Trajectory Planning for Saving Energy of a Flexible Manipulator Using Soft Computing Methods

Akira Abe,Kazuma Komuro 제어로봇시스템학회 2010 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2010 No.10

This paper presents a trajectory planning method for saving the operating energy of a flexible manipulator in point-to-point (PTP) motion. An artificial neural network (ANN) is employed to generate the desired joint angle, and then, particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used as the learning algorithm. The sum of the motor torques is adopted as the objective function in the PSO algorithm. By operating the manipulator along the trajectory obtained using the proposed method, residual vibrations can also be suppressed. The applicability and effectiveness of the proposed trajectory planning method are confirmed by performing numerical simulation and verified by experimental results.

FEM Analysis on Elastic-Plastic Deformation of Perforated Sheets

Abe, Takeji,Nakayama, Yasuhide,Kodama, Akira,Nagaki, Shigeru 대한금속재료학회(대한금속학회) 1998 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.4 No.3

The influence of distribution and growth of voids on macroscopic mechanical properties are important issues in the ductile fracture of metals. In the present paper, we consider perforated sheets with regularly distributed holes as a simple model for void containg materials. Elastic-Plastic deformation of perforated sheet, where circular holes are distributed regularly, was analyzed numerically under the plane stress condition by means of finite element method introducing the periodic boundary conditions. It is shown that the deformation behavior depends highly on the distribution and arrangement of holes. This results in anisotropy of yield stresses of perforated sheets, which is related to the stress concentration near the holes. It is also shown that the plastic region in perforated sheets does not develop simply in the direction to adjacent holes.

PREFERENCE REVERSAL: PERSPECTIVE WITH GENERALIZED CONSTRUAL LEVEL THEORY

Makoto Abe,Takeshi Moriguchi,Akira Yashima 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

Physiological Evaluation of Effects of Visually-Induced Motion Sickness Using Finger Photoplethysmography

Makoto Abe,Makoto Yoshizawa,Norihiro Sugita,Akira Tanaka 제어로봇시스템학회 2006 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2006 No.10

PREFERENCE REVERSAL: PERSPECTIVE WITH GENERALIZED CONSTRUAL LEVEL THEORY

Makoto Abe,Takeshi Moriguchi,Akira Yashima 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

