Effect of Physical Changes in Aging on Driving Performance

The growing population of older drivers has led to societal demands for the development of technologies better suited to the characteristics of older people. One effective way of addressing this situation is to examine closely the structure that causes the performance of older drivers and then use that information to develop technologies. As the first step toward understanding that structure in this research, an attempt was made to identify significant elements of the structure from a human factors standpoint in order to pursue this approach efficiently. A questionnaire survey, an observation of driving behavior and an interview survey were conducted with older drivers. The most significant perspectives on driving were extracted from the results. Tests were then conducted with a driving simulator to verify those perspectives. Based on the surveys and tests, two significant characteristics were identified concerning the influence of aging on driving behavior. One concerns the disintegration of the stimulus-perception-cognition-response system and the other concerns the transition in attention

A study of reinforcement learning with knowledge sharing

In this paper, we consider multi-agent system in which every agents have own tasks that differs each other. We propose a method that decreases learning time of reinforcement learning by using the model of environment. In the proposed algorithm, the model is created by sharing the experiences of agents each other. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, simulations of a puddle world and experiments of a maze world have been carried out. As a result effective behaviors have been obtained quickly.</p

Characteristics of Clinical and Imaging Findings of Epidermoid Cysts under the Skin of the Mental Region

Epidermoid cyst often arises in the fl oor of oral cavity; however, it is relatively rare to arise subcutaneously in the mental region. We reported characteristics of clinical and imaging fi ndings of epidermoid cysts under the skin of the mental region. The patient was a 53-year-old male. He complained of a subcutaneous mass without pain in the left mental region. A palpable soft and movable thumb-sized mass without pain was observed at the fi rst examination. Ultrasound examination revealed a well-demarcated mass with heterogenous hyper-echoic internal echo and posterior echo enhancement. On power Doppler sonography, a small amount of blood supply was found around the periphery of the mass. Plain CT scan revealeda globular soft-tissue mass with peripheral high and central low CT values area. The mass was removed under local anesthesia using intraoral approach. A histopathologic diagnosis was epidermoid cyst. Recurrence is not observed 2 years after surgery. There were only 3 reports of epidermoid cysts in the mental region, including our case in Japan, clinically characteristics of age ranging 20 to 66 years of age and the mean age of 46 years, with 2 males and 1 female. The size wasfrom 20 mm to 12 mm in diameter and from the tip of a thumb up to the tip of a small fi nger. Ultrasound images of the inside of epidermoid cysts that we experienced this time showed enhancement of relatively uniform hyperechoic image and posterior echo, which was characteristically slightly diff erent from fi ndings of epidermoid cysts generally reported

Superconductivity in quantum-dot superlattices composed of quantum wire networks

Based on calculations using the local density approximation, we propose quantum wire networks with square and plaquette type lattice structures that form quantum dot superlattices. These artificial structures are well described by the Hubbard model. Numerical analysis reveals a superconducting ground state with transition temperatures $T_c$ of up to 90 mK for the plaquette, which is more than double the value of 40 mK for the square lattice type and is sufficiently high to allow for the experimental observation of superconductivity.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

A case of maxillary sinusitis secondary to overfilling of a root canal

A case of iatrogenic sinusitis secondary to overfilling of a root canal filling material was reported. A 50–year old male was referred to our hospital with a symptom of nasal discharge. The cone–beam CT and panoramic x–ray images showed the soft–tissue density mass in right maxillary sinus and also the excess of root canal filling material from distobuccal root of right upper molar. After the administration of antibiotics and the root canal treatment, the excess material was surgically removed together with the amputation of the affected root, which resulted in the complete resolution of right maxillary sinusitis. The present case and the other related reports showed the risk of iatrogenic maxillary sinusitis even with a small fragment of overextended root canal filling materials. Dentists should be aware of this possibility for the ordinary root canal treatment