Human-Robot Kinaesthetic Interaction Based on Free Energy Principle

The current study investigated possible human-robot kinaesthetic interaction using a variational recurrent neural network model, called PV-RNN, which is based on the free energy principle. Our prior robotic studies using PV-RNN showed that the nature of interactions between top-down expectation and bottom-up inference is strongly affected by a parameter, called the meta-prior, which regulates the complexity term in free energy.The study also compares the counter force generated when trained transitions are induced by a human experimenter and when untrained transitions are induced. Our experimental results indicated that (1) the human experimenter needs more/less force to induce trained transitions when $w$ is set with larger/smaller values, (2) the human experimenter needs more force to act on the robot when he attempts to induce untrained as opposed to trained movement pattern transitions. Our analysis of time development of essential variables and values in PV-RNN during bodily interaction clarified the mechanism by which gaps in actional intentions between the human experimenter and the robot can be manifested as reaction forces between them.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, journal pape

Short-Term Program on Three-Dimensional Printed Self-Help Devices for Occupational Therapy Students: A Pre-Post Intervention Study

Despite the increasing importance of digital fabrication, of which three-dimensional printing is an important aspect, educational programs in this area have not been fully developed. To utilize three-dimensional printing optimally, occupational therapists need to be familiar with this new technology, understand its scope of application, and possess certain levels of skills for producing. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a short-term program for occupational therapy students to increase the acceptance of three-dimensional printed devices by acquiring the basic knowledge and skills of making three-dimensional printed self-help devices. The research involved an intervention study with a pre-post design. Participants comprised 112 entry-level occupational therapy students. The program consisted of two 90-minute sessions during 2019 and 2020. It included a three-part lecture series and two types of practice. The conducted pre-post questionnaires were structured into four categories: I. student profile; II. knowledge about digital fabrication technology; III. ideas and attitudes toward three-dimensional printed self-help devices; and IV. impressions and thoughts. After the program, the number of students who acquired basic knowledge of digital fabrication and who felt confident about making three-dimensional printed self-help devices significantly increased (p \u3c 0.05). The study suggested that the program was effective and assisted occupational therapy students to understand the usefulness of this new technology and be comfortable using it

Histomorphological species identification of tiny bone fragments from a Paleolithic site in the Northern Japanese Archipelago

AbstractBone histomorphology is an effective method for species identification of fragmentary osseous remains. The 1997–1998 excavations of the Kashiwadai 1 Upper Paleolithic site (ca. 22–20.5 kyBP) in Hokkaido (the northern island of the Japanese Archipelago) yielded tiny bone fragments, which had been burned to white and broken into pieces less than 1 cm in size, making their species identification by gross morphology alone impossible. For the purpose of species identification, histomorphological analyses were performed on thin sections of the Kashiwadai 1 bone fragments. Compact bone cross sections taken from medium- to large-sized land mammals in the Pleistocene and Holocene Hokkaido were prepared for comparison. The structures of the Kashiwadai 1 samples consisted of secondary osteons and plexiform bone. Consideration of the presence versus absence of plexiform bone and quantitative assessments of osteon sizes and bone cortical thickness allows for distinction between medium-sized deer, large-sized artiodactyls, small- to medium-sized carnivores, large-sized carnivores, elephants, and humans. The histomorphological characteristics of the Kashiwadai 1 samples were quite similar to those of both sika deer and ancient sika deer. A probable conclusion is that medium-sized deer was the primary game hunted by Paleolithic people at the Kashiwadai 1 site. Interestingly, the samples did not include elephant or large-sized artiodactyls, which were the predominant species in other Paleolithic sites of the Japanese Archipelago. This is the first evidence of human hunting medium-sized animals in the Upper Paleolithic period of the Japanese Archipelago based on faunal remains

日本語の直示授与動詞「やる／くれる」の歴史

青山学院大学Aoyama Gakuin University現代共通語の「やる／くれる」は，「方向性」，ないしは，「視点」の制約を有する直示授与動詞である。一方，古代中央語では，「くれる」（古代語では下二「くる」）は，求心的方向への授与，非求心的（遠心的）方向への授与のどちらでも使われる非直示授与動詞であり，「やる」は，授与動詞ではなく，「おこす」と対立をなす非求心的な直示移送動詞であったことが知られている。本稿では，主に，「くれる」が求心的授与の方向に意味領域を縮小させ，受け手寄りの視点制約を成立させた要因・背景について考察を行う。中世期に「やる」が移送用法との類比（アナロジー）により授与用法を確立させ，非求心的授与領域内で「くれる」と「やる」が競合するが，通常の授与場面では，待遇的に中立的な，または，「くれる」に比べ相対的に丁寧な，「やる」の選択意識が高まり，中世期（室町期）から近世期にかけて，「くれる」は，次第に非求心的授与の意味領域から追い出されていき，求心的な方向性の制約，ないしは，受け手寄りの視点制約を成立させたと考えられる。現代共通語では，「やる」が下位待遇的（卑語的）意味を帯びつつあることから，「あげる」の選択意識が高まっており，（非敬語的な）非求心的授与領域において，さらなる語の入れ替えが生じつつある。Modern Japanese distinguishes the giving verbs yaru and kureru based on a difference in directionality or viewpoint: Kureru and yaru express centripetal and non-centripetal (or centrifugal) directionality, respectively. However, kureru―kuru in Old Japanese―was used not only as a centripetal giving verb but also non-centripetally, while yaru was not a giving but a sending verb deictically opposed to the centripetal sending verb okosu. This study examines the factors whereby the semantic domain of kureru narrowed to establish a viewpoint restriction. In Middle Japanese, yaru developed a giving use by analogy with its original sending use and came to compete with kureru in the non-centripetal domain of giving. In situations of normal giving, yaru became more popular than kureru because yaru was more polite. Therefore, kureru was gradually excluded from the domain of non-centripetal giving, establishing the viewpoint restriction. However, in Modern Japanese, since yaru can have pejorative connotations, another non-centripetal deictic giving verb, ageru―originally an honorific (humble) giving verb―is now used more widely than yaru as a plain or non-honorific non-centripetal giving verb

Anti-adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma effects of indole-3-carbinol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a malignancy derived from T cells infected with human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), and it is known to be resistant to standard anticancer therapies. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a naturally occurring component of <it>Brassica </it>vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprout, is a promising chemopreventive agent as it is reported to possess antimutagenic, antitumorigenic and antiestrogenic properties in experimental studies. The aim of this study was to determine the potential anti-ATLL effects of I3C both <it>in vitro </it>and <it>in vivo</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the <it>in vitro </it>study, I3C inhibited cell viability of HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines and ATLL cells in a dose-dependent manner. Importantly, I3C did not exert any inhibitory effect on uninfected T-cell lines and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. I3C prevented the G₁/S transition by reducing the expression of cyclin D1, cyclin D2, Cdk4 and Cdk6, and induced apoptosis by reducing the expression of XIAP, survivin and Bcl-2, and by upregulating the expression of Bak. The induced apoptosis was associated with activation of caspase-3, -8 and -9, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. I3C also suppressed IκBα phosphorylation and JunD expression, resulting in inactivation of NF-κB and AP-1. Inoculation of HTLV-1-infected T cells in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency resulted in tumor growth. The latter was inhibited by treatment with I3C (50 mg/kg/day orally), but not the vehicle control.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our preclinical data suggest that I3C could be potentially a useful chemotherapeutic agent for patients with ATLL.</p