Preference Reversal and Discounting Everyone has experienced “procrastination”, for example, in the context of diet, quitting smoking, doing homework, etc. Despite a desirable goal in the long term perspective, people often divert their course for a minor gain of immediate future. “Marriage blue” is a typical example of such preference reversal along a temporal dimension. Wedding seems so desirable when it is planned. But as the wedding date approaches, one starts to focus minor issues in reality and becomes hesitant to get married. Such preference reversal along a time dimension has been considered as irrational behavior, and is often referred to as present bias or time inconsistency. Fields of Behavioral Economics and Behavioral Decision Theory try to explain the phenomenon using “discounting” along a time axis. Previous research has shown three well-known properties of “discounting over time”. (1) Invalidity of exponential discounting A discount rate is not constant, but decreases rapidly at first and later more gradually. (2) Amount effect A discount rate is larger for a small amount of money than for a large amount. (3) Sign effect A discount rate is larger for gain than for loss. The first property is used to explain “procrastination”. Exponential discounting, which assumes a constant discount rate over time, cannot explain the phenomenon because two utility curves, one for a large gain in further future and the other for a small gain in near future, never cross each other over time. On the other hand, hyperbolic discounting, with a declining discount rate over time, permits the crossing, thereby explaining “procrastination”. How about “marriage blue”? Unfortunately, neither exponential nor hyperbolic discounting can explain this phenomenon. By interpreting the initial desirability as gain and the minor issues as loss, the sign effect cannot explain the reversal, either. Perhaps more complicated discounting models are necessary. However, there exist many criticisms and complications for introducing complex discounting models. Construal level theory (CLT) with a minor twist can explain “marriage blue” in a simple manner, as will be shown. What is Construal Level Theory (CLT) ? CLT, which has been receiving increasing attention in Social Psychology and Consumer Behavior Studies, posits that people’s evaluation toward items and incidents differs by the psychological distance between oneself and the object. When the distance is close, people mentally construe the object in terms of low-level, detailed, and contextualized features. In contrast, when the distance is far, they construe the same object in terms of high-level, abstract, and stable characteristics. Such difference in mental construal leads to different evaluation and behavior, and thus preference reversal. Fiedler (2007) discusses different types of psychological distances, including temporal, spatial, social, certainty-related, informational, experiential, affective, and perspective distances. Using these general notions of “distance”, CLT becomes a powerful tool to explain various preference changes. Along social distance, choice of souvenir can differ whether it is for a work supervisor or for a family member. Along spatial distance, excitement toward bungee jump in the birth country of New Zealand when leaving airport in Tokyo can change to uneasiness when arriving at Oakland airport. Along experiential distance, an advanced medical treatment, which seems attractive from an outsider’s viewpoint, can change to anxiety for risk and side effect when you are the one to receive. Because “discounting” is used to explain preference reversal with varying time distance, it is rather natural to introduce this idea into CLT with appropriate adaptation. First, discounting applies not only to time distance but also to psychological distance in general. Then, the second property, “the difference in discount rates between low versus high amount of money” shall be translated to “the difference in discount rates between low versus high construal levels”. This conceptualization, which I refer to as GCLT, can explain “marriage blue” in a straightforward manner, when the high and low construal levels of wedding are interpreted, respectively, as the initial motive and the detail issues. Generalized Construal Level Theory (GCLT) Let us summarize the three propositions of the generalized construal level (GCLT). (1) [Generalization of distance] “Discounting” applies to psychological distances including time. (2) [Amount effect] Discount rate varies depending on the construal level: the higher the construal level, the smaller the discount rate. (3) [Sign effect] Discount rate is smaller for loss than for gain. The relationship between GCLT and CLT are as follows. 1) GCLT models the consequences of CLT using the idea of discounting. It does not mean GCLT can explain what CLT cannot. 2) GCLT introduces the notion of gain and loss into CLT. 3) While CLT usually discretizes the construal level (high vs. low), GCLT regards the construal level as continuous by nature. By modeling the input and output of CLT, GCLT bypasses the complicated and arguably controversial inner mechanism/process of human perception. GCLT can predict preference and behavior shift more easily as distance varies. There is no need to specify the functional form of discounting, such as exponential or hyperbolic. When the distance is limited to time and the construal level is limited to monetary amount, GCLT becomes consistent with the ordinary “discounting” of BDT, as it should. Empirical Studies The survey asks participants to choose one of two lotteries with the same expected return: one with a higher prize amount and the other with a higher winning probability. The reason for selecting a lottery is that attributes resulting in high and low construal levels are clearly defined and same for everyone. Previous research found that, in lottery choices, prize amount and winning probability lead to high and low construal levels, respectively. In other context, it is often ambiguous what attributes result in high and low construals. Moreover, such attributes can differ by people. We investigate how lottery choice changes when the psychological distance with the subject varies. We manipulate time distance through a lottery whose outcome is announced either tomorrow (short) or one month later (longer). We manipulate social distance through a lottery which is purchased either for yourself (short) or for a prize in a party at work (long). Proposition 1 The survey asks a respondent to choose either Lottery A or B, both of which have the same expected winning outcome of 1,000 yen. A half of the sample are asked to consider two cases of time distance (tomorrow and one month later), and the other half are asked to consider two cases of social distance (for yourself and for a prize in a party at work). The design is a within-sample study. The paired McNemar test is conducted to statistically check whether the proportion of respondents valuing prize amount (high construal) over winning probability (low construal) varies by distance. The result confirms the prediction by CLT, in which, for both time and social distances, respondents’ construal levels are higher when the distance is far and vice versa. Proposition 2 A respondent is asked to choose either Lottery A or B when Lottery R, an originally intended for purchase, is unavailable. Both Lotteries A and B have the same gain or loss in expected outcome of 1,000 yen. The difference is whether the gain or loss is due to the change in the prize amount or the winning probability. A half of the sample are asked to respond to two cases of time distance (tomorrow and one month later), and the other half are asked to respond to two cases of social distance (for yourself and for a prize in a party at work). Again, the design is a within-sample study. The paired McNemar test is conducted to statistically check whether the proportion of respondents valuing prize amount (high construal) over winning probability (low construal) varies by distance. The result shows that, for social distance, the respondents’ construal levels are higher when the distance is far and vice versa, under both gain and loss. It implies higher discount rate for a low construal level. For time distance manipulation, however, changing distance did not result in the construal level change under either gain or loss. Proposition 3 A respondent is asked to choose either Lottery A or B with the same expected winning outcome when the distance is far. The survey then asks whether she would switch from her initial choice when the distance becomes close. Switch from Lottery A to B trades off the loss in prize amount over the gain in winning probability. Likewise, switch from B to A trades off the gain in prize amount over the loss in winning probability. According to GCLT, switch is likely to occur from A to B but not in the other direction. This is because discounting of a high construal level (prize amount) in loss is small whereas discounting of a low construal level (winning probability) in gain is large, the net of the loss and the gain is likely to result in sign reversal as the distance becomes close. The chi-square test is conducted to statistically check whether the proportions of respondents switching from A and from B are the same. The result shows that, for both time and social distances, there are more switches from A to B than from B to A as the distance becomes close, thereby supporting Proposition 3. Conclusions Using two samples, students and web users, the survey study largely supports the three propositions of GCLT. The only exception is the amount effect in time distance. Our study could not confirm it using neither students nor web users.

