Estimation of Confidence in the Dialogue based on Eye Gaze and Head Movement Information

In human-robot interaction, human mental states in dialogue have attracted attention to human-friendly robots that support educational use. Although estimating mental states using speech and visual information has been conducted, it is still challenging to estimate mental states more precisely in the educational scene. In this paper, we proposed a method to estimate human mental state based on participants’ eye gaze and head movement information. Estimated participants’ confidence levels in their answers to the miscellaneous knowledge question as a human mental state. The participants’ non-verbal information, such as eye gaze and head movements during dialog with a robot, were collected in our experiment using an eye-tracking device. Then we collect participants’ confidence levels and analyze the relationship between human mental state and non-verbal information. Furthermore, we also applied a machine learning technique to estimate participants’ confidence levels from extracted features of gaze and head movement information. As a result, the performance of a machine learning technique using gaze and head movements information achieved over 80 % accuracy in estimating confidence levels. Our research provides insight into developing a human-friendly robot considering human mental states in the dialogue

日本古代国家の祈雨儀礼と災害認識

早大学位記番号:新7757早稲田大

Symmetry-breaking host–guest assembly in a hydrogen-bonded supramolecular system

Bio-inspired self-assembly is invaluable to create well-defined giant structures from small molecular units. Owing to a large entropy loss in the self-assembly process, highly symmetric structures are typically obtained as thermodynamic products while formation of low symmetric assemblies is still challenging. In this study, we report the symmetry-breaking self-assembly of a defined C1-symmetric supramolecular structure from an Oh-symmetric hydrogen-bonded resorcin[4]arene capsule and C2-symmetric cationic bis-cyclometalated Ir complexes, carrying sterically demanding tertiary butyl (tBu) groups, on the basis of synergistic effects of weak binding forces. The flexible capsule framework shows a large structural change upon guest binding to form a distorted resorcin[4]arene hexameric capsule, providing an asymmetric cavity. Location of the chiral guest inside the anisotropic environment leads to modulation of its Electric Dipole (ED) and Magnetic Dipole (MD) transition moments in the excited state, causing an increased emission quantum yield, longer emission lifetime, and enhancement of the dissymmetry factor (glum) in the circularly polarized luminescence

Long-term treatment with hyperbaric air improves hyperlipidemia of db/db mice

Hyperbaric air (HBA) is used to improve healing of wounds including diabetic ulcer. The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of HBA exposure on lipid and glucose metabolism in db/db mice. HBA did not influence the weight of db/db mice. Serum levels of free fatty acid and triglyceride, but not glucose and insulin, were significantly decreased after 6 weeks of treatment with HBA. The mRNA expressions of CPT-1, PPARα and PGC-1α genes, which are related to lipid metabolism, were significantly up-regulated in the muscle and liver. Increases in TNFα and MCP1 mRNA, which impaired lipid metabolism, were also attenuated by HBA treatment. These results suggest that exposure of HBA could have beneficial effects on lipid metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Narrow-band imaging with magnifying endoscopy for Peyer's patches is useful in predicting the recurrence of remissive patients with ulcerative colitis

Background/AimsPeyer's patches (PPs) are aggregates of lymphoid follicles that are mainly located in the distal ileum; they play a major role in mucosal immunity. We recently reported that patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) have alterations in PPs that can be detected using narrow-band imaging with magnifying endoscopy (NBI-ME). However, the usefulness of NBI-ME in UC treatment as a whole is still unknown.MethodsWe collected NBI-ME images of PPs from 67 UC patients who had undergone ileocolonoscopy. We evaluated changes in the villi using the "villi index," which is based on three categories: irregular formation, hyperemia, and altered vascular network pattern. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of villi index: low (L)- and high (H)-types. We then determined the correlation between morphological alteration of the PPs and various clinical characteristics. In 52 patients who were in clinical remission, we also analyzed the correlation between NBI-ME findings of PPs and clinical recurrence.ResultsThe time to clinical recurrence was significantly shorter in remissive UC patients with H-type PPs than in those with L-type PPs (P<0.01). Moreover, PP alterations were not correlated with age, sex, disease duration, clinical activity, endoscopic score, or extent of disease involvement. Multivariate analysis revealed that the existence of H-type PPs was an independent risk factor for clinical recurrence (hazard ratio, 3.3; P<0.01).ConclusionsUC patients with morphological alterations in PPs were at high risk of clinical relapse. Therefore, to predict the clinical course of UC, it may be useful to evaluate NBI-ME images of PPs

A Pivotal Role of Vitamin B9 in the Maintenance of Regulatory T Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

Dietary factors regulate immunological function, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we show that vitamin B9 is a survival factor for regulatory T (Treg) cells expressing high levels of vitamin B9 receptor (folate receptor 4). In vitamin B9-reduced condition in vitro, Treg cells could be differentiated from naïve T cells but failed to survive. The impaired survival of Treg cells was associated with decreased expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl2 and independent of IL-2. In vivo depletion of dietary vitamin B9 resulted in the reduction of Treg cells in the small intestine, a site for the absorption of dietary vitamin B9. These findings provide a new link between diet and the immune system, which could maintain the immunological homeostasis in the intestine

シロリムス ヨウシュツ ステント リュウチ 7ネンゴ ニ ハジメテ ゾウエイザイ ステント シュウイ シミダシゾウ オ ミトメタ イチレイ

A 74-year-old man who had a history of percutaneous coronary intervention ［left anterior descending coronary artery ＃6‐7, sirolimus eluting stent （SES） （Cypher stent,3.0×18mm）, left circumflex coronary artery ＃13, SES （Cypher stent, 2.5×23mm）］ for angina pectoris experienced chest pain on effort after seven years from the coronary intervention. He was introduced to our hospital and coronary angiography revealed late acquired peri-stent contrast staining （PSS）, which is defined as an angiographical finding of contrast medium stain outside the stent being ＞20％ of the stent diameter, in the SES of the left anterior descending artery. Drug-eluting stent （DES） significantly inhibits neointimal proliferation, thereby significantly reducing in-stent restenosis. However, the risk of very late stent thrombosis has become a major problem after the DES implantation against the bare-metal stent implantation. PSS has been reported that PSS after SES implantation could predict late stent thrombosis and incomplete stent apposition of the lesion with PSS. In this case, PSS was pointed out for the first time in seven years after SES implantation nevertheless it did not be pointed out in three years. The mechanism and prognosis of PSS is unclear. But, we found the increase in local coagulation at the coronary artery in this case and the degree of prothrombin fragment F1＋2, one of the coagulation marker, was greater in seven years after SES implantation than in three years. We thought these findings might reflect that PSS after SES implantation was associated with very late stent thrombosis. So we started the dual antiplatelet therapy for the prevention of stent thrombosis. Careful long-term observation might be recommended in patients with late acquired PSS and elevated local coagulation response following SES implantation