Gaze Guidance Using a Facial Expression Robot

This paper describes the gaze guidance with emotional expression of a head robot, called Kamin-FA1. We propose to use not only the gaze control of the robot, but also the facial expression to guide a human being's gaze to the target. We provide the information of the target of gaze intuitively to the human based on joint attention with Kamin-FA1. The robot has a facial expression function using a curved surface display. We examined the effect of emotional expression on the gaze guidance in terms of the accuracy and reaction speed. We conducted experiments of human gaze measurement during the gaze guidance with emotional expression to evaluate the role of emotional expression. The results of the gaze guidance experiments showed that gaze guidance with emotional expression caused a more accurate and quicker response than that without emotional expression. In particular, the expression of surprise has better performance in the gaze guidance compared with the normal expression. Furthermore, emotional expressions of angry and surprise impressed the subjects in dangerous situations, while normal and happy situations gave the impression of a safe situation at the target of gaze.Advanced robotics. 23(14):1831-1848 (2009)journal articl

Use of virtual slide system for quick frozen intra-operative telepathology diagnosis in Kyoto, Japan

We started to use virtual slide (VS) and virtual microscopy (VM) systems for quick frozen intra-operative telepathology diagnosis in Kyoto, Japan. In the system we used a digital slide scanner, VASSALO by CLARO Inc., and a broadband optic fibre provided by NTT West Japan Inc. with the best effort capacity of 100 Mbps. The client is the pathology laboratory of Yamashiro Public hospital, one of the local centre hospitals located in the south of Kyoto Prefecture, where a fulltime pathologist is not present. The client is connected by VPN to the telepathology centre of our institute located in central Kyoto. As a result of the recent 15 test cases of VS telepathology diagnosis, including cases judging negative or positive surgical margins, we could estimate the usefulness of VS in intra-operative remote diagnosis. The time required for the frozen section VS file making was found to be around 10 min when we use ×10 objective and if the maximal dimension of the frozen sample is less than 20 mm. Good correct focus of VS images was attained in all cases and all the fields of each tissue specimen. Up to now the capacity of best effort B-band appears to be sufficient to attain diagnosis on time in intra-operation. Telepathology diagnosis was achieved within 5 minutes in most cases using VS viewer provided by CLARO Inc. The VS telepathology system was found to be superior to the conventional still image telepathology system using a robotic microscope since in the former we can observe much greater image information than in the latter in a certain limited time of intra-operation and in the much more efficient ways. In the near future VS telepathology will replace conventional still image telepathology with a robotic microscope even in quick frozen intra-operative diagnosis

Mitochondrial genetic variants associated with bipolar disorder and Schizophrenia in a Japanese population

Abstract Background Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are complex psychotic disorders (PSY), with both environmental and genetic factors including possible maternal inheritance playing a role. Some studies have investigated whether genetic variants in the mitochondrial chromosome are associated with BD and SZ. However, the genetic variants identified as being associated are not identical among studies, and the participants were limited to individuals of European ancestry. Here, we investigate associations of genome-wide genetic variants in the mitochondrial chromosome with BD, SZ, and PSY in a Japanese population. Methods After performing quality control for individuals and genetic variants, we investigated whether mitochondrial genetic variants [minor allele frequency (MAF) > 0.01, n = 45 variants) are associated with BD, SZ, and PSY in 420 Japanese individuals consisting of patients with BD (n = 51), patients with SZ (n = 172), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 197). Results Of mitochondrial genetic variants, three (rs200478835, rs200044200 and rs28359178 on or near NADH dehydrogenase) and one (rs200478835) were significantly associated with BD and PSY, respectively, even after correcting for multiple comparisons (P GC =0.045–4.9 × 10− 3). In particular, individuals with the minor G-allele of rs200044200, a missense variant, were only observed among patients with BD (MAF = 0.059) but not HCs (MAF = 0) (odds ratio=∞). Three patients commonly had neuropsychiatric family histories. Conclusions We suggest that mitochondrial genetic variants in NADH dehydrogenase-related genes may contribute to the pathogenesis of BD and PSY in the Japanese population through dysfunction of energy production

