Inflow process of pedestrians to a confined space

To better design safe and comfortable urban spaces, understanding the nature of human crowd movement is important. However, precise interactions among pedestrians are difficult to measure in the presence of their complex decision-making processes and many related factors. While extensive studies on pedestrian flow through bottlenecks and corridors have been conducted, the dominant mode of interaction in these scenarios may not be relevant in different scenarios. Here, we attempt to decipher the factors that affect human reactions to other individuals from a different perspective. We conducted experiments employing the inflow process in which pedestrians successively enter a confined area (like an elevator) and look for a temporary position. In this process, pedestrians have a wider range of options regarding their motion than in the classical scenarios; therefore, other factors might become relevant. The preference of location is visualized by pedestrian density profiles obtained from recorded pedestrian trajectories. Non-trivial patterns of space acquisition, e.g., an apparent preference for positions near corners, were observed. This indicates the relevance of psychological and anticipative factors beyond the private sphere, which have not been deeply discussed so far in the literature on pedestrian dynamics. From the results, four major factors, which we call flow avoidance, distance cost, angle cost, and boundary preference, were suggested. We confirmed that a description of decision-making based on these factors can give a rise to realistic preference patterns, using a simple mathematical model. Our findings provide new perspectives and a baseline for considering the optimization of design and safety in crowded public areas and public transport carriers.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure

Strain Rate Concentration Factor for Double-Edge-Notched Specimens Subjected to High Speed Tensile Loads

Engineering plastics provide superior performance to ordinary plastics for wide range of the use. For polymer materials, dynamic stress and strain rate may be major factors to be considered when the strength is evaluated. Recently, high speed tensile test is being recognized as a standard testing method to confirm the strength under dynamic loads. In this study, therefore, high speed tensile test is analyzed by the finite element method; then, the maximum dynamic stress and strain rate are discussed with varying the tensile speed and maximum forced displacement. The strain rate concentration factor found to be constant independent of tensile speed, which is defined Ktέ as the maximum strain rate appeared at the notch root over the average nominal strain rate at the minimum section. The maximum strain rate is controlled by the tensile speed alone independent of the magnitude of the forced displacement. It is found that the difference between static and dynamic maximum stress concentration (σmax-σst) at the notch root is proportional to the tensile speed when u/t≦5000mm/s.13th International Conference on Fracture, June 16–21, 2013, Beijing, Chin

Assessment of Growth Disturbance in Japanese Children with IBD

In Japan, there is as yet no report on growth retardation in children with IBD. We therefore investigated the cause of growth retardation in Japanese children with IBD. We investigated the height, body weight, serum levels of albumin, IGF-I, CRP, and cytokines, and the amount of corticosteroid administered in children with Crohn's disease (CD, n = 15) and ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 18). Our results suggest that growth retardation is already present before the initial visit in children with CD, and chronic inflammation may be responsible this growth disturbance. Moreover, the amount of PSL used may contribute to growth retardation by decreasing the serum levels of IGF-I in children with IBD

MRI of Rheumatoid Arthritis:Comparing the Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials (OMERACT) Scoring and Volume of Synovitis for the Assessment of Biologic Therapy

The outcome measures in rheumatology clinical trials (OMERACT) scores are the most mature quantitation system for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Direct measuring techniques of synovial volume have been reported with good reproducibility, although few reports have demonstrated the changes of these measures in response to treatment. To assess these clinical responses, we evaluated the correlation of the changes of clinical activity score 28-joints disease activity score (DAS28-CRP) with the changes of OMERACT scores and with synovial volume measurements. Eight RA patients who were treated by biologic agents were examined with MRI of the dominant affected wrist and finger joints before and one year after the treatment. The total OMERACT score was reduced from 48.0 to 41.3, and synovial volume was reduced from 15.4 to 8.8 milliliters. Positive correlations were seen between the changes of DAS28-CRP and the changes of OMERACT synovitis score (r＝0.27), OMERACT total score (r＝0.43) and synovial volume (r＝0.30). Limited to synovium assessment, synovial volume showed a better correlation with DAS28-CRP than the OMERACT synovitis score. On the other hand, the OMERACT total score showed a higher correlation with DAS28-CRP than synovial volume, probably because the OMERACT total score includes scores for bone erosion and bone edema as well

