SCALABLE AND USER FRIENDLY ON-LINE IMPLICIT TOOL TO TEST EMOTIONAL PERCEPTIONS OF BRANDS, ADS & CELEBRITIES

Rafal Ohme,Manabu Mori 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

In the first part we aim to present a new tool to better understand implicit consumer associations, perceptions and impact. The second one is to show how this tool uncovers new and often counterintuitive insights regarding emotional percepts of soccer megastars, including Lionel Messi. BIOCODE™ is a reaction time based method, determines the strength of implicit, i.e. instinctive, immediate, automated or emotional conviction people have to things they say, such as perceptions of a brand or a celebrity, reactions to an ad, liking of a product or intent to vote for a political candidate. It captures how consumers are impacted by brands, ads, products, packages and concepts in contrast to what they overtly say in a declarative, more considered, explicit realm. In essence, we ask to answer (on-line or central location) simple questions about a brand, a person or a product. Consumers’ explicit and rational statements are important but assessing those responses in the context of the time their brains need to produce an answer gives a new perspective and competitive edge. The standardized reaction time index reveals consumers’ true and unbiased reactions. Importantly, these implicit emotional reactions tend to predict actual behavior closer than explicit rational declarations. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) - the first method based on assessing reaction times - was developed in 1998 by Anthony Greenwald to finally capture racial prejudice and other sensitive issues. Before IAT traditional paper & pencil questionnaires due to overt or hidden distortions had hard time proving the existence of racism. What is the cognitive mechanism beyond reaction time based methodology? By recording how much time a consumer’s brain needs to produce an indication of an attitude or preference we discover how easily accessible (and thus how instrumental) such emotion is. The quicker the indication is, the more accessible it gets. The foundations of this neuropsychological phenomena were first described by Donald Hebb in his ‘Consolidation of the Memory Trace’ theory (1948) and then refined by Russell Fazio in his ‘Attitude Accessibility’ model (1989), Daniel Schacter’s ‘Implicit Memory’ theory (1992) as well as Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald in their concept of ‘Implicit Social Cognition’ (1994). Rafal Ohme and his team began working with the original, academic form of IAT. Their goal was to bridge the use of the tool to market research applications. Now with over 15 years of subsequent R&D in this area, they have created simplified, user friendly research applications that are unequaled in their ability to measure previously unanswerable questions about the degree of emotional valence or “felt intensity” that is associated with what people say. BIOCODE™ is the second generation of latency measures. Comparing with IAT - the first generation of academic reaction time methods it is: easier, simpler, clearer, looks better and there is no need for repetitions which saves a lot of precious on-line time. BIOCODE™ is based upon highly refined technology that calibrate individual response speeds and eliminate biasing variables. The technology includes: noise reduction algorithm; quality control module; context procedures; calibration. It secures the highest validity of measurements. In the test – retest validation conducted on 11 studies held internally and externally in 2009-2013 the correlations obtained ranged from r = 0,840 to r = 0,960 (conducted on various target groups of high incidence that met all the criteria for the test; demographic characteristics were controlled and groups were homogenous. Together with Manabu Mori from Rakuten Research - one of the top on-line research company – Rafal Ohme have designed the first ever cross-cultural reaction time test on soccer celebrities. Nearly 900 on-line respondents from three continents: South America, Europe and Asia were asked to indicate (on a computer screen, using a regular mouse or a key-pad) whether they agree or disagree (5-point Likert’s scale) with the attitudinal statements on specific personality traits of soccer celebrities, eg. hard working, talented, famous, loving their country. This explicit rational response has been accompanied by implicit emotional reaction. The aim of the study was to by-pass the “rationality bias” and reveal true emotional reactions about soccer celebrities including: Leo Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Neymar jr, Shinji Kagawa. The selected findings will be disclosed during the presentation. Concluding, BIOCODE™ is a sensitive detector of consumer ‘lip service’ that is often driven by benefit of the doubt, political correctness and simple deference to leadership brands. If we want to understand consumers, it serves to know the gap between what people say and how they feel. It is a very promising, fast growing method with established advanced applications for copy testing, tracking, brand strategy, political polling, product, package and concept testing worldwide. Moreover it is effective as a module embedded within more traditional surveys for providing a seamless integrated perspective on both explicit and implicit aspects of consumer behavior to enrich our understanding of what consumers truly feel and what drives their behavior.

