Effects of interaction ranges in genetic algorithms

Koichi Nakayama,Naomi Inoue 제어로봇시스템학회 2006 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2006 No.10

Effect of the relative rotation axis position of the stretching machine and ankle

Yuma SHIRAISHI,Shogo OKAMOTO,Naomi YAMADA,Koki INOUE,Yasuhiro AKIYAMA,Yoji YAMADA 제어로봇시스템학회 2019 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2019 No.10

At the onset of a stroke, paralysis of the lower leg typically causes a foot deformity called the foot drop. Stretching is an effective technique for physical therapy. An automated stretching machine provides the option to incorporate long-term stretching at home. We have remodeled a commercial foot exerciser to function as a stretching machine for ankle dorsiflexion [1]. It is believed that the rotation axis of such machines should be aligned with the biomechanical axis of the human body, which is the design principle our prototype is based on. However, there have been no studies that have investigated the best position of the axis required to achieve effective stretching. In this study, we evaluated several positions of the machine’s rotation axis in the sagittal plane with respect to the stretching effect and physical burden (safety). The force applied on the foot and ankle dorsiflexion angle were measured during the stretching experiments. We computed the work involved in ankle dorsiflexion and the force not contributing to the dorsiflexion movement, which served as indicators for the stretching effect and potential physical burden, respectively. It was found that the best position of the machine’s rotation axis can be above the ankle.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor 2 potentially mediates cytochrome P450 1A induction in the jungle crow (<i>Corvus macrorhynchos</i>)

Kim, Eun-Young,Inoue, Naomi,Koh, Dong-Hee,Iwata, Hisato Elsevier 2019 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol.171 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>To understand the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) isoforms in avian species, we investigated the functional characteristics of two AHR isoforms (designated as <I>jc</I>AHR1 and <I>jc</I>AHR2) of the jungle crow (<I>Corvus macrorhynchos</I>). Two amino acid residues corresponding to Ile<SUP>324</SUP> and Ser<SUP>380</SUP> (high sensitive type) in chicken AHR1 that are known to determine dioxin sensitivity were Ile<SUP>325</SUP> and Ala<SUP>381</SUP> (moderate sensitive type) in <I>jc</I>AHR1 and Val<SUP>306</SUP> and Ala<SUP>362</SUP> (low sensitive type) in <I>jc</I>AHR2. The quantitative comparison of the two <I>jc</I>AHR mRNA expression levels in a Tokyo jungle crow population showed that <I>jc</I>AHR2 accounted for 92.4% in the liver, while <I>jc</I>AHR1 accounted for only 7.6%. Both <I>in vitro</I>-expressed <I>jc</I>AHR1 and <I>jc</I>AHR2 proteins exhibited a specific binding to [<SUP>3</SUP>H]-labeled 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-<I>p</I>-dioxin (TCDD). Transactivation potencies for <I>jc</I>AHR1 and <I>jc</I>AHR2 in <I>in vitro</I> reporter gene assays were measured in <I>jc</I>AHR-expressed cells exposed to 16 dioxins and related compounds (DRCs). Both <I>jc</I>AHR1 and <I>jc</I>AHR2 were activated in a congener- and an isoform-specific manner. EC<SUB>50</SUB> value of TCDD for <I>jc</I>AHR2 (0.61 nM) was six-fold higher than that for <I>jc</I>AHR1 (0.098 nM), but <I>jc</I>AHR2 had higher transactivation efficacy than <I>jc</I>AHR1 in terms of the magnitude of response. The high transactivation efficacy of <I>jc</I>AHR2 in DRCs is in contrast to that of AHR2s in other avian species with low transactivation efficacy. Molecular docking simulations of TCDD with <I>in silico jc</I>AHR1 and <I>jc</I>AHR2 homology models showed that the two sensitivity-decisive amino acids indirectly controlled TCDD-binding modes through their surrounding amino acids. Deletion assays of <I>jc</I>AHR2 revealed that 736–805 amino acid residues in the C-terminal region were critical for its transactivation. We suggest that <I>jc</I>AHR2 plays a critical role in regulating the AHR signaling pathway, at least in its highly expressed organs.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> To understand the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) isoforms in avian species, we investigated the functional characteristics of two AHR isoforms (designated as <I>jc</I>AHR1 and <I>jc</I>AHR2) of the jungle crow (<I>Corvus macrorhynchos</I>). </LI> <LI> The quantitative comparison of the two <I>jc</I>AHR mRNA expression levels in a Tokyo jungle crow population showed that <I>jc</I>AHR2 accounted for 92.4% in the liver, while <I>jc</I>AHR1 accounted for only 7.6%. </LI> <LI> Apart from previous studies indicating that AHR1 is a major player that determines dioxin susceptibility in avian species, we clarify here that AHR2 in the jungle crow plays a critical role in AHR signaling, at least in the liver, due to its higher mRNA expression levels and abilities of TCDD binding and transactivation. </LI> </UL> </P>

