Informa UK Limited Acta Medica Okayama 0020-739X 2026 Triangulation in teaching probability: teaching materials for the theoretical foundations of probability in real-world applications EN Yusuke Uegatani Hiroshima University High School Ippo Ishibashi Faculty of Education, Okayama University Aya Sakota Hiroshima University High School This paper proposes using the concept of triangulation with probabilistic models as a means to enhance theoretical inversion for deepening students’ understanding of the nature of probability in real-world contexts. Triangulation refers to the combined application of multiple methodologies to investigate the same phenomenon, particularly in the social sciences. Theoretical inversion refers to a shift in focus from surprising outcomes to the theoretical foundations of probability. The paper introduces three types of problem-solving tasks designed to enhance one of four types of triangulations: theory triangulation. Theoretical inversion is expected to emerge through engaging in these tasks. The characteristics of the problems are as follows. Problem 1 promotes students to compare different probabilistic models of events under similar procedures. Problem 2 provides students with an opportunity to simplify an experiment by omitting steps that add no new information. Problem 3 enhances students’ ability to recognise how subtle differences in the experimental setup can affect the resulting probability. These tasks are designed to encourage students to view probabilistic reasoning as a form of modelling and to appreciate the importance of assumptions, definitions of elementary events, and clarity in procedural descriptions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学算数・数学教育学会 Acta Medica Okayama 1341-3155 31 2025 算数科「部分に対する部分の割合に当たる大きさ」の問題解決のための足場がけ 24 33 EN 　小学５年生向けの一部の算数科教科書では，部分に対する部分の割合に当たる大きさを求める問題が扱われている．しかし，その問題解決は小学５年生には容易ではないと考えられる．そこで本稿は，どのような支援が部分に対する部分の割合に当たる大きさを求める問題解決に有効であるかを明らかにすることを目的とした．足場がけ (Scaffolding) を理論的枠組みとして，具体的な足場がけを構想し，授業を実践した．その結果，「学習者の頭の中で体験的にリアルな問題となるよう問題を工夫すること」，「児童にアイデアの一部 (どのような図的表現を用いたか) を紹介させること」，「図的表現を用いるよう促すこと」，「児童の必要感に応じて，ペアや小グループで互いの問題解決を見せ合うこと」，「児童が教室全体で自身の問題解決を発表すること」，「教師が問題文のどの情報に注目すべきかを指示すること」，「児童が他の児童に問題解決の達成を目指した説明をすること」が，有効な足場がけであることが示唆された．そして，それらの足場がけは，関わり合い機能させることが有効な場合もあることが示唆された． No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2169-3536 14 2026 A Self-Adaptive Framework for Deploying Machine Learning Systems Without Ground-Truth Data at Runtime 30309 30326 EN Kento Furukawa Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University Hiroyuki Nakagawa Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsuhiro Tsuchiya Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University In recent years, the practical application of machine learning technology has rapidly progressed, accelerating its adoption across various fields. In this context, studies into the effective operation of machine learning systems in real-world environments have become essential. In actual operational settings, the distribution of input data often changes over time, leading to a significant decline in the predictive performance of models. Additionally, the lack of ground-truth data for test data during operation can sometimes make adaptation through retraining difficult. This study proposes a framework that autonomously adapts to changes in input data distribution, even in environments where ground-truth data for test data is unavailable during operation. This framework analyzes the distribution of input data and selects the appropriate predictive model based on the state of the distribution. To ensure optimal model selection, the framework employs two complementary approaches: 1) dynamically switching between multiple pre-trained models with different feature sets according to environmental changes and 2) building ensemble models based on the distribution of the test data. These approaches enable the framework to autonomously adapt to shifts in data distribution, even in operational settings where ground-truth data is unavailable. Evaluation experiments using both simulated and real-world data assessed the predictive performance of the proposed method through metrics such as R2, RMSE, and MAE. Compared to conventional single model predictions, the proposed method consistently demonstrated higher accuracy. These results indicate that the proposed approach effectively adapts to data distribution shifts in operational environments where ground-truth data is unavailable. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 2688-4046 6 3 2026 PPy‐Coated Wire Actuators for the Micromechanostimulation of Cells: Fabrication and Characterization e202500639 EN Amaia B. Ortega‐Santos Sensor and Actuator Systems, Department of Physics Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University Satoru Hayano Department of Orthodontics, Okayama University Hospital Emilio Satoshi Hara Advanced Research Center for Oral and Craniofacial Sciences Dental School, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Jose G. Martínez Sensor and Actuator Systems, Department of Physics Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University Hiroshi Kamioka Department of Orthodontics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Edwin W. H. Jager Sensor and Actuator Systems, Department of Physics Chemistry and Biology (IFM), Linköping University Cellular mechanotransduction signals play a crucial role in physiological and pathological conditions, including skeletal disorders. Although various systems exist to mechanically stimulate cultured cells, most are constrained by incubator incompatibility, limited physiological relevance, nonuniform stimulation, or complexity. The objective of this article is to develop and validate a compact, incubator-compatible tool capable of delivering localized and physiologically relevant mechanical stimulation to small cell populations. Here, we introduce a polypyrrole-based wire-shaped microactuator designed to induce localized mechanical stress to adjacent cells. These wire-shaped microactuators are biocompatible, easy-to-use, and compact for use within standard in vitro cell culture systems. Using a noncontact optical method, we characterize the actuation of polypyrrole-coated wires in an aqueous NaDBS electrolyte, showing radial expansion of 1.5–8 µm depending on the deposited polypyrrole film thickness, comparable to cellular dimensions. Next, the actuation is confirmed to be robust and stable to use in cell culture media at physiological temperature. To evaluate biological relevance, osteoblastic KUSA-A1 cells are mechanically stimulated inside the incubator and transcriptomic changes are assessed. Mechanical stimulation resulted in upregulation of genes previously associated with mechanotransduction, including Fos and Fosb. Additionally, several uncharacterized long noncoding RNAs are differentially expressed, suggesting potential novel players in the mechanotransduction pathway. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0956-7135 183 2026 Monitoring postharvest water loss in eggplants (Solanum melongena L.) using UV-induced fluorescence imaging and multivariate analysis 111902 EN Vincent Rotich Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Tianqi Gao Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Panintorn Prempree Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Takahiro Hayashi Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kazuhiko Namba Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuji Monta Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Motomi Nishimoto Technology and Innovation Center, Daikin Industries, Ltd. Naoshi Kondo Laboratory of Biosensing Engineering, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) is susceptible to significant postharvest losses primarily due to water loss during storage, which affects market quality by causing texture and glossiness degradation. We investigated whether UV-induced fluorescence imaging and EEM (Excitation-Emission Matrix) fluorescence spectroscopy can non-destructively monitor WL under four storage regimes (10 °C/95 % RH, 20 °C/95 % RH, 20 °C/75 % RH, 10 °C/75 % RH). EEMs exhibited three regions; a 365/420 nm blue emission increased most under warm, low-humidity storage and is consistent with phenolic/lignin-related fluorescence. Side-view fluorescence (FL) images showed progressive blue-white emission and surface textural changes that tracked gravimetric water loss (WL). A PLSR model using combined color and texture features from FL and reflectance (CL) images achieved R2CV = 0.88 (RMSECV = 3.47 %) with only six features. To test a minimal predictor, we fit an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) using Day-1 FL MeanBlue as a covariate and storage category as a factor with Leave One Out Cross-validation (LOOCV); this forecasted cumulative WL with R2LOOCV = 0.92 and MAE = 1.88 %. Importantly, this ANCOVA model using Day-1 blue-band fluorescence as a covariate was predictive only under 20 °C/75 % RH; under the other conditions, its contribution was weak. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) models achieved accuracies of 94.4 % and 85.2 %, respectively, in differentiating storage conditions. These results support low-cost FL imaging as a practical tool to monitor WL and storage stress. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Informa UK Limited Acta Medica Okayama 1350-4622 2026 Towards place-responsive climate change education: Mongolian primary teachers’ pedagogical judgement across urban and rural contexts EN Shinetsetseg Gerelkhuu Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University Khalifatulloh Fiel’ardh Graduate School of Education, Okayama University Hiroki Fujii Graduate School of Education, Okayama University Batchuluun Yembuu Geography Department, Mongolian National University of Education Uuriintuya Dembereldorj Lifelong Learning and Distance Education Department, Mongolian National University of Education Climate change education (CCE) in primary schools is increasingly recognised as essential, yet how teachers interpret and enact CCE across diverse local contexts remains underexplored. This study examines how Mongolian primary school teachers working with students aged 6–11 in urban and rural contexts interpret and teach climate change, with particular attention to the role of place. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers across contrasting contexts, the study explores how environmental, cultural, and institutional conditions shape teachers’ pedagogical interpretations and classroom practices. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, informed by conceptual frameworks that position place as an active mediator of teaching and learning. Findings show that rural teachers frequently integrated traditional ecological knowledge and lived environmental experience to connect global climate processes with locally observable ecological change, emphasising livelihood impacts and intergenerational ecological memory. Urban teachers, by contrast, framed climate change through anthropogenic pressures such as air pollution, waste, and infrastructure constraints, foregrounding feasible individual actions within everyday school contexts. Across both settings, teachers exercised place-responsive pedagogical judgement by selectively adapting climate content to local realities while navigating curriculum constraints and workload pressures. The study contributes a place-responsive account of teachers’ pedagogical judgement in CCE, demonstrating how place functions not only as context but as a condition shaping pedagogical feasibility. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Geophysical Union (AGU) Acta Medica Okayama 0094-8276 53 5 2026 Electrical Conductivity of Amorphous and Molten CaCO3 at High Pressures and Its Implications for Mantle Conductivity Anomalies e2025GL119568 EN Bin Zhao Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University Takashi Yoshino Institute for Planetary Materials, Okayama University Qi Chen Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago Tony Yu Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago Dongzhou Zhang Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago Bin Chen School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii at Manoa Yanbin Wang Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago Impedance spectrometry experiments have been conducted on CaCO3 up to 15 GPa and 2,100 K to identify its state under high pressure. The melting temperature of CaCO3 was also determined by the falling of a Re sphere observed via X-ray radiography. The phase transition from aragonite to the amorphous phase does not cause a leap in the Electrical conductivity (EC), while a drastic increase in the EC, by 1.5–2.0 log units, only occurs with the onset of melting. The EC of amorphous CaCO3 is comparable to other hydrous mantle minerals at similar pressure and temperature conditions. The required fraction of amorphous CaCO3 implies that it can be excluded from the potential origins responsible for the observed high EC anomalies in the upper mantle. If the conductivity anomalies are induced by the presence of carbonate, a low-degree melting of carbonate-bearing peridotite is anticipated. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1742-6588 3027 1 2025 LES analysis to investigate a random-phase forcing scheme for steadying anisotropic turbulence fields 012009 EN Koki Minami Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroki Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshinori Kouchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kento Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of phase randomization on forcing mechanisms that stabilize localized turbulence. A trigonometric forcing based on vector potential is combined with uniform random numbers to create a spatially homogeneous forcing field. The analysis is performed using large-eddy simulation (LES) with the Smagorinsky model as the subgrid scale model. The results demonstrate that steady flows are generated regardless of the presence of phase randomization, successfully forming isotropic turbulence. In contrast, for anisotropic turbulent fields, the addition of phase randomization reduces the degree of anisotropy, indicating a smoothing effect on the anisotropy of the flow. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1742-6588 3027 1 2025 Fundamental examination of coherent structure model prediction using vortex cores in a two-dimensional Taylor’s analytical solution 012008 EN Xuanyou Gong Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hiroki Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Toshinori Kouchi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kento Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This study focuses on the possibility that flow around vortex tubes in turbulence may resemble laminar flow, and aims to describe the characteristics of turbulent fields using analytical solutions to the governing equations. In the two-dimensional analytical Taylor solution, the velocity and pressure fields are expressed by trigonometric functions, and a structure in which counter-rotating vortices are arranged in a grid pattern is demonstrated. This solution is used to verify the accuracy of numerical analyses and is expected to contribute to a simple yet unambiguous description of turbulent fields based on vortex structures. Predictions of sub-grid scale components and validation of a coherent structure model using invariants of the velocity gradient tensor are also performed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 1999-4893 19 2 2026 A Slide Annotation System with Multimodal Analysis for Video Presentation Review 110 EN Amma Liesvarastranta Haz Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Evianita Dewi Fajrianti Human Centric Multimedia Research Laboratory, Department of Informatic and Computer Engineering, Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya Sritrusta Sukaridhoto Human Centric Multimedia Research Laboratory, Department of Informatic and Computer Engineering, Politeknik Elektronika Negeri Surabaya With the rapid growth of online presentations, there has been an increasing need for efficient review of recorded materials. In typical presentations, speakers verbally elaborate on each slide, providing details not captured in the slides themselves. Automatically extracting and embedding these verbal explanations at their corresponding slide locations can greatly enhance the review process for audiences. This paper presents a Slide Annotation System that employs a robust hybrid two-stage detector to identify slide boundaries, extracts slide text through Optical Character Recognition (OCR), transcribes narration, and employs a multimodal Large Language Model (LLM) to generate concise, context-aware annotations that are added to their corresponding slide locations. For evaluations, the technical performance was validated on five recorded presentations, while the user experience was assessed by 37 participants. The results showed that the system achieved a macro-average 𝐹1 score of 0.879 (𝑆𝐷=0.024, 95% 𝐶𝐼[0.849,0.909]) for slide segmentation and 90.0% accuracy (95% 𝐶𝐼[74.4%,96.5%]) for annotation alignment. Subjective evaluations revealed high annotation validity and usefulness as rated by presenters, and a high System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 80.5 (𝑆𝐷=6.7, 95% 𝐶𝐼[78.3,82.7]). Qualitative feedback further confirmed that the system effectively streamlined the review process, enabling users to locate key information more efficiently than standard video playback. These findings demonstrate the strong potential of the proposed system as an effective automated annotation system. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2813-2203 5 1 2025 A Threshold Selection Method in Code Plagiarism Checking Function for Code Writing Problem in Java Programming Learning Assistant System Considering AI-Generated Codes 2 EN Perwira Annissa Dyah Permatasari Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Safira Adine Kinari Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Htoo Htoo Sandi Kyaw Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Khaing Hsu Wai Graduate School of Engineering Science, Akita University To support novice learners, the Java programming learning assistant system (JPLAS) has been developed with various features. Among them, code writing problem (CWP) assigns writing an answer code that passes a given test code. The correctness of an answer code is validated by running it on JUnit. In previous works, we implemented a code plagiarism checking function that calculates the similarity score for each pair of answer codes based on the Levenshtein distance. When the score is higher than a given threshold, this pair is regarded as plagiarism. However, a method for finding the proper threshold has not been studied. In addition, AI-generated codes have become threats in plagiarism, as AI has grown in popularity, which should be investigated. In this paper, we propose a threshold selection method based on Tukey’s IQR fences. It uses a custom upper threshold derived from the statistical distribution of similarity scores for each assignment. To better accommodate skewed similarity distributions, the method introduces a simple percentile-based adjustment for determining the upper threshold. We also design prompts to generate answer codes using generative AI and apply them to four AI models. For evaluation, we used a total of 745 source codes of two datasets. The first dataset consists of 420 answer codes across 12 CWP instances from 35 first-year undergraduate students in the State Polytechnic of Malang, Indonesia (POLINEMA). The second dataset includes 325 answer codes across five CWP assignments from 65 third-year undergraduate students at Okayama University, Japan. The applications of our proposals found the following: (1) any pair of student codes whose score is higher than the selected threshold has some evidence of plagiarism, (2) some student codes have a higher similarity than the threshold with AI-generated codes, indicating the use of generative AI, and (3) multiple AI models can generate code that resembles student-written code, despite adopting different implementations. The validity of our proposal is confirmed. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学文明動態学研究所 Acta Medica Okayama 2436-8326 5 2026 島根県猪目洞窟遺跡出土人骨の年代・食性・遺伝的特徴 20 39 EN Hideaki KANZAWA-KIRIYAMA Division of Human Evolution, Paleontology and Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture Mai TAKIGAMI Division of Human Evolution, Paleontology and Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture Tsuneo KAKUDA Department of Legal Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi Leo SPEIDEL Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences, RIKEN Garrett HELLENTHAL Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London Genetics Institute (UGI), University College London Nancy BIRD Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London Genetics Institute (UGI), University College London Yousuke KAWAI Genome Medical Science Project, National Institute of Global Health and Medicine, National Institute for Health Security NCBN Controls WGS Consortium Minoru SAKAMOTO National Museum of Japanese History Yuichi KAMEDA Division of Human Evolution, Paleontology and Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture Noboru ADACHI Department of Legal Medicine, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, University of Yamanashi Ken-ichi SHINODA National Museum of Nature and Science Naruya SAITOU National Institute of Genetics Tatsuhiko HAMADA Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University 論文 (Research article) 10.18926/70052 This paper reports on the integrative research findings of the human bones excavated from the Inome Cave Site in Shimane Prefecture, based on dietary estimation using carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis, radiocarbon dating, and whole genome analysis. The dates of the analyzed human bones span a wide range, from the Middle to Late Kofun period, the Nara period to the Early Heian period, and the Middle to Late Heian period, indicating that the Inome Cave Site was continuously used as a burial place. Dietary habits were a mixture of C3 resources (C3 plants and terrestrial animals that consumed C3 plants) and marine resources, with individual variations in the intake of marine and terrestrial resources. A correlation was observed between differences in dietary habits and individual variations in the Jomon ratio in the nuclear genome, with individuals who consumed higher amounts of marine resources tending to have a higher Jomon ratio. This suggests that individuals with different backgrounds were buried in the same site due to interactions with surrounding settlements. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 2050-750X 2026 Multi-step mechanisms of early phospholipid hydrolysis and mineralisation unveiled through combined quantum chemical calculations and experimental analysis EN Keisuke Shibata Department of Materials Science, Waseda University Takahumi Shiotani Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Waseda University Yunhao Chen Department of Materials Science, Waseda University Reina Kurihara Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Waseda University Katsunori Yamaguchi Department of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Waseda University Emilio Satoshi Hara Department of Advanced International and Information Dentistry, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Nílson Kunioshi Department of Materials Science, Waseda University Phospholipids play key roles in bone formation, with phosphatidylserine (PS) reportedly inducing more rapid mineralisation than phosphatidylcholine (PC); however, the underlying mechanisms remains unclear. This study investigated PS and PC mineralisation using experimental methods and computational chemistry. The stationary points in the potential energy surfaces of the reactions were preliminarily found using a neural network potential (PreFerred Potential in Matlantis) capable of predicting the interaction energies for arbitrary combinations of atoms, and then refined through density functional theory calculations (Gaussian16, at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory). When hydrolysis reactions were assumed to be the initial step in the mineralisation of phospholipids, the results were consistent with empirical analysis. PS was found to be more easily hydrolised than PC, primarily owing to the presence of a labile proton in the NH3+ group of serine that facilitates proton transfer, enhancing hydrolysis of PS at lower energy thresholds. Specifically, when a single phospholipid was considered, three distinct hydrolysis routes were identified: between serine (or choline) and phosphate, between glycerol and phosphate, and between an aliphatic carbon chain and the glycerol backbone. In particular, the initial steps of hydrolysis involved the formation of a pentavalent phosphate intermediate. When calculations were performed with two adjacent phospholipid molecules, the loosely bound proton (H+) in the NH3+ group could be readily transferred either to the P–O bond linking serine to the phosphate group; or to the P–O bond connecting the phosphate to glycerol in a neighboring PS6 molecule. These findings reveal the important roles of serine NH3+ in facilitating hydrolysis of PS, and provide insights for designing novel molecules to accelerate bone regeneration. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0925-5710 122 5 2025 Intravenous umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cell therapy may improve overall survival in Japanese patients with idiopathic pneumonia syndrome after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial 733 743 EN Noriko Doki Hematology Division, Tokyo Metropolitan Cancer and Infectious Diseases Center, Komagome Hospital Nobuharu Fujii Department of Hematology and Oncology, Okayama University Hospital Shinichi Kako Division of Hematology, Jichi Medical University Saitama Medical Center Emiko Sakaida Department of Hematology, Chiba University Hospital Yoshinobu Kanda Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University Idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS) is a serious complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and has a poor prognosis. Although IPS is often treated with steroids, the disease can become resistant to or dependent on steroid treatment, and there is no effective cure for patients with refractory or steroid-dependent IPS. This multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase II clinical trial investigated the efficacy and safety of HLC-001 (allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells) in patients with progressive steroid-dependent or refractory IPS after HSCT. Seven male patients (all male; mean age: 43.3 years) received HLC-001 and three completed the trial. The survival rate at day 56 (primary endpoint) was 71.4% (5/7 patients; 95% confidence interval: 29.0%–96.3%) and was sustained at day 100, suggesting that HLC-001 was more effective than previously reported treatment. Three of the five patients with ≥ 100 days of follow-up died. Five patients experienced at least one adverse drug reaction, none of which were serious. These findings indicate that HLC-001 was potentially effective and generally well tolerated in Japanese patients with steroid-dependent or refractory IPS after HSCT. Given there is no effective cure for steroid-dependent or refractory IPS, HLC-001 may be a promising treatment option and further clinical evaluation is warranted.<br> Trial registration: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials identifier: jRCT2063220014. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 2575-6265 6 5 2025 Seaweed Extracts Improve Salinity Tolerance in Cereal Crops―A Meta‐Analysis e70094 EN Md. Nuruzzaman Department of Plant Resources, College of Industrial Sciences, Kongju National University Md. Tahjib‐Ul‐Arif Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Md. Abdul Hannan Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Yoshiyuki Murata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University M. Afzal Hossain Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangladesh Agricultural University Seaweeds are considered an essential component of the blue economy. Because seaweed extracts are rich in bioactive compounds that enhance plant stress resilience, exploiting this resource could offer a sustainable solution for crop production. Salinity is a major abiotic challenge that significantly impacts crop yield and food security. Through meta-analysis, we explored whether the exogenous application of seaweed extracts improves the salt tolerance of cereal crops. All the studies chosen for this study utilized aqueous seaweed extracts as foliar sprays. A multi-level meta-analysis with a mixed effects model was performed to determine the effect size. This meta-analysis demonstrated that applying aqueous seaweed extracts enhanced the shoot and root biomass under normal and salinity stress conditions, suggesting that seaweed extract can help improve crop stress tolerance. The seaweeds studied belonged to three classes: Phaeophyceae, Rhodophyta, and Chlorophyta, with extracts from Chlorophyta and Phaeophyceae significantly enhancing biomass production under salinity conditions. Applying aqueous seaweed extracts effectively improved salinity tolerance at both 34.2–100 mM and 101–400 mM NaCl equivalent salinity stress. Moreover, exogenous foliar application of ≤ 25% aqueous seaweed extracts was most effective for improving salinity tolerance in cereals. The impact of seaweed extracts on cereal crop yields has not been extensively reported; therefore, further studies should focus on this aspect. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 0018-9456 74 2025 Small Distance Increment Method for Measuring Complex Permittivity With mmWave Radar 6009610 EN Hang Song Research Institute for Semiconductor Engineering, Hiroshima University Hyun Joon Kim Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo Mingxia Wan Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo Bo Wei Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takamaro Kikkawa Research Institute for Semiconductor Engineering, Hiroshima University Jun-Ichi Takada Department of Transdisciplinary Science and Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo Measuring the complex permittivity of material is essential in many scenarios, such as quality checks in material manufacturing. Generally, measurement methods for characterizing the material are based on the use of a vector network analyzer (VNA), which is large and not easy for on-site measurement, especially in high-frequency range such as millimeter wave (mmWave). In addition, some measurement methods require the destruction of samples, which is not suitable for nondestructive inspection. In this work, a small distance increment (SDI) method is proposed to nondestructively measure the complex permittivity of a material. In SDI, the transmitter and receiver are formed as a monostatic radar, which is facing toward the material under test (MUT). During the measurement, the distance between the radar and the MUT changes with small increments, and the signals are recorded at each position. A mathematical model is formulated to depict the relationship among the complex permittivity, distance increment, and measured signals. By fitting the model, the complex permittivity of MUT is estimated. To implement and evaluate the proposed SDI method, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) mmWave radar is utilized, and the measurement system is developed. Then, the evaluation was carried out on the acrylic plate. With the proposed method, the estimated complex permittivity of the acrylic plate shows good agreement with the literature values, demonstrating the efficacy of the SDI method for characterizing the complex permittivity of the material. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Acta Medica Okayama 1751-9659 19 1 2025 Subspace-Guided Feature Reconstruction for Unsupervised Anomaly Localization e70157 EN Katsuya Hotta Iwate University Chao Zhang University of Toyama Yoshihiro Hagihara Iwate University Takuya Akashi Okayama University Unsupervised anomaly localization aims to identify anomalous regions that deviate from normal sample patterns. Most recent methods perform feature matching or reconstruction for the target sample with pre-trained deep neural networks. However, they still struggle to address challenging anomalies because the deep embeddings stored in the memory bank can be less powerful and informative. Specifically, prior methods often overly rely on the finite resources stored in the memory bank, which leads to low robustness to unseen targets. In this paper, we propose a novel subspace-guided feature reconstruction framework to pursue adaptive feature approximation for anomaly localization. It first learns to construct low-dimensional subspaces from the given nominal samples, and then learns to reconstruct the given deep target embedding by linearly combining the subspace basis vectors using the self-expressive model. Our core is that, despite the limited resources in the memory bank, the out-of-bank features can be alternatively “mimicked” to adaptively model the target. Moreover, we propose a sampling method that leverages the sparsity of subspaces and allows the feature reconstruction to depend only on a small resource subset, contributing to less memory overhead. Extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets demonstrate that our approach generally achieves state-of-the-art anomaly localization performance. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Society for Clinical Investigation Acta Medica Okayama 2379-3708 10 24 2025 Enhancement of drug delivery through fibroblast activation protein–targeted near-infrared photoimmunotherapy e195776 EN Seitaro Nishimura Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Kazuhiro Noma Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Tasuku Matsumoto Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Yasushige Takeda Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Tatsuya Takahashi Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Hijiri Matsumoto Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Kento Kawasaki Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Hotaka Kawai Department of Oral Pathology and Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Tomoyoshi Kunitomo Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Masaaki Akai Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Teruki Kobayashi Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Noriyuki Nishiwaki Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Hajime Kashima Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Takuya Kato Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Satoru Kikuchi Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Shunsuke Tanabe Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Toshiaki Ohara Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Hiroshi Tazawa Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Yasuhiro Shirakawa Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science Peter L. Choyke Molecular Imaging Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH Hisataka Kobayashi Molecular Imaging Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH Toshiyoshi Fujiwara Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Science The tumor microenvironment plays a key role in cancer progression and therapy resistance, with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) contributing to desmoplasia, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, and elevated interstitial fluid pressure, all of which hinder drug delivery. We investigated fibroblast activation protein–targeted (FAP-targeted) near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) as a strategy to improve drug penetration in CAF-rich tumors. In clinical esophageal cancer samples, FAP expression strongly correlated with increased collagen I, hyaluronic acid, and microvascular collapse. CAF-rich 3D spheroids demonstrated elevated ECM deposition and significantly impaired drug uptake compared with CAF-poor models. FAP-targeted NIR-PIT selectively reduced CAFs, reduced ECM components, and restored drug permeability. In vivo, FAP-targeted NIR-PIT enhanced the accumulation of panitumumab and Abraxane in CAF-rich tumors and improved antitumor efficacy when combined with chemotherapy. These findings highlight FAP-targeted NIR-PIT as a promising therapeutic approach to remodel the tumor stroma and overcome drug resistance in desmoplastic solid tumors. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2399-3642 8 1 2025 A genome-wide association study identifies the GPM6A locus associated with age at onset in ALS 1720 EN Ryoichi Nakamura Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Genki Tohnai Division of ALS Research, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Naoki Atsuta Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Yumi Matsuda Public Health Informatics Unit, Department of Integrated Health Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Satoru Morimoto Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Kawasaki Daisuke Ito Department of Neurology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Masahisa Katsuno Department of Neurology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Yuishin Izumi Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Mitsuya Morita Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Jichi Medical University Ikuko Iwata Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University Ichiro Yabe Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University Tomoko Nakazato Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine Nobutaka Hattori Department of Neurology, Juntendo University School of Medicine Takehisa Hirayama Department of Neurology, Toho University Faculty of Medicine Osamu Kano Department of Neurology, Toho University Faculty of Medicine Asako Tamura Department of Neurology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine Naoki Suzuki Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Masashi Aoki Department of Neurology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine Kazumoto Shibuya Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University Satoshi Kuwabara Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University Masaya Oda Department of Neurology, Vihara Hananosato Hospital Rina Hashimoto Department of Neurology, NHO Higashinagoya National Hospital Ikuko Aiba Department of Neurology, NHO Higashinagoya National Hospital Tomohiko Ishihara Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University Osamu Onodera Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University Toru Yamashita Department of Neurology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroyuki Ishiura Department of Neurology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kota Bokuda Department of Neurology, Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital Toshio Shimizu Department of Neurology, Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital Yoshio Ikeda Department of Neurology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine Kazuko Hasegawa Division of Neurology, NHO Sagamihara National Hospital Fumiaki Tanaka Department of Neurology and Stroke Medicine, Yokohama City University Graduate School of Medicine Takanori Yokota Department of Neurology and Neurological Science, NucleoTIDE and PepTIDE Drug Discovery Center (TIDE), Institute of Science Tokyo Kazuaki Kanai Department of Neurology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine Yu-ichi Noto Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Ryuji Kaji Department of Neurology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Hirohisa Watanabe Department of Neurology, Fujita Health University Tomoko Konishi Division of ALS Research, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Mikiko Hasegawa Division of ALS Research, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Hozuki Fukaya Division of ALS Research, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Jun-ichi Niwa Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Manabu Doyu Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Yohei Okada Department of Neurology, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Shiho Nakamura Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Kawasaki Fumiko Ozawa Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Kawasaki Hideyuki Okano Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Kawasaki Masahiro Nakatochi Public Health Informatics Unit, Department of Integrated Health Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Gen Sobue Division of ALS Research, Aichi Medical University School of Medicine Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) exhibits considerable clinical variability, such as differences in age at onset (AAO). Multiple factors, including genetic factors, may underlie this variability; however, the specific determinants remain unclear. To identify genes affecting AAO, we have conducted a genome-wide association study in Japanese patients with ALS (discovery cohort: n = 1808; replication cohort: n = 207). Here, we show that the minor A allele of rs113161727 at the ADAM29-GPM6A locus is associated with a younger AAO in the discovery cohort (effect, -4.27 years; p = 4.60 × 10-8); this finding has been confirmed in the replication cohort (p = 0.0068) and meta-analysis (p = 1.08 × 10−9). Among 65 ALS patients with a SOD1 mutation, the AAO has been found to be 10.2 years younger in those with the A allele than in those without it (p = 0.002). This variant correlates with GPM6A upregulation in iPSC-derived motor neurons, suggesting GPM6A as a candidate AAO modifier. Overall, our study highlights the impact of genetic modifiers on ALS heterogeneity and provides a potential target for delaying disease onset. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0010-9452 194 2026 Increasing visual uncertainty modulates multisensory decision-making 50 62 EN Xiangfu Yang Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Weiping Yang Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Hubei University Yinghua Yu Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Yoshimichi Ejima Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University Jiajia Yang Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University The brain integrates and transforms information from multiple senses to make optimal decisions, a process that is critical for navigating complex environments with perceptual uncertainty. Despite a growing consensus that individuals adapt flexibly to uncertain sensory input, whether increasing visual uncertainty influences the decision process itself or other, non-decision sensory processes during multisensory decision-making are unclear. Here, an audiovisual categorization task was used to examine the responses of human participants (N = 30) to visual and audiovisual stimuli under low-, medium-, and high-uncertainty conditions. Modeling the behavioral data using a drift‒diffusion model indicated that increased visual uncertainty in the audiovisual context decreased the evidence accumulation rate but had no effect on non-decision processes. Electrophysiological recordings confirmed and expanded upon these results: increased visual uncertainty in the audiovisual context reduced the amplitude during the late decision-making stage (300–380 msec) but had no effect on the amplitude during the early sensory encoding stage (140–220 msec). More importantly, electroencephalography analyses revealed that audiovisual integration in the early sensory encoding stage occurred robustly across all visual uncertainty conditions, whereas audiovisual integration in the late stage occurred only under medium and high visual uncertainty conditions. This study demonstrated that increased visual uncertainty modulates the decision process itself rather than early sensory encoding during multisensory decision-making. Moreover, multisensory integration strategies dynamically adapt to increasing visual uncertainty by engaging different mechanisms to maintain effective decision-making. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Astronomical Society Acta Medica Okayama 0004-637X 992 1 2025 Observing Supernova Neutrino Light Curves with Super-Kamiokande. VI. A Practical Data Analysis Technique Considering Realistic Experimental Backgrounds 27 EN Fumi Nakanishi Department of Physics, Okayama University Ken’ichiro Nakazato Faculty of Arts and Science, Kyushu University Masayuki Harada Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo Yusuke Koshio Department of Physics, Okayama University Ryuichiro Akaho Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University Yosuke Ashida Department of Physics, Tohoku University Akira Harada National Institute of Technology, Ibaraki College Masamitsu Mori Division of Science, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan Kohsuke Sumiyoshi National Institute of Technology, Numazu College Yudai Suwa Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, The University of Tokyo Roger A. Wendell Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study, The University of Tokyo Masamichi Zaizen Department of Earth Science and Astronomy, The University of Tokyo Neutrinos from supernovae, especially those emitted during the late phase of core collapse, are essential for understanding the final stages of massive star evolution. We have been dedicated to developing methods for the analysis of neutrinos emitted during the late phase and observed at Super-Kamiokande (SK). Our previous studies have successfully demonstrated the potential of various analysis methods in extracting essential physical properties; however, the lack of background consideration has limited their practical application. In this study, we address this issue by incorporating a realistic treatment of the experimental signal and background events with the on-going SK experiment. We therefore optimize our analysis framework to reflect realistic observational conditions, including both signal and background events. Using this framework we study several long-time supernova models, simulating the late phase neutrino observation in SK and focusing in particular on the identification of the last observed event. We discuss the possibility of model discrimination methods using timing information from this last observed event. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1547-5271 22 12 2025 Virtual endoscopic imaging of the heart using photon-counting detector computed tomography for electrophysiologists 3199 3207 EN Hiroshi Morita Department of Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Okayama University Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Saori Asada Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Masakazu Miyamoto Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Koji Nakagawa Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Satoshi Nagase Department of General Internal Medicine 3, Kawasaki Medical School General Medical Center Yoshimasa Morimoto Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Fukuyama City Hospital Satoshi Kawada Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kochi Health Science Center Tadashi Wada Department of Cardiology, National Hospital Organization Iwakuni Clinical Center Takuro Masuda Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Akira Ueoka Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Norihisa Toh Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Toru Miyoshi Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry Nobuhiro Nishii Department of Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Okayama University Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Shinsuke Yuasa Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1350-4487 191 2026 Experimental approach of internal dose map visualization during helical CT examinations: importance of X-ray incident direction analysis and central internal dose estimation 107586 EN Hiroaki Hayashi College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, Kanazawa University Kazuki Takegami Department of Radiological Technology, Yamaguchi University Hospital Rina Nishigami Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Daiki Kobayashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Sota Goto Faculty of Health Sciences, Kobe Tokiwa University Takashi Asahara Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Okayama University Natsumi Kimoto Department of Radiological Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Junshin Gakuen University Masaki Takemitsu Department