SCALABLE AND USER FRIENDLY ON-LINE IMPLICIT TOOL TO TEST EMOTIONAL PERCEPTIONS OF BRANDS, ADS & CELEBRITIES

Rafal Ohme,Manabu Mori 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

In the first part we aim to present a new tool to better understand implicit consumer associations, perceptions and impact. The second one is to show how this tool uncovers new and often counterintuitive insights regarding emotional percepts of soccer megastars, including Lionel Messi. BIOCODE™ is a reaction time based method, determines the strength of implicit, i.e. instinctive, immediate, automated or emotional conviction people have to things they say, such as perceptions of a brand or a celebrity, reactions to an ad, liking of a product or intent to vote for a political candidate. It captures how consumers are impacted by brands, ads, products, packages and concepts in contrast to what they overtly say in a declarative, more considered, explicit realm. In essence, we ask to answer (on-line or central location) simple questions about a brand, a person or a product. Consumers’ explicit and rational statements are important but assessing those responses in the context of the time their brains need to produce an answer gives a new perspective and competitive edge. The standardized reaction time index reveals consumers’ true and unbiased reactions. Importantly, these implicit emotional reactions tend to predict actual behavior closer than explicit rational declarations. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) - the first method based on assessing reaction times - was developed in 1998 by Anthony Greenwald to finally capture racial prejudice and other sensitive issues. Before IAT traditional paper & pencil questionnaires due to overt or hidden distortions had hard time proving the existence of racism. What is the cognitive mechanism beyond reaction time based methodology? By recording how much time a consumer’s brain needs to produce an indication of an attitude or preference we discover how easily accessible (and thus how instrumental) such emotion is. The quicker the indication is, the more accessible it gets. The foundations of this neuropsychological phenomena were first described by Donald Hebb in his ‘Consolidation of the Memory Trace’ theory (1948) and then refined by Russell Fazio in his ‘Attitude Accessibility’ model (1989), Daniel Schacter’s ‘Implicit Memory’ theory (1992) as well as Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald in their concept of ‘Implicit Social Cognition’ (1994). Rafal Ohme and his team began working with the original, academic form of IAT. Their goal was to bridge the use of the tool to market research applications. Now with over 15 years of subsequent R&D in this area, they have created simplified, user friendly research applications that are unequaled in their ability to measure previously unanswerable questions about the degree of emotional valence or “felt intensity” that is associated with what people say. BIOCODE™ is the second generation of latency measures. Comparing with IAT - the first generation of academic reaction time methods it is: easier, simpler, clearer, looks better and there is no need for repetitions which saves a lot of precious on-line time. BIOCODE™ is based upon highly refined technology that calibrate individual response speeds and eliminate biasing variables. The technology includes: noise reduction algorithm; quality control module; context procedures; calibration. It secures the highest validity of measurements. In the test - retest validation conducted on 11 studies held internally and externally in 2009-2013 the correlations obtained ranged from r = 0,840 to r = 0,960 (conducted on various target groups of high incidence that met all the criteria for the test; demographic characteristics were controlled and groups were homogenous. Together with Manabu Mori from Rakuten Research - one of the top on-line research company - Rafal Ohme have designed the first ever cross-cultural reaction time test on soccer celebrities. Nearly 900 on-line respondents from three continents: South America, Europe and Asia were asked to indicate (on a computer screen, using a regular mouse or a key-pad) whether they agree or disagree (5-point Likert’s scale) with the attitudinal statements on specific personality traits of soccer celebrities, eg. hard working, talented, famous, loving their country. This explicit rational response has been accompanied by implicit emotional reaction. The aim of the study was to by-pass the “rationality bias” and reveal true emotional reactions about soccer celebrities including: Leo Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Neymar jr, Shinji Kagawa. The selected findings will be disclosed during the presentation. Concluding, BIOCODE™ is a sensitive detector of consumer ‘lip service’ that is often driven by benefit of the doubt, political correctness and simple deference to leadership brands. If we want to understand consumers, it serves to know the gap between what people say and how they feel. It is a very promising, fast growing method with established advanced applications for copy testing, tracking, brand strategy, political polling, product, package and concept testing worldwide. Moreover it is effective as a module embedded within more traditional surveys for providing a seamless integrated perspective on both explicit and implicit aspects of consumer behavior to enrich our understanding of what consumers truly feel and what drives their behavior.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity in middle-aged and older men with osteoporosis associates with decreased bone formation

