Population Synthesis via k-Nearest Neighbor Crossover Kernel

The recent development of multi-agent simulations brings about a need for population synthesis. It is a task of reconstructing the entire population from a sampling survey of limited size (1% or so), supplying the initial conditions from which simulations begin. This paper presents a new kernel density estimator for this task. Our method is an analogue of the classical Breiman-Meisel-Purcell estimator, but employs novel techniques that harness the huge degree of freedom which is required to model high-dimensional nonlinearly correlated datasets: the crossover kernel, the k-nearest neighbor restriction of the kernel construction set and the bagging of kernels. The performance as a statistical estimator is examined through real and synthetic datasets. We provide an "optimization-free" parameter selection rule for our method, a theory of how our method works and a computational cost analysis. To demonstrate the usefulness as a population synthesizer, our method is applied to a household synthesis task for an urban micro-simulator.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, IEEE International Conference on Data Mining (ICDM) 201

パーソナル・コンピューターを用いた視覚機能の簡易評価法について

The purpose of this study was to measure the reproducibility and availability of visual functions by the software, \u27Perception Trainer\u27. Thirty five university students, aged 20.9±2.7 years, (mean±SD), performed the 4 visual function tests using a personal computer. Visual Reaction Time (VRT), Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA), Selection Response (SR), and Perception Judgment (PJ), each test was 10 questions. The subjects required to replay a question within 10 seconds. In the reproducibility test of visual function, the averages of VRT, DVA, SR, and PJ were not different between 1st and 2nd tests. The median scores of VRT, DVA, SR, and PJ were 7, 6, 8, and 6, respectively. The data from DVA and PJ were a normal distribution. On the other hand, the data from VRT and SR were not a normal distribution. The results of this study confirmed the reproducibility of the 4 visual functions. The availability could not be completely confirmed

MOTION OF CENTRE OF PRESSURE DURING STANDING ON TIP TOE ON ONE LEG: ASSOCIATION WITH FOREFOOT SHAPE OF CLASSIC BALLET DANCERS

This study clarified how the centre of pressure (COP) is kept in the forefoot area during standing on tip toe on one leg by classical ballet dancers. During standing on tip toe on one leg with ballet shoes, the weight is distributed around the first and second toes and at the distal point of the second metatarsal bone ideally. Thus, the supporting surface during standing on tip toe on one leg would be affected by alignment of the metatarsal bones. Motions of the COP during standing on tip toe on one leg were investigated for ten female recreational dancers and six female professional dancers in classical ballet. The results suggested that balance holding time tended to be longer as the distal points of the metatarsal bones aligned more like a straight line in recreational dancers

Development and verification of the game “locomo de balamingo”

Efforts to maintain elders’ health and reduce their medical care costs are being made in response to the aging of the population. In 2012, in conjunction with Nagao Hospital, we developed a series of Kiritsu no mori rehabilium digital rehabilitation healthcare games. One game we developed is Locomo de Balamingo to help prevent locomotive syndrome. In this game, participants stand on one leg with their eyes open and maintain their balance for 60 seconds; this posture is repeated three times. The game uses Microsoft Windows and Kinect for motion sensing. The highest score is achieved by standing with an erect posture. The game is played three times in succession and the participants use both hands during the second and third times. To motivate the participants, we display their titles and ranks based on their scores at the end of the game. We studied the effects of the exercise on 13 young adults and 14 elders by comparing them with and without the game. We conducted a comparative survey of the sway of the center and subjective evaluations of motivation and fatigue when their eyes were open and they were standing on one leg in the training game, with and without the game, and with and without a mirror. The results found a significant difference in young adults with and without the game and with and without a mirror. There was a lot of momentum in the game. Playing the game had a positive response because subjective feelings of fatigue decreased, which led to an increase in momentum without a feeling of fatigue. Regarding the elders, no significant differences were observed and the point of fatigue had a significant tendency with the game and with a mirror. These results suggest that the differences are related to the elders’ lack of digital gaming experience. We also conduct the Locomo de Balamingo exercise circle for elders at our university twice a month. We obtain feedback from about 20 people on ways to improve the quality of the game. The experiment can then be done at the participants’ homes and we can monitor their uses, scores, and rankings using cloud technology. Health promotion using ICT continues to be widespread and it contributes to elders’ health around the world

Infra-red effects of Non-linear sigma model in de Sitter space

We extend our investigation on a possible de Sitter symmetry breaking mechanism in non-linear sigma models. The scale invariance of the quantum fluctuations could make the cosmological constant time dependent signaling the de Sitter symmetry breaking. To understand such a symmetry breaking mechanism, we investigate the energy-momentum tensor. We show that the leading infra-red logarithms cancel to all orders in perturbation theory in a generic non-linear sigma model. When the target space is an N sphere, the de Sitter symmetry is preserved in the large N limit. For a less symmetric target space, the infra-red logarithms appear at the three loop level. However there is a counter term to precisely cancel it. The leading infra-red logarithms do not cancel for higher derivative interactions. We investigate such a model in which the infra-red logarithms first appear at the three loop level. A nonperturbative investigation in the large N limit shows that they eventually grow as large as the one loop effect.Comment: 39page

