method for use in electrophoretic analysis of alpha-amylase (AMY, EC3. 2. 1.

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Acarbose is an antidiabetic drug that inhibits alpha-D-glucosidase and alpha-amylase. We have found discrepancies of serum and urine amylase activities (AA) determined with different assay methods using samples collected from diabetes mellitus patients taking acarbose. As a result of our screening test using the urine samples, we found a 22% probability of discrepancy (the differences between the two methods were > or = 10% at AA > or = 100 U/l).

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I have observed discrepancies in the measurement of serum pancreatic lipase(LIP, Triacylglycerol acylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.

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