CELLULAR MOBILE RADIO TELEPHONE SYSTEM IN A HIGHWAY-BASED UNEVEN ROAD TRAFFIC FLOW

Masakazu Sengoku,Akira Ohtsuka,Kaname Nihei,Gabriel Montenegro,Yoshio Yamaguchi,Takeo Abe 대한전자공학회 1989 JTC-CSCC : Joint Technical Conference on Circuits Vol.- No.-

Effect of propofol on salivary secretion from the submandibular, sublingual, and labial glands during intravenous sedation

Keisuke Masuda,Akira Furuyama,Kenji Ohsuga,Shota Abe,Hiroyoshi Kawaai The Korean Dental Society of Anesthsiology 2023 Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Vol.23 No.3

Background: Recent animal studies have suggested the role of GABA type A (GABA-_A) receptors in salivation, showing that GABA-_A receptor agonists inhibit salivary secretion. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of propofol (a GABA-_A agonist) on salivary secretions from the submandibular, sublingual, and labial glands during intravenous sedation in healthy volunteers. Methods: Twenty healthy male volunteers participated in the study. They received a loading dose of propofol 6 mg/kg/h for 10 min, followed by 3 mg/kg/h for 15 min. Salivary flow rates in the submandibular, sublingual, and labial glands were measured before, during, and after propofol infusion, and amylase activity was measured in the saliva from the submandibular and sublingual glands. Results: We found that the salivary flow rates in the submandibular, sublingual, and labial glands significantly decreased during intravenous sedation with propofol (P < 0.01). Similarly, amylase activity in the saliva from the submandibular and sublingual glands was significantly decreased (P < 0.01). Conclusion: It can be concluded that intravenous sedation with propofol decreases salivary secretion in the submandibular, sublingual, and labial glands via the GABA-_A receptor. These results may be useful for dental treatment when desalivation is necessary.

Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 (TCF7L2) Regulates Activin Receptor-Like Kinase 1 (ALK1)/Smad1 Pathway for Development of Diabetic Nephropathy

Araoka, Toshikazu,Abe, Hideharu,Tominaga, Tatsuya,Mima, Akira,Matsubara, Takeshi,Murakami, Taichi,Kishi, Seiji,Nagai, Kojiro,Doi, Toshio Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2010 Molecules and cells Vol.30 No.3

Smad1 has previously been shown to play a key role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN), by increasing synthesis of extracellular matrix. However, the regulatory mechanism of Smad1 in DN is still unclear. This study aims to elucidate molecular interactions between activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1)/Smad1 signaling pathway and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) in the progression of DN in vitro and in vivo. The expressions of TCF7L2 and ALK1 were induced by advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in parallel with Smad1, phosphorylated Smad1 (pSmad1), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (${\alpha}$-SMA) through TGF-${\beta}$1 in cultured mesangial cells. Constitutively active ALK1 increased pSmad1 and ${\alpha}$-SMA expressions. The binding of TCF7L2 to ALK1 promoter was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Furthermore, TCF7L2 induced promoter activity of ALK1. AGEs and TGF-${\beta}$1 induced a marked increase in TCF7L2 expression in parallel with ALK1. Overexpression of TCF7L2 increased the expressions of ALK1 and Smad1. Inversely, TCF7L2 knockdown by siRNA suppressed ${\alpha}$-SMA expression as well as ALK1 and Smad1. The iNOS transgenic mice (iNOS-Tgm), which developed diabetic glomerulosclerosis resembling human diabetic nephropathy, exhibited markedly increased expressions of ALK1, TCF7L2, Smad1, pSmad1, and ${\alpha}$-SMA in glomeruli in association with mesangial matrix expansion. These results provide a new evidence that the TCF7L2/ALK1/Smad1 pathway plays a key role in the development of DN.