of Radiological Technology, Yamaguchi University Hospital Rin Ishii College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, Kanazawa University Shinichi Morimoto Meditec Japan Co., Ltd. Motochika Maki Meditec Japan Co., Ltd. During computed tomography (CT) examination, radiation exposures should be appropriately managed taking into considering the effects of bowtie filter, the heel effect and over-beaming effect. Furthermore, the analysis of an X-ray incident direction is important. The purpose of this study is to develop a procedure to obtain two-dimensional (2D) internal dose distributions based on actual measurements of surface dose distribution and central internal dose data. Experiments were conducted using a clinical CT scanner and four cylindrical polyacetal resin (POM) phantoms having diameters of 15–30 cm. The entrance surface doses and the central internal dose were measured by placing the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimeters on the surface and inner part of the phantom, respectively, during helical CT scans. The X-ray incident direction at the slice containing the dosimeter was estimated based on the noise distribution analysis of the CT image. Then, circumferential surface dose distributions were determined as a function of the X-ray incident direction. Based on these experimental data, we succeeded in visualizing the 2D dose distributions. The obtained dose distribution was inhomogeneous, clearly reflecting the influence of factors such as the heel effect. The uncertainty due to our methodology was estimated to be from 4.3 % to 7.4 %. Our methodology needs central internal dose data, and the absence of this data introduced additional systematic uncertainties of +6.9 % to −11.4 %. In conclusion, correcting for the effect of the X-ray incident directions for entrance surface dose and adding the central inner dose data can improve the reliability of the internal dose distribution. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

AIP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 0021-9606 163 19 2025 Interplay of coil–globule transitions and aggregation in homopolymer aqueous solutions: Simulation and topological insights 191101 EN Junichi Komatsu Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Kenichiro Koga Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Jonas Berx Niels Bohr International Academy, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen We investigate the structural and topological properties of hydrophobic homopolymer chains in aqueous solutions using molecular dynamics simulations and circuit topology (CT) analysis. By combining geometric observables, such as the radius of gyration and the degree of aggregation, with CT data, we capture the relationship between coil–globule and aggregation transitions, resolving the system’s structural changes with temperature. Our results reveal a temperature-driven collective transition from isolated coiled chains to globular aggregates. At a characteristic transition temperature Tc, each chain in multichain systems undergoes a rapid coil–globule collapse, coinciding with aggregation, in contrast to the gradual collapse observed in single-chain systems at infinite dilution. This collective transition is reflected in geometric descriptors and a reorganization of CT motifs, shifting from intrachain-dominated motifs at low temperatures to a diverse ensemble of multichain motifs at higher temperatures. CT motif enumeration provides contact statistics while offering a topologically detailed view of polymer organization. These findings highlight CT’s utility as a structural descriptor for polymer systems and suggest applications for biopolymer aggregation and folding. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Informa UK Limited Acta Medica Okayama 2766-0400 5 1 2025 Linking structure and process in dendritic growth using persistent homology with energy analysis 2475735 EN Misato Tone Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Shunsuke Sato Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Sotaro Kunii Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Ippei Obayashi Center for Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Data Science, Okayama University Yasuaki Hiraoka Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University Yui Ogawa NTT Basic Research Laboratories, NTT Corporation Hirokazu Fukidome Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University Alexandre Lira Foggiatto Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Chiharu Mitsumata Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Ryunosuke Nagaoka Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Arpita Varadwaj Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science Iwao Matsuda Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo Masato Kotsugi Department of Material Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science We present a material analysis method that links structure and process in dendritic growth using explainable machine learning approaches. We employed persistent homology (PH) to quantitatively characterize the morphology of dendritic microstructures. By using interpretable machine learning with energy analysis, we established a robust relationship between structural features and Gibbs free energy. Through a detailed analysis of how Gibbs free energy evolves with morphological changes in dendrites, we uncovered specific conditions that influence the branching of dendritic structures. Moreover, energy gradient analysis based on morphological feature provides a deeper understanding of the branching mechanisms and offers a pathway to optimize thin-film growth processes. Integrating topology and free energy enables the optimization of a range of materials from fundamental research to practical applications. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Settlement Archaeology and Population Dynamics in Kibi EN WEST STEPHEN BRANDON Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Study on the Significance of Global Leadership Development Programs in Japanese High Schools : Based on Interviews with Learners EN YU GAO Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Integrated Kerberos-Blockchain Authentication Framework for Securing Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network EN MAYA RAHAYU Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Study of Reference Paper Collection System Using Web Scraping and BERT Model EN INZALI NAING Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Coherence Generation in Atomic Cesium for Cosmic Dark Matter Detection EN JING WANG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1085-3278 2025 Enhancing Soil Aggregation and Water Retention by Applying Kaolinite Clay to Post‐Tin‐Mined Land on Belitung Island, Indonesia EN Hirmas F. Putra Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Yasushi Mori Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Post-mining sandy soils have low water retention, which causes soil particle separation and persistent soil erosion. Although organic matter is commonly used for soil restoration, it is lightweight, washes away during heavy rain, and decomposes under strong sunlight. The high potential for extreme rainfall events in tropical regions poses significant challenges to restoration projects. Therefore, we investigated the impact of kaolinite clay particles on enhancing soil stability in post-mining sandy soils. Soil samples were collected from three sites representing different succession stages of post-mined land (0, 1, and 6 years since mining cessation) and an adjacent natural forest as the reference site on Belitung Island, Indonesia. Soil samples were treated with 1% or 5% kaolinite or left untreated (control) and incubated at 34°C to mimic the local conditions of the study area. The samples were then analyzed to determine the soil aggregate distribution, water holding capacity, and soil erodibility, and SEM imaging was performed to examine the soil particle morphology. The results revealed an increasing trend in the silt-sized aggregate content and a 2%–5% increase in water retention in the 6-year soils relative to the untreated soils. The highest water retention was observed in the 6-year post-mining soil sample. Kaolinite amendment significantly reduced soil erodibility by 40%–50% compared to the untreated soils, even in the early restoration period (0–1 year post-mining). Kaolinite improved soil aggregation and water retention in post-mining sandy soils while reducing soil erodibility―highlighting its potential for accelerating land restoration in mining-affected areas. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学経済学会 Acta Medica Okayama 2433-4146 57 2 2025 対話型美術鑑賞における創造性の理論的考察と分析フレームワークの構築 17 30 EN Satoru Miyazaki Shizuka Teramoto 10.18926/OER/69551 　In this study, we theoretically examined the mechanism of creativity in interactive art appreciation and presented it as an analytical framework.<br> 　In interactive art appreciation, viewers engage in collaborative dialogue with the artwork and other viewers, and are influenced by the promotion of creativity and improvement of the quality of the dialogue through the intervention of facilitation. This introduces an otherness that is different from the self, which creates a deviation from existing interpretations. This discrepancy in interpretation brings about a conceptual shift in the viewer, resulting in the creation of a new theory; this newly created theory eventually becomes the existing theory, and once again a collaborative dialogue takes place, giving birth to a new theory.<br> 　In this cyclical process of creativity in interactive art appreciation, knowledge is created and accumulated, and existing knowledge is creatively destroyed to reconstruct new knowledge. Learning takes place through mutual learning mediated by intrinsic motivation, and eventually learning takes place to arrive at new interpretations, although sometimes learning support is handed over from the facilitator to the viewers. For viewers whose abilities to create meaning and grasp value are underdeveloped, interactive art appreciation helps to encourage this development, and it has the potential to have a ripple effect on development not only in art but also in the broader realm of everyday knowledge outside of art. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1471-2253 25 1 2025 Clinical predictors of extubation failure in postoperative critically ill patients: a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study 127 EN Jun Hattori Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University Aiko Tanaka Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Junko Kosaka Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Hospital Osamu Hirao Department of Anesthesiology, Osaka General Medical Center Nana Furushima Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Kobe University Hospital Yuichi Maki Department of Anesthesiology, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center Daijiro Kabata Center for Mathematical and Data Science, Kobe University Akinori Uchiyama Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Moritoki Egi Department of Anesthesia, Kyoto University Hospital Hiroshi Morimatsu Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Hospital Satoshi Mizobuchi Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Kobe University Hospital Yoshifumi Kotake Department of Anesthesiology, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center Ayumi Shintani Department of Medical Statistics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University Yukiko Koyama Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Takeshi Yoshida Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Yuji Fujino Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine Background Postoperative patients constitute majority of critically ill patients, although factors predicting extubation failure in this group of patients remain unidentified. Aiming to propose clinical predictors of reintubation in postoperative patients, we conducted a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study.