Manabu Tsukamoto,Toshiharu Mori,Eiichiro Nakamura,Yasuaki Okada,Hokuto Fukuda,Yoshiaki Yamanaka,Ken Sabanai,Ke-Yong Wang,Takeshi Hanagiri,Satoshi Kuboi,Kazuhiro Yatera,Akinori Sakai 대한골다공증학회 2020 Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia Vol.6 No.4

Objectives: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Nevertheless, much remains unclear regarding the bone metabolism dynamics associated with COPD. The present study focuses on the associations between the COPD severity and serum bone metabolism biomarkers. Methods: We enrolled 40 patients who visited the orthopedics departments at our institutions and underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry between September 2015 and December 2017. Only male osteoporosis patients over 45 years of age were included, and 5 patients were excluded due to disease or use of internal medicines affecting bone metabolism. All subjects underwent lung function testing, spine radiography, and blood tests. We measured percent forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%FEV1), which reflects COPD severity, and we examined the relationships between %FEV1 and serum levels of bone metabolism biomarkers. Results: All subjects were diagnosed with osteoporosis based on T-scores. %FEV1 correlated with body weight, body mass index (BMI), and Z-score/T-scores. %FEV1 moderately correlated with serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b in the partial correlation analysis adjusted for BMI or T-score in the lumbar vertebrae. We performed a hierarchical multiple regression analysis to identify that serum ALP and P1NP were the independent explanatory variables to %FEV1 independent of other factors. Conclusions: The data suggest that the COPD severity in middle-aged and older men with osteoporosis associates with decreased bone formation. COPD patients may exhibit bone metabolism dynamics characterized by low bone turnover with osteogenesis dysfunction as COPD becomes severe.

Expression and Roles of MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 in Allergic Nasal Mucosa

Sachiko Mori,Ruby Pawankar,Chika Ozu,Manabu Nonaka,Toshiaki Yagi,Kimihiro Okubo 대한천식알레르기학회 2012 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.4 No.4

Purpose: Allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma share many characteristics, but structural changes are observed far less often in AR. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) constitute a family of Zn-dependent endopeptidases that can decompose the extracellular matrix and basement membrane, and regulate cell infiltration. We analyzed the expression of MMPs and their inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), in allergic nasal mucosa after nasal allergen challenge (NAC) and determined their relationship to inflammatory cells. Methods: Nasal mucosa specimens were obtained at surgery performed for hypertrophied turbinates. We performed NAC with house dust mite (HDM) allergen disks and control disks, and took biopsies at 30 minutes, 6 hours, and 12 hours after NAC. Cells expressing MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2, as well as eosinophils and mast cells, were analyzed immunohistochemically. The MMPs and TIMPs in allergic nasal mucosa were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results: At 30 minutes post-NAC, HDM-exposed nasal mucosa exhibited significantly more MMP-2+, MMP-9+, MMP-13+, TIMP-1+, and TIMP-2+ cells compared with control mucosa, and the numbers of MMP-9+ and TIMP-1+ cells correlated strongly with the number of mast cells. At 6 hours post-NAC, the numbers of MMP+ and TIMP+ cells did not differ significantly between HDM-exposed mucosa and control mucosa, but the ratios of MMP+ cells to TIMP+ cells were higher in HDM-exposed mucosa. At 12 hours post-NAC, the number of MMP-13+cells tended to be higher in HDM-exposed mucosa and was strongly correlated with the number of eosinophils. Quantitatively, the levels of MMP-2and MMP-13 were significantly higher than the MMP-9 level, and the TIMP-2 level was significantly higher than the TIMP-1 level in allergic nasal mucosa. Conclusions: We demonstrated increased expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and MMP-13 in allergic nasal mucosa, high MMPs-to-TIMP-1ratios, and a strong correlation between MMP-9 and mast cells and between MMP-13 and eosinophils. The imbalance between MMPs and TIMPs may contribute to the migration of inflammatory cells such as eosinophils and mast cells to the nasal mucosa of AR patients, suggesting a possible active role of MMPs in AR.