Validity and Reliability of Seattle Angina Questionnaire Japanese Version in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Satomi Seki,Naoko Kato,Naomi Ito,Koichiro Kinugawa,Minoru Ono,Noboru Motomura,Atsushi Yao,Masafumi Watanabe,Yasushi Imai,Norihiko Takeda,Masashi Inoue,Masaru Hatano,Keiko Kazuma 한국간호과학회 2010 Asian Nursing Research Vol.4 No.2

Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, Japanese version (SAQ-J) as a disease-specific health outcome scale in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods Patients with coronary artery disease were recruited from a university hospital in Tokyo. The patients completed self-administered questionnaires, and medical information was obtained from the subjects’medical records. Face validity, concurrent validity evaluated using Short Form 36 (SF-36), known group differences, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were statistically analyzed. Results A total of 354 patients gave informed consent, and 331 of them responded (93.5%). The concurrent validity was mostly supported by the pattern of association between SAQ-J and SF-36. The patients without chest symptoms showed significantly higher SAQ-J scores than did the patients with chest symptoms in 4 domains. Cronbach’s alpha ranged from .51 to .96, meaning that internal consistency was confirmed to a certain extent. The intraclass correlation coefficient of most domains was higher than the recommended value of 0.70. The weighted kappa ranged from .24 to .57, and it was greater than .4 for 14 of the 19 items. Conclusions The SAQ-J could be a valid and reliable disease-specific scale in some part for measuring health outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease, and requires cautious use. [Asian Nursing Research 2010;4(2):57–63]

Pathophysiology of Diabetic Retinopathy: The Old and the New

Sentaro Kusuhara,Yoko Fukushima,Shuntaro Ogura,Naomi Inoue,Akiyoshi Uemura 대한당뇨병학회 2018 Diabetes and Metabolism Journal Vol.42 No.5

Vision loss in diabetic retinopathy (DR) is ascribed primarily to retinal vascular abnormalities—including hyperpermeability, hypoperfusion, and neoangiogenesis—that eventually lead to anatomical and functional alterations in retinal neurons and glial cells. Recent advances in retinal imaging systems using optical coherence tomography technologies and pharmacological treatments using anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs and corticosteroids have revolutionized the clinical management of DR. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of DR are not fully determined, largely because hyperglycemic animal models only reproduce limited aspects of subclinical and early DR. Conversely, non-diabetic mouse models that represent the hallmark vascular disorders in DR, such as pericyte deficiency and retinal ischemia, have provided clues toward an understanding of the sequential events that are responsible for vision-impairing conditions. In this review, we summarize the clinical manifestations and treatment modalities of DR, discuss current and emerging concepts with regard to the pathophysiology of DR, and introduce perspectives on the development of new drugs, emphasizing the breakdown of the blood-retina barrier and retinal neovascularization.