Role of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Beneficial Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Upper Limb Hemiparesis after Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can improve upper limb hemiparesis after stroke but the mechanism underlying its efficacy remains elusive. rTMS seems to alter brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and such effect is influenced by BDNF gene polymorphism. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the molecular effects of rTMS on serum levels of BDNF, its precursor proBDNF and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in poststroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis. METHODS: Poststroke patients with upper limb hemiparesis were studied. Sixty-two patients underwent rehabilitation plus rTMS combination therapy and 33 patients underwent rehabilitation monotherapy without rTMS for 14 days at our hospital. One Hz rTMS was applied over the motor representation of the first dorsal interosseous muscle on the non-lesional hemisphere. Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Wolf Motor Function (WMFT) were used to evaluate motor function on the affected upper limb before and after intervention. Blood samples were collected for analysis of BDNF polymorphism and measurement of BDNF, proBDNF and MMP-9 levels. RESULTS: Two-week combination therapy increased BDNF and MMP-9 serum levels, but not serum proBDNF. Serum BDNF and MMP-9 levels did not correlate with motor function improvement, though baseline serum proBDNF levels correlated negatively and significantly with improvement in WMFT (rho = -0.422, p = 0.002). The outcome of rTMS therapy was not altered by BDNF gene polymorphism. CONCLUSIONS: The combination therapy of rehabilitation plus low-frequency rTMS seems to improve motor function in the affected limb, by activating BDNF processing. BDNF and its precursor proBDNF could be potentially suitable biomarkers for poststroke motor recovery

Anti-laminin gamma-1 pemphigoid

Anti-p200 pemphigoid has been characterized by autoantibodies to an unidentified 200-kDa protein (p200) of the dermal−epidermal junction. The objective of this study was to identify p200. We performed 2D gel electrophoresis of dermal extracts and immunoblotting with patients' sera, followed by MS analysis of a unique protein band. The protein band corresponded to laminin γ1. Anti-laminin γ1 mAb reacted with the anti-p200 immunoprecipitates by immunoblotting. Sera from 32 patients with anti-p200 pemphigoid showed 90% reactivity to the recombinant products of laminin γ1. None of the healthy control sera reacted with laminin γ1. By immunoblotting, reactivity of a patient's serum with p200 was competitively inhibited by adding anti-laminin γ1 C-terminus mAb. Purified anti-p200 IgG also inhibited the reactivity of this mAb to dermal laminin γ1. Most laminin γ1-positive sera showed reactivity with recombinant laminin γ1 C-terminal E8 fragment. Reactivity of patients' sera and purified IgG to dermal laminin γ1 was higher than reactivity to blood vessel laminin γ1 under reducing conditions. These results suggest that laminin γ1 is the autoantigen for patients with anti-p200 pemphigoid. The autoantibodies may specifically recognize dermal laminin γ1 with unique posttranslational modifications. The epitope is localized to the 246 C-terminal amino acids within the coiled-coil domain. The 9 C-terminal residues are known to be critically involved in laminin recognition by integrins

NEMURO—a lower trophic level model for the North Pacific marine ecosystem

The PICES CCCC (North Pacific Marine Science Organization, Climate Change and Carrying Capacity program) MODEL Task Team achieved a consensus on the structure of a prototype lower trophic level ecosystem model for the North Pacific Ocean, and named it the North Pacific Ecosystem Model for Understanding Regional Oceanography, “NEMURO”. Through an extensive dialog between modelers, plankton biologists and oceanographers, an extensive review was conducted to define NEMURO’s process equations and their parameter values for distinct geographic regions. We present in this paper the formulation, structure and governing equations of NEMURO as well as examples to illustrate its behavior. NEMURO has eleven state variables: nitrate, ammonium, small and large phytoplankton biomass, small, large and predatory zooplankton biomass, particulate and dissolved organic nitrogen, particulate silica, and silicic acid concentration. Several applications reported in this issue of Ecological Modelling have successfully used NEMURO, and an extension that includes fish as an additional state variable. Applications include studies of the biogeochemistry of the North Pacific, and variations of its ecosystem’s lower trophic levels and two target fish species at regional and basin-scale levels, and on time scales from seasonal to interdecadal