Differences in the effects of BMI on bone microstructure between loaded and unloaded bones assessed by HR-pQCT in Japanese postmenopausal women

Norifumi Fujii,Manabu Tsukamoto,Nobukazu Okimoto,Miyuki Mori,Yoshiaki Ikejiri,Toru Yoshioka,Makoto Kawasaki,Nobuhiro Kito,Junya Ozawa,Ryoichi Nakamura,Shogo Takano,Saeko Fujiwara 대한골다공증학회 2021 Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia Vol.7 No.2

Objectives: The relationship between weight-related load and bone mineral density (BMD)/bone microstructure under normal load conditions using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) remains unconfirmed. The study aims to investigate the differences in effect of body mass index (BMI) on BMD/bone microstructure of loaded and unloaded bones, respectively, in Japanese postmenopausal women. Methods: Fifty-seven postmenopausal women underwent HR-pQCT on the tibia and radius. Correlation analysis, principal component (PC) analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression were performed to examine the relationship between BMI and HR-pQCT parameters. Results: Several microstructural parameters of the tibia and radius correlated with BMI through a simple correlation analysis, and these relationships remained unchanged even with an age-adjusted partial correlation analysis. PC analysis was conducted using seven bone microstructure parameters. The first PC (PC1) reflected all parameters of trabecular and cortical bone microstructures, except for cortical porosity, whereas the second PC (PC2) reflected only cortical bone microstructure. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that BMI was more strongly related to BMD/bone microstructure in the tibia than in the radius. Furthermore, BMI was associated with trabecular/cortical BMD, and PC1 (not PC2) of the tibia and radius. Thus, BMI was strongly related to the trabecular bone microstructure rather than the cortical bone microstructure. Conclusions: Our data confirmed that BMI is associated with volumetric BMD and trabecular bone microstructure parameters in the tibia and radius. However, although BMI may be more related to HRpQCT parameters in the tibia than in the radius, the magnitude of association is modest.

Increased Expression and Role of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin in Nasal Polyposis

Satoko Kimura,Ruby Pawankar,Sachiko Mori,Manabu Nonaka,Satoru Masuno,Toshiaki Yagi,Kimihiro Okubo 대한천식알레르기학회 2011 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.3 No.3

Purpose: Nasal polyposis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the upper airways often associated with asthma and characterized by markedly increased numbers of eosinophils, Th2 type lymphocytes, fibroblasts, goblet cells and mast cells. Previous studies have shown elevated levels of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) in atopic diseases like asthma, atopic dermatitis and mainly in animal models of allergic rhinitis (AR). Here, we investigated the expression of TSLP in nasal polyps from atopics and non-atopics in comparison with the nasal mucosa and its potential role in nasal polyposis. Methods: Messenger RNA expression for TSLP, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and macrophage derived chemokine (MDC) in nasal polyps and nasal mucosa of atopics and non-atopics was analyzed by real time PCR. Immunoreactivity for TSLP in nasal polyps and in the nasal mucosa of patients with AR and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Eosinophil counts was analyzed by Wright-Giemsa staining and nasal polyp tissue IgE, by ELISA. Results: Messenger RNA expression for TSLP,TARC and MDC was markedly higher in nasal polyps as compared to the allergic nasal mucosa. Immunoreactivity for TSLP was detected in epithelial cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts and inflammatory cells of the nasal mucosa and nasal polyps. The number of TSLP+ cells was significantly greater in the nasal mucosa of AR than NAR patients. The number of TSLP+ cells in nasal polyps from atopics was significantly greater than that of non-atopics and that in the allergic nasal mucosa. The number of TSLP+ cells correlated well with the number of eosinophils and the levels of IgE in nasal polyps. Conclusions: The high expression of TSLP in nasal polyps and its strong correlation to eosinophils and IgE suggest a potential role for TSLP in the pathogenesis of nasal polyps by regulating the Th2 type and eosinophilic inflammation.