Influence of Signal Intensity Non-Uniformity on Brain Volumetry Using an Atlas-Based Method

Masami Goto,Osamu Abe,Tosiaki Miyati,Hiroyuki Kabasawa,Hidemasa Takao,Naoto Hayashi,Tomomi Kurosu,Takeshi Iwatsubo,Fumio Yamashita,Hiroshi Matsuda,Harushi Mori,Akira Kunimatsu,Shigeki Aoki,Kenji Ino,K 대한영상의학회 2012 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.13 No.4

Objective: Many studies have reported pre-processing effects for brain volumetry; however, no study has investigated whether non-parametric non-uniform intensity normalization (N3) correction processing results in reduced system dependency when using an atlas-based method. To address this shortcoming, the present study assessed whether N3 correction processing provides reduced system dependency in atlas-based volumetry. Materials and Methods: Contiguous sagittal T1-weighted images of the brain were obtained from 21 healthy participants, by using five magnetic resonance protocols. After image preprocessing using the Statistical Parametric Mapping 5 software, we measured the structural volume of the segmented images with the WFU-PickAtlas software. We applied six different bias-correction levels (Regularization 10, Regularization 0.0001, Regularization 0, Regularization 10 with N3, Regularization 0.0001 with N3, and Regularization 0 with N3) to each set of images. The structural volume change ratio (%) was defined as the change ratio (%) = (100 x [measured volume - mean volume of five magnetic resonance protocols] / mean volume of five magnetic resonance protocols) for each bias-correction level. Results: A low change ratio was synonymous with lower system dependency. The results showed that the images with the N3 correction had a lower change ratio compared with those without the N3 correction. Conclusion: The present study is the first atlas-based volumetry study to show that the precision of atlas-based volumetry improves when using N3-corrected images. Therefore, correction for signal intensity non-uniformity is strongly advised for multi-scanner or multi-site imaging trials. Objective: Many studies have reported pre-processing effects for brain volumetry; however, no study has investigated whether non-parametric non-uniform intensity normalization (N3) correction processing results in reduced system dependency when using an atlas-based method. To address this shortcoming, the present study assessed whether N3 correction processing provides reduced system dependency in atlas-based volumetry. Materials and Methods: Contiguous sagittal T1-weighted images of the brain were obtained from 21 healthy participants, by using five magnetic resonance protocols. After image preprocessing using the Statistical Parametric Mapping 5 software, we measured the structural volume of the segmented images with the WFU-PickAtlas software. We applied six different bias-correction levels (Regularization 10, Regularization 0.0001, Regularization 0, Regularization 10 with N3, Regularization 0.0001 with N3, and Regularization 0 with N3) to each set of images. The structural volume change ratio (%) was defined as the change ratio (%) = (100 x [measured volume - mean volume of five magnetic resonance protocols] / mean volume of five magnetic resonance protocols) for each bias-correction level. Results: A low change ratio was synonymous with lower system dependency. The results showed that the images with the N3 correction had a lower change ratio compared with those without the N3 correction. Conclusion: The present study is the first atlas-based volumetry study to show that the precision of atlas-based volumetry improves when using N3-corrected images. Therefore, correction for signal intensity non-uniformity is strongly advised for multi-scanner or multi-site imaging trials.

Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 (TCF7L2) Regulates Activin Receptor-Like Kinase 1 (ALK1)/Smad1 Pathway for Development of Diabetic Nephropathy

Toshikazu Araoka,Hideharu Abe,Tatsuya Tominaga,Akira Mima,Takeshi Matsubara,Taichi Murakami,Seiji Kishi,Kojiro Nagai,Toshio Doi 한국분자세포생물학회 2010 Molecules and cells Vol.30 No.3

Smad1 has previously been shown to play a key role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN), by increasing synthesis of extracellular matrix. However, the regulatory mechanism of Smad1 in DN is still unclear. This study aims to elucidate molecular interactions between activin receptor-like kinase 1 (ALK1)/Smad1 signaling pathway and transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) in the progression of DN in vitro and in vivo. The expressions of TCF7L2and ALK1 were induced by advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in parallel with Smad1, phosphorylated Smad1 (pSmad1), and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)through TGF-β1 in cultured mesangial cells. Constitutively active ALK1 increased pSmad1 and α-SMA expressions. The binding of TCF7L2 to ALK1 promoter was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Furthermore,TCF7L2 induced promoter activity of ALK1. AGEs and TGF-β1 induced a marked increase in TCF7L2 expression in parallel with ALK1. Overexpression of TCF7L2 increased the expressions of ALK1 and Smad1. Inversely, TCF7L2knockdown by siRNA suppressed α-SMA expression as well as ALK1 and Smad1. The iNOS transgenic mice (iNOS-Tgm), which developed diabetic glomerulosclerosis resembling human diabetic nephropathy, exhibited markedly increased expressions of ALK1, TCF7L2, Smad1,pSmad1, and α-SMA in glomeruli in association with mesangial matrix expansion. These results provide a new evidence that the TCF7L2/ALK1/Smad1 pathway plays a key role in the development of DN.