Literature Management System Based on BibTEX for Laboratory

研究室内での文献管理において重要となるのは「メンバ間で文献情報の共有を行えること」そして「容易に文献を検索して,論文に引用できること」である.現在,文献管理ツールが多数開発されているが上記の条件を十分満たすものはない.そこで,本研究では研究室内での利用に特化した文献管理システム「bole」を開発する.提案システムは,研究室内で文献情報の共有を行いやすくするため,ウェブアプリケーションによる実装を行い,文献情報を登録する際,同時に文献に関する研究分野やコメント,評価などの情報を追加登録する.また,筆者らの研究室では,論文執筆の際,参考文献の記述にBibTEXを利用するので,便利にBibTEXを利用するために,文献を論文に引用するときに必要な「引用キー」を1クリックでコピーできる機能などの実装を行う.提案システムの導入により,研究室内での文献情報の共有を簡単にすることができ,さらに論文執筆の効率化を進めるという提案システムの有用性を検証する.The important things about managing literatures in laboratories are "Sharing literatures between members" and "Easy to search literatures and to cite them in papers". Currently, many literature management tools have developed, but not enough to satisfy the above conditions. In this paper, we develop the literature management system "bole" that specializes in the use of laboratories. The proposed system is developed as the web application, and when literature information is registered in the system, research area, comment, evaluation, and so on about literatures are registered as additional information in order to facilitate sharing of literature information in laboratories. BibTEX is used in our laboratory to write a paper, therefore we develop functions convenient to use BibTEX, for example citation key can be copied with one click. We show the utility of the proposed system to share literature information easily in the laboratory, and efficiently to write the papers

Simulation of space acquisition process of pedestrians using Proxemic Floor Field Model

We propose the Proxemic Floor Field Model as an extension of the Floor Field Model, which is one of the successful models describing the pedestrian dynamics. Proxemic Floor Field is the Floor Field which corresponds to the effect of repulsion force between others. By introducing the Proxemic Floor Field and threshold, we investigate the process that pedestrians enter a certain area. The results of simulations are evaluated by simple approximate analyses and newly introduced indices. The difference in pedestrian behavior due to the disposition of the entrance is also confirmed, namely, the entrance in the corner of the area leads to the long entrance time because of the obstruction by pedestrians settling on the boundary cells

The effect of a prostaglandin E-1 derivative on the symptoms and quality of life of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis

Quality of life (QOL) is a concern for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). In this study, QOL was examined using the 5-item EuroQol (EQ-5D). QOL and activities of daily living (ADL) were surveyed for 91 patients who visited 18 medical institutions in our prefecture and were diagnosed with LSS-associated intermittent claudication. A second survey was performed after a parts per thousand yen6 weeks for 79 of the subjects to evaluate therapy with limaprost (an oral prostaglandin E1 derivative) or etodolac (an NSAID). Symptoms, maximum walking time, QOL, ADL items, and relationships among these variables were investigated for all 91 patients. Leg pain, leg numbness, and low back pain while walking were surveyed by use of VAS scores (0-100). Leg pain, leg numbness, and low back pain while walking (VAS a parts per thousand yen25) were present in 83.5, 62.6, and 54.9 % of the patients in the first survey, and approximately half of the patients had a maximum walking time 30 min, showing that maximum walking time affected health-related QOL. Of the 79 patients who completed the second survey, 56 had taken limaprost and 23 (control group) had received etodolac. Limaprost improved possible walking time, reduced ADL interference, and significantly increased the EQ-5D utility score, whereas no significant changes occurred in the control group. Maximum walking time was prolonged by a parts per thousand yen10 min and the EQ-5D utility value was improved by a parts per thousand yen0.1 points in significantly more patients in the limaprost group than in the control group. According to the findings of this survey, at an average of 8 weeks after administration limaprost improved symptoms, QOL, and ADL in LSS patients whereas treatment with an NSAID reduced pain but did not have any other effects.ArticleJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC SCIENCE. 18(2):208-215 (2013)journal articl