Temperature Distribution of Plasma Arc Contaminated with Iron Vapor from Anode under Consideration of Self-absorption

Iwao, Toru,Shimokura, Takuya,Sakai, Tadashi,Mori, Yusuke,Tanaka, Manabu,Tashiro, Shinichi,Yumoto, Motoshige The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2011 The Journal of International Council on Electrical Vol.1 No.3

Welding technology has been developed to improve welding quality. Especially, plasma arc welding has been used for a wide range of areas. However, welding defects occur because of inappropriate arc conditions and lack of arc control with metal vapor contamination in the arc column and anode root. The metal vapor contamination from the anode is varied by the electrical conductivity of the arc in high-temperature medium. The arc emits intense radiation. In this paper, the temperature distribution of the plasma arc contaminated with iron vapor from the anode under consideration of self-absorption was elucidated to develop the plasma arc welding technology and avoid the welding defect. Electromagnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation is used to calculate the temperature. Results show that the temperature distribution was varied under consideration of self-absorption because of the iron vapor distribution, and because ionized argon exists near the cathode.

Decreased Expression of FOXP3 in Nasal Polyposis

Kannika Roongrotwattanasiri,Ruby Pawankar,Satoko Kimura,Sachiko Mori,Manabu Nonaka,Toshiaki Yagi 대한천식알레르기학회 2012 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.4 No.1

Purpose: The pathogenesis of nasal polyposis (NP) is unclear. Eosinophils and mast cells are considered to play important roles in this process. In addition, the levels of Th2-type cells are increased, irrespective of the atopic status of the patient with NP. In this context, we and others have shown high levels of thymus and activation-related chemokine/CCL17, macrophage-derived chemokine, eotaxin, and RANTES in patients with NP. Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) plays a key role in CD4+CD25+ regulatory T-cell function and represents a specific marker for regulatory T cells (Tregs). Decreased expression of FOXP3 has been reported in allergic diseases. The present study was designed to evaluate the presence and potential roles of Tregs, defined by the expression of FOXP3 protein, in NP. Methods: Using immunohistochemistry, we estimated the numbers of FOXP3+ cells in the epithelium and lamina propria of the NPs of 17 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with NP and the nasal mucosa of 15 patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). The number of FOXP3+ cells in NPs was compared with that in the nasal mucosa of patients with AR, and the numbers of FOXP3+ cells in atopic and non-atopic NP were also compared. Results: The number of FOXP3+ cells in the lamina propria of patients with NP was significantly lower than that in the nasal mucosa of the AR patients (2.79 vs. 5.99, P=0.008). There was no statistically significant difference noted for the numbers of FOXP3+ cells between the epithelium of the NP and the nasal mucosa (3.60 vs. 2.39, P=0.180). Furthermore, the numbers of CD4+FOXP3+cells were lower in NPs than in the allergic nasal mucosa. There was no difference in the number of FOXP3+ cells between the atopic and non-atopic NP patients. Conclusions: Fewer Tregs (i.e., decreased FOXP3 expression) are found in NPs than in the nasal mucosa of AR patients. As the severity of eosinophilic, Th2-type inflammation and the levels of inflammatory mediators are much higher in NPs than in the nasal mucosa of AR patients, an inverse co-relationship may exist between these parameters and the number of Tregs. The deficiency of Tregs in NP may account for the more pronounced Th2-type inflammation seen in these patients.

History of the Asian Society of Abdominal Radiology

최병인,Myeong-Jin Kim,Seung Hyup Kim,Hiromu Mori,Manabu Minami 대한영상의학회 2020 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.21 No.1

The history and administrative system of the Asian Society of Abdominal Radiology (ASAR) are described briefly with a focus on its academic activity, including congresses and education. ASAR is one of the three regional societies in the field of abdominal radiology, comprising approximately 2500 members from seven countries in Asia. A further increase in the numbers of members and affiliated societies is expected with the advancement of imaging technology and the distribution of radiologic equipment and knowledge. ASAR is responsible in Asia for matters of interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of abdominal radiology and has successfully represented Asia in the field of radiology.