<br> Methods This study included postoperative critically ill patients who underwent mechanical ventilation for > 24 h and were extubated after a successful 30-min spontaneous breathing trial. The primary outcome was reintubation within 48 h after extubation, and clinical predictors for reintubation were investigated using logistic regression analyses.<br> Results Among the 355 included patients, 10.7% required reintubation. Multivariable logistic regression identified that the number of endotracheal suctioning episodes during the 24 h before extubation and underlying respiratory disease or pneumonia occurrence were significantly associated with reintubation (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.05–1.18, p < 0.001; adjusted OR 2.58, 95%CI 1.30–5.13, p = 0.007). The probability of reintubation was increased significantly with the higher frequency of endotracheal suctioning, as indicated by restricted cubic splines. Subgroup analysis showed that these predictors were consistently associated with reintubation regardless of the use of noninvasive respiratory support after extubation.<br> Conclusions Endotracheal suctioning frequency and respiratory complications were identified as independent predictors of reintubation. These readily obtainable predictors may aid in decision-making regarding the extubation of postoperative patients. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0266-352X 178 2025 End-to-end time-dependent probabilistic assessment of landslide hazards using hybrid deep learning simulator 106920 EN Menglu Huang Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Okayama University Shin-ichi Nishimura Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Okayama University Toshifumi Shibata Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Okayama University Ze Zhou Wang Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge Early warning detection of landslide hazards often requires real-time or near real-time predictions, which can be challenging due to the presence of multiple geo-uncertainties and time-variant external environmental loadings. The propagation of these uncertainties at the system level for understanding the spatiotemporal behavior of slopes often requires time-consuming numerical calculations, significantly hindering the establishment of an early warning system. This paper presents a hybrid deep learning simulator, which fuses parallel convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks through attention mechanisms, termed PCLA-Net, to facilitate time-dependent probabilistic assessment of landslide hazards. PCLA-Net features two novelties. First, it is capable of simultaneously handling both temporal and spatial information. CNNs specialize in interpreting spatial data, while LSTM excels in handling time-variant data. Coupled with two attention mechanisms, the two modules are combined to probabilistically predict the spatiotemporal behavior of slopes. Second, PCLA-Net realizes end-to-end predictions. In this paper, the Liangshuijing landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China is used to illustrate PCLA-Net. It is first validated followed by a comparison with existing techniques to demonstrate its improved predictive capabilities. The proposed PCLA-Net simulator can achieve the same level of accuracy with at least 50% reduction in computation resources. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1532-0626 37 27-28 2025 Algebraic Connectivity Maximizing Regular Graphs: Special Case Analysis and Depth‐First Search e70357 EN Masashi Kurahashi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Najd Salaani Polytech Sorbonne, Sorbonne University Tsuyoshi Migita Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Norikazu Takahashi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The algebraic connectivity is an indicator of how well connected a graph is. It also characterizes the convergence speed of some dynamic processes over networks. In this paper, taking into account that homogeneous networks are modeled as regular graphs, we tackle the following problem: given a pair (𝑛, 𝑘) of positive integers such that 𝑘 is less than 𝑛 and kn is an even number, find a 𝑘-regular graph with 𝑛 vertices that have the maximum algebraic connectivity. We first consider some special cases and derive solutions through theoretical analysis. We next present depth-first search algorithms for solving the problem, which reduce the search space by making use of some known properties of the regular graph and the algebraic connectivity.We also show the results of execution of the proposed algorithms for the values of 𝑛 up to 12. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0916-7005 2025 Refinement of interval approximations for fully commutative quivers EN Yasuaki Hiraoka Kyoto University Ken Nakashima Shimane University Ippei Obayashi Okayama University Chenguang Xu Kyoto University A central challenge in the theory of multiparameter persistence modules lies in defining effective descriptors for representations of infinite or wild type. In this work, we propose a novel framework for analyzing interval approximations of fully commutative quivers, which offers a tunable trade-off between approximation resolution and computational complexity. Our approach is evaluated on commutative ladder modules of both finite and infinite type. For finite-type cases, we establish an efficient method for computing indecomposable decompositions using solely one-parameter persistent homology. For infinite-type cases, we introduce a new invariant that captures persistence in the second parameter by connecting standard persistence diagrams through interval approximations. Furthermore, we present several models for constructing commutative ladder filtrations, providing new insights into the behavior of random filtrations and demonstrating the utility of our framework in topological analysis of material structures. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2196-2995 12 1 2025 Natural Effects and Separable Effects: Insights into Mediation Analysis 20 EN Etsuji Suzuki Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Tomohiro Shinozaki Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, the University of Tokyo Eiji Yamamoto Okayama University of Science Purpose of Review We compare natural effects and separable effects under nonparametric structural equation models with independent errors, highlighting their similarities and differences. By examining their required properties and sufficient conditions for identification, we aim to provide deeper insights into mediation analysis.<br> Recent Findings If certain assumptions about confounding, positivity, and consistency are met, we can identify natural direct and indirect effects under nonparametric structural equation models with independent errors. However, these effects have been criticized because they rely on a specific cross-world quantity, and the so-called cross-world independence assumption cannot be empirically verified. Furthermore, interventions on the mediator may sometimes be challenging to even conceive. As an alternative approach, separable effects have recently been proposed and applied in mediation analysis, often under finest fully randomized causally interpretable structured tree graph models. These effects are defined without relying on any cross-world quantities and are claimed to be identifiable under assumptions that are testable in principle, thereby addressing some of the challenges associated with natural direct and indirect effects.<br> Summary To conduct meaningful mediation analysis, it is crucial to clearly define the research question of interest, and the choice of methods should align with the nature of the question and the assumptions researchers are willing to make. Examining the underlying philosophical perspectives on causation and manipulation can provide valuable insights. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0952-1976 150 2025 Surrogate-assisted motion planning and layout design of robotic cellular manufacturing systems 110530 EN Tomoya Kawabe Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi Nishi Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ziang Liu Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomofumi Fujiwara Graduate School of Environmental, Life and Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University A surrogate-assisted multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is proposed for simultaneous optimization of robot motion planning and layout design in robotic cellular manufacturing systems. A sequence-pair is used to represent the layout of components in a robotic cell to avoid overlapping in the evolutionary computation. The robot motion planning with Rapidly exploring Random Trees Star (RRT*) is applied to compute the total operation time of a robot arm for each layout. Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) is used to minimize the total required layout area and the operation time for a robot arm. The proposed surrogate model can estimate the robot’s operation time with 98% of accuracy without explicit computations of the motion planning algorithm. The experimental results with a physical 6 Degree of Freedom (DOF) manipulator show that the total computation time is approximately 1/400, significantly shorter than the conventional methods. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Acta Medica Okayama 1342-4580 42 3 2025 Root-exuded sugars as drivers of rhizosphere microbiome assembly 215 227 EN Niarsi Merry Hemelda Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia Yoshiteru Noutoshi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Sugars in root exudates play a pivotal role in shaping plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere, serving as carbon sources and signaling molecules that orchestrate microbial behavior, community structure, and plant resilience. Recent research has shed light on the dynamics of sugar levels in root exudates, the factors that influence their secretion, and the mechanisms by which these sugars drive microbial colonization and community assembly in the rhizosphere. Microbial communities, in turn, contribute to plant physiological changes that enhance growth and stress tolerance. While well-studied sugars such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose are known to promote chemotaxis, motility, and biofilm formation, emerging evidence suggests that less-studied sugars like arabinose and trehalose may also play significant roles in microbial interactions and stress resilience. Key challenges remain, including the accurate measurement of labile sugars that are rapidly metabolized by microbes, and the elucidation of genetic mechanisms underlying rhizosphere metabolic interactions in both host plants and microbes. Addressing these challenges will advance our understanding of sugar-mediated interactions and inform the development of sustainable agricultural innovations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 79 5 2025 Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Patterns Identified by Unsupervised Machine Learning and Their Associations with Subclinical Cerebral and Renal Damage in a Japanese Community: The Masuda Study 369 379 EN Takashi Hisamatsu Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Minako Kinuta Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Sosuke Munetomo Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Mari Fukuda Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Katsuhide Kojima Department of Radiology, Okayama University Hospital Kaori Taniguchi Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Izumo, Shimane University Faculty of Medicine Noriko Nakahata Department of Health and Nutrition, The University of Shimane Faculty of Nursing and Nutrition Hideyuki Kanda Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Original Article 10.18926/AMO/69438 We applied unsupervised machine learning to analyze blood pressure (BP) and resting heart rate (HR) patterns measured during a 1-year period to assess their cross-sectional relationships with subclinical cerebral and renal target damage. Dimension reduction via uniform manifold approximation and projection, followed by K-means++ clustering, was used to categorize 362 community-dwelling participants (mean age, 56.2 years; 54.9% women) into three groups: Low BP and Low HR (Lo-BP/Lo-HR), High BP and High HR (Hi-BP/Hi-HR), and Low BP and High HR (Lo-BP/Hi-HR). Cerebral vessel lesions were defined as the presence of at least one of the following magnetic resonance imaging findings: lacunar infarcts, white matter hyperintensities, cerebral microbleeds, or intracranial artery stenosis. A high urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) was defined as the top 10% (≥ 12 mg/g) of the mean value from ≥2 measurements. Poisson regression with robust error variance, adjusted for demographics, lifestyle, and medical history, showed that the Hi-BP/Hi-HR group had relative risks of 3.62 (95% confidence interval, 1.75-7.46) for cerebral vessel lesions and 3.58 (1.33-9.67) for high UACR, and the Lo-BP/Hi-HR group had a relative risk of 3.09 (1.12-8.57) for high UACR, compared with the Lo-BP/Lo-HR group. These findings demonstrate the utility of an unsupervised, data-driven approach for identifying physiological patterns associated with subclinical target organ damage. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 16 7 2025 A Fundamental Statistics Self-Learning Method with Python Programming for Data Science Implementations 607 EN Prismahardi Aji Riyantoko Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Aviolla Terza Damaliana Department of Data Science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur Dwi Arman Prasetya Department of Data Science, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jawa Timur The increasing demand for data-driven decision making to maintain the innovations and competitiveness of organizations highlights the need for data science educations across academia and industry. At its core is a solid understanding of statistics, which is necessary for conducting a thorough analysis of data and deriving valuable insights. Unfortunately, conventional statistics learning often lacks practice in real-world applications using computer programs, causing a separation between conceptual knowledge of statistics equations and their hands-on skills. Integrating statistics learning into Python programming can convey an effective solution for this problem, where it has become essential in data science implementations, with extensive and versatile libraries. In this paper, we present a self-learning method for fundamental statistics through Python programming for data science studies. Unlike conventional approaches, our method integrates three types of interactive problems―element fill-in-blank problem (EFP), grammar-concept understanding problem (GUP), and value trace problem (VTP)―in the Programming Learning Assistant System (PLAS). This combination allows students to write code, understand concepts, and trace the output value while obtaining instant feedback so that they can improve retention, knowledge, and practical skills in learning statistics using Python programming. For evaluations, we generated 22 instances using source codes for fundamental statistics topics, and assigned them to 40 first-year undergraduate students at UPN Veteran Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Statistics analytical methods were utilized to analyze the student learning performances. The results show that a significant correlation (𝜌<0.05) exists between the students who solved our proposal and those who did not. The results confirm that it can effectively assist students in learning fundamental statistics self-learning using Python programming for data science implementations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2079-9292 14 11 2025 An Automatic Code Generation Tool Using Generative Artificial Intelligence for Element Fill-in-the-Blank Problems in a Java Programming Learning Assistant System 2261 EN Zihao Zhu Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Wen-Chung Kao Department of Electrical Engineering, National Taiwan Normal University Yi-Fang Lee Department of Industrial Education, National Taiwan Normal University Presently, Java is a fundamental object-oriented programming language that can be mastered by any student in information technology or computer science. To assist both teachers and students, we developed the Java Programming Learning Assistant System (JPLAS). It offers several types of practice problems with different levels and learning goals for step-by-step self-study, where any answer is automatically marked in the system. One challenge for teachers that is addressed with JPLAS is the generation of proper exercise problems that meet learning requirements. We implemented programs for generating new problems from given source codes, as collecting and evaluating suitable codes remains time-consuming. In this paper, we present an automatic code generation tool using generative AI to solve this challenge. Prompt engineering is used to help generate an appropriate source code, and the quality is controlled by optimizing the prompt based on the outputs. For applications in JPLAS, we implement a web application system to automatically generate an element fill-in-the-blank problem (EFP) in JPLAS. For evaluation, we select the element fill-in-the-blank problem (EFP) as the target type in JPLAS and generate several instances using this tool. The results confirm the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0273-1177 76 9 2025 Spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem carbon storage under land use/land cover dynamics in the coastal region of Central Vietnam 4815 4837 EN Viet Hoang Ho Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Hidenori Morita Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Thanh Ha Ho University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University Felix Bachofer German Aerospace Center (DLR), Earth Observation Center Ecosystem carbon storage is a cost-effective strategy for global climate change mitigation, and its fluctuation is markedly shaped by land use/land cover (LULC) dynamics. Taking Danang city as an example of Central Coastal Vietnam, this study aims to assess LULC changes and analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of carbon storage from 2023 to 2050 under four LULC change scenarios, including natural trend scenario (NTS), ecological protection scenario (EPS), economic development scenario (EDS), and cropland protection scenario (CPS), by integrating the support vector machine-cellular automata-Markov (SVM-CA-Markov) model and the InVEST model. The Optimal Parameters-based Geographical Detector (OPGD) model was subsequently employed to elucidate the impacts of driving factors on the spatial distribution of carbon storage. The results showed that, from 2007 to 2023, Danang city experienced a dramatic back-and-forth transformation between LULC types, with the predominant transitions being from natural forest to acacia tree-dominated plantation forest (6492.31 ha), and from cropland to settlements, acacia tree-dominated plantation forest, and other land (5483.05 ha, 3763.66 ha, 2762.35 ha, respectively). Between 2023 and 2050, LULC transformations in Danang city are projected to yield varying degrees of carbon storage levels across different scenarios. Specifically, carbon storage is anticipated to dwindle by 0.221 Mt, 0.223 Mt, and 0.298 Mt under NTS, EDS, and CPS, respectively, while enhancing by 0.141 Mt under EPS. Regarding the spatial distribution of carbon storage, high values will be chiefly found in the western high-elevation mountainous region, while low values will be concentrated mostly in the eastern lower-lying areas of the city. Additionally, elevation and temperature acted as the two most significant driving factors influencing the spatial distribution of carbon storage, with Q values of 0.88 and 0.86 (p-value < 0.05), respectively. For interaction detection, the combination of elevation and soil exhibited a synergistic reinforcement effect on the spatial partitioning of carbon storage, with a high Q value of 0.9566 (p-value < 0.05). Our study highlights the necessity of ecological conservation measures in Danang city in the on-track pursuit of national net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Cambridge University Press (CUP) Acta Medica Okayama 0022-1120 1019 2025 Experimental and numerical study on the inertial migration of hydrogel particles suspended in square channel flows A22 EN Yuma Hirohata Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Kazusa Sai Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Yuki Tange Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Tomohiro Nishiyama Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Haruka Minato Graduate School of Environmental Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Daisuke Suzuki Graduate School of Environmental Life Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomoaki Itano Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University Kazuyasu Sugiyama Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka Masako Sugihara-Seki Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Kansai University The inertial migration of hydrogel particles suspended in a Newtonian fluid flowing through a square channel is studied both experimentally and numerically. Experimental results demonstrate significant differences in the focusing positions of the deformable and rigid particles, highlighting the role of particle deformability in inertial migration. At low Reynolds numbers (Re), hydrogel particles migrate towards the centre of the channel cross-section, whereas the rigid spheres exhibit negligible lateral motion. At finite Re, they focus at four points along the diagonals in the downstream cross-section, in contrast to the rigid particles which focus near the centre of the channel face at similar Re . Numerical simulations using viscous hyperelastic particles as a model for hydrogel particles reproduced the experimental results for the particle distribution with an appropriate Young’s modulus of the hyperelastic particles. Further numerical simulations over a broader range of Re and the capillary number (Ca) reveal various focusing patterns of the particles in the channel cross-section. The phase transitions between them are discussed in terms of the inertial lift and the lift due to particle deformation, which would act in the direction towards lower shear. The stability of the channel centre is analysed using an asymptotic expansion approach to the migration force at low Re and Ca. The theoretical analysis predicts the critical condition for the transition, which is consistent with the direct numerical simulation. These experimental, numerical and theoretical results contribute to a deeper understanding of inertial migration of deformable particles. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2041-1723 16 1 2025 Persistent homology elucidates hierarchical structures responsible for mechanical properties in covalent amorphous solids 8226 EN Emi Minamitani SANKEN, The University of Osaka Takenobu Nakamura Department of Materials and Chemistry Materials DX Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Ippei Obayashi Center for Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Data Science, Okayama University Hideyuki Mizuno Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo Understanding how atomic-level structures govern the mechanical properties of amorphous materials remains a fundamental challenge in solid-state physics. Under mechanical loading, amorphous materials exhibit simple affine and spatially inhomogeneous nonaffine displacements that contribute to the elastic modulus through the Born (affine) and nonaffine terms, respectively. The differences between soft local structures characterized by small Born terms or large nonaffine displacements have yet to be elucidated. This challenge is particularly complex in covalent amorphous materials such as silicon, where the medium-range order (MRO) plays a crucial role in the network structure. To address these issues, we combined molecular dynamics simulations with persistent homology analysis. Our results reveal that local structures with small Born terms are governed by short-range characteristics, whereas those with large nonaffine displacements exhibit hierarchical structures in which short-range disorder is embedded within the MRO. These hierarchical structures are also strongly correlated with low-energy localized vibrational excitations. Our findings demonstrate that the mechanical responses and dynamic properties of covalent amorphous materials are intrinsically linked to the MRO, providing a framework for understanding and tailoring their properties. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Universitas Negeri Jakarta Acta Medica Okayama 2614-3984 18 2 2025 Data inventory, processing, and reporting on plant blindness among high school students in three schools in West Java 22 32 EN Puan Helwa Rezha Soraya Biology Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Rini Solihat Biology Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Yayan Sanjaya Biology Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Taro Harada Graduate School of Education, Okayama University Plant blindness is a problem related to a person's inability to realize, recognize, and know the benefits and roles of plants. After some research, there was a shift in the term, from Plant Blindness to Plant Awareness Disparity. This study aims to find out the prevalence of Plant Blindness in three high schools in West Java. The method used in this study is descriptive Cross sectional. The results of this study revealed that there were differences in the level of plant awareness in the three schools studied. One of the schools in the city of Bandung showed the highest plant awareness rate. In addition, it was also found that students who had a high level of plant awareness had a high perception of plant awareness. As a follow-up, further research can be carried out to collect more data so that it becomes a whole population. In addition, researchers can then use additional instruments so that more things can be revealed about plant blindness. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2504-446X 9 9 2025 Application of LMM-Derived Prompt-Based AIGC in Low-Altitude Drone-Based Concrete Crack Monitoring 660 EN Shijun Pan Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, UESTC, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Zhun Fan Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, UESTC, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Keisuke Yoshida Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Shujia Qin Shenzhen Academy of Robotics Takashi Kojima TOKEN C.E.E. Consultants Co., Ltd. Satoshi Nishiyama Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University In recent years, large multimodal models (LMMs), such as ChatGPT 4o and DeepSeek R1―artificial intelligence systems capable of multimodal (e.g., image and text) human–computer interaction―have gained traction in industrial and civil engineering applications. Concurrently, insufficient real-world drone-view data (specifically close-distance, high-resolution imagery) for civil engineering scenarios has heightened the importance of artificially generated content (AIGC) or synthetic data as supplementary inputs. AIGC is typically produced via text-to-image generative models (e.g., Stable Diffusion, DALL-E) guided by user-defined prompts. This study leverages LMMs to interpret key parameters for drone-based image generation (e.g., color, texture, scene composition, photographic style) and applies prompt engineering to systematize these parameters. The resulting LMM-generated prompts were used to synthesize training data for a You Only Look Once version 8 segmentation model (YOLOv8-seg). To address the need for detailed crack-distribution mapping in low-altitude drone-based monitoring, the trained YOLOv8-seg model was evaluated on close-distance crack benchmark datasets. The experimental results confirm that LMM-prompted AIGC is a viable supplement for low-altitude drone crack monitoring, achieving >80% classification accuracy (images with/without cracks) at a confidence threshold of 0.5. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) Acta Medica Okayama 2377-9098 12 3 2025 Biophysical regulation of extracellular matrix in systemic lupus erythematosus 412 437 EN Qiwei Li Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Qiang Li Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Zhaoyang Xiao Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Keiji NARUSE Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Ken Takahashi Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypical autoimmune disease characterized by immune dysregulation and multi-organ damage. Recent advances have underscored the critical involvement of extracellular matrix (ECM) biophysical properties in shaping immune cell behavior and metabolic states that contribute to disease progression. This review systematically delineates the pathological remodeling of ECM biophysics in SLE, with a focus on their roles in mechanotransduction, immune-metabolic interplay, and organ-specific tissue injury. By integrating current evidence, we highlight how ECM-derived mechanical cues orchestrate aberrant immune responses and propose new perspectives for targeting ECM-immune crosstalk in the development of organ-specific, mechanism-based therapies for SLE. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2644-1284 6 2025 Time-Efficient and Practical Design Method for Skewed PMSMs: Integrating Numerical Calculations With Limited 3-D-FEA 1370 1386 EN Ren Tsunata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yu Ichimura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masatsugu Takemoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jun Imai Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This article proposes a time-efficient and practical design method for determining appropriate skew structures for permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Various PMSMs use skew to suppress torque ripple, but 3-D finite element analysis (3-D-FEA) is required in order to accurately determine an appropriate structure for skewed PMSMs, resulting in a long analysis time. Therefore, this article constructs a hybrid analysis method that combines numerical calculations and minimal 3-D-FEA. The aim of this method is to be practical and easy to use, even for novice designers, and to accurately and quickly design skewed PMSMs. In this article, the effectiveness of the proposed method is clarified through several case studies, and then, a skewed PMSM designed using the proposed method is verified experimentally. It is also revealed that suppression of voltage harmonics contributes to improving the performance of PMSMs in experiments. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 2169-3536 13 2025 Security in Post-Quantum Era: A Comprehensive Survey on Lattice-Based Algorithms 89003 89024 EN Hien Nguyen School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University Samsul Huda Interdisciplinary Education and Research Field, Okayama University Yasuyuki Nogami Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tuy Tan Nguyen School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University Lattice-based post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has attracted significant attention as a promising solution to the security challenges posed by quantum computing. Unlike traditional cryptographic algorithms, lattice-based schemes are expected to remain secure even in the presence of quantum attacks, making them essential for securing future data. Despite their strong theoretical foundations, lattice-based schemes face several practical challenges, particularly in optimizing performance and scalability for real-world applications. This survey provides a novel taxonomy that categorizes lattice-based PQC designs, with an emphasis on computational paradigms and security considerations. We systematically evaluate lattice-based PQC implementations across both software platforms, including central processing units and graphics processing units, as well as hardware platforms like field-programmable gate arrays and application-specific integrated circuits, highlighting their strengths and limitations. In addition, we explore the practical applications of lattice-based cryptography in fields such as secure communication, critical infrastructure, privacy-preserving data analytics, artificial intelligence, and trust and authentication systems. By offering a comprehensive overview of the current state of lattice-based PQC, this survey aims to provide valuable insights into the ongoing advancements and future research directions in the field as we transition to a post-quantum era. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0969-806X 239 2026 Helical X-ray tube trajectory estimation via image noise analysis for enhanced CT dosimetry 113260 EN Tatsuya Maeda Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Kazuki Takegami Department of Radiological Technology, Yamaguchi University Hospital Sota Goto Faculty of Health Sciences, Kobe Tokiwa University Takashi Asahara Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Okayama University Daiki Kobayashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Rina Nishigami Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Natsumi Kimoto Department of Radiological Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Junshin Gakuen University Kazuta Yamashita Department of Orthopedics, School of Medicine, Tokushima University Kosaku Higashino Shikoku Medical Center for Children and Adults Shinichi Morimoto MEDITEC JAPAN Co., Ltd., Yamaguchi Kosan Bld. Takeshi Konishi MEDITEC JAPAN Co., Ltd., Yamaguchi Kosan Bld. Motochika Maki MEDITEC JAPAN Co., Ltd., Yamaguchi Kosan Bld. Hiroaki Hayashi College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, Kanazawa University Information on the helical trajectory of the X-ray tube is necessary for accurate dose evaluation during computed tomography (CT). We aimed to propose a methodology for analyzing the trajectory of the X-ray tube. The novelty of this paper is that the incident direction of X-rays is estimated from the standard deviation (SD) distribution. The X-ray incident direction for each slice was analyzed using a distribution function of SD values, in which the analysis regions were placed in the air region. Then, the helical trajectory of the CT scan was estimated by fitting a three-dimensional helical function to the analyzed data. The robustness of our algorithm was verified through phantom studies: the analyzed X-ray incident directions were compared with instrumental log data, in which cylindrical polyoxymethylene resin phantoms and a whole-body phantom were scanned. Chest CT scanning was mimicked, in which the field of view (FOV) was set at the lung region. The procedure for analyzing the X-ray incident direction was applicable to cylindrical phantoms regardless of the phantom size. In contrast, in the case of the whole-body phantom, although it was possible to apply our procedure to the chest and abdomen regions, the shoulder slices were inappropriate to analyze. Therefore, the helical trajectory was determined based on chest and abdominal CT images. The accuracy in X-ray incident direction analysis was evaluated to be 7.5°. In conclusion, we have developed an algorithm to estimate a three-dimensional helical trajectory that can be used for dose measurements and simulations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2227-7080 13 4 2025 An Implementation of Creep Test Assisting System with Dial Gauge Needle Reading and Smart Lighting Function for Laboratory Automation 139 EN Dezheng Kong Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shihao Fang Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Noprianto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuhiro Okayasu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Pradini Puspitaningayu Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Surabaya For decades, analog dial gauges have been essential for measuring and monitoring data at various industrial instruments including production machines and laboratory equipment. Among them, we focus on the instrument for creep test in a mechanical engineering laboratory, which evaluates material strength under sustained stress. Manual reading of gauges imposes significant labor demands, especially in long-duration tests. This burden further increases under low-lighting environments, where poor visibility can lead to misreading data points