Genetic analysis in Japanese patients with osteogenesis imperfecta: Genotype and phenotype spectra in 96 probands

Background Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare connective-tissue disorder characterized by bone fragility. Approximately 90% of all OI cases are caused by variants in COL1A1 or COL1A2. Additionally, IFITM5 variants are responsible for the unique OI type 5. We previously analyzed COL1A1/2 variants in 22 Japanese families with OI through denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography screening, but our detection rate was low (41%). Methods To expand the genotype-phenotype correlations, we performed a genetic analysis of COL1A1/2 and IFITM5 in 96 non-consanguineous Japanese OI probands by Sanger sequencing. Results Of these individuals, 54, 41, and 1 had type 1 (mild), type 2-4 (moderate-to-severe), and type 5 phenotypes, respectively. In the mild group, COL1A1 nonsense and splice-site variants were prevalent (n = 30 and 20, respectively), but there were also COL1A1 and COL1A2 triple-helical glycine substitutions (n = 2 and 1, respectively). In the moderate-to-severe group, although COL1A1 and COL1A2 glycine substitutions were common (n = 14 and 18, respectively), other variants were also detected. The single case of type 5 had the characteristic c.-14C>T variant in IFITM5. Conclusion These results increase our previous detection rate for COL1A1/2 variants to 99% and provide insight into the genotype-phenotype correlations in OI

Resting-state functional connectivity predicts recovery from visually induced motion sickness

映像酔いからの回復時に脳結合の増加を発見 --酔いの回復を促す技術開発の足がかりに--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-01-14.Movies depicting certain types of motion often provoke uncomfortable symptoms similar to motion sickness, termed visually induced motion sickness (VIMS). VIMS generally evolves slowly during the viewing of a motion stimulus and, when the stimulus is removed, the recovery proceeds over time. Recent human neuroimaging studies have provided new insights into the neural bases of the evolution of VIMS. In contrast, no study has investigated the neural correlates of the recovery from VIMS. Study of the recovery process is critical for the development of a way to promote recovery and could provide further clues for understanding the mechanisms of VIMS. We thus investigated brain activity during the recovery from VIMS with functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging. We found enhanced recovery-related functional connectivity patterns involving brain areas such as the insular, cingulate and visual cortical regions, which have been suggested to play important roles in the emergence of VIMS. These regions also constituted large interactive networks. Furthermore, the increase in functional connectivity was correlated with the subjective awareness of recovery for the following five pairs of brain regions: insula–superior temporal gyrus, claustrum–left and right inferior parietal lobules, claustrum–superior temporal gyrus and superior frontal gyrus–lentiform nucleus. Considering the previous findings on the functions of these regions and the present results, it is suggested that the increase in FC may reflect brain processes such as enhanced interoceptive awareness to one’s own bodily state, a neuroplastic change in visual-processing circuits and/or the maintenance of visual spatial memory

Pregabalin- and azithromycin-induced rhabdomyolysis with purpura: An unrecognized interaction: A case report

AbstractIntroductionRhabdomyolysis associated with the use of pregabalin or azithromycin has been demonstrated to be a rare but potentially life-threatening adverse event. Here, we report an extremely rare case of rhabdomyolysis with purpura in a patient who had used pregabalin and azithromycin.Presentation of caseWe present the case of a 75-year-old woman with a history of fibromyalgia who was admitted with mild limb weakness and lower abdominal purpura. She was prescribed pregabalin (75mg, twice daily) for almost 3 months to treat chronic back pain. Her medical history revealed that 3days before admission, she began experiencing acute bronchitis and was treated with a single dose of azithromycin (500mg). She had developed rapid onset severe myalgia, mild whole body edema, muscle weakness leading to gait instability, abdominal purpura and tender purpura on the lower extremities. Laboratory values included a white blood cell count of 25,400/mL and a creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) concentration of 1250 IU/L. Based on these findings and the patient’s clinical history, a diagnosis of pregabalin- and azithromycin-induced rhabdomyolysis was made.DiscussionThe long-term use of pregabalin and the initiation azithromycin therapy followed by a rapid onset of rhabdomyolysis is indicative of a drug interaction between pregabalin and azithromycin.ConclusionWe report an extremely rare case of rhabdomyolysis with purpura caused by a drug interaction between pregabalin and azithromycin. However, the mechanisms of the interactions between azithromycin on the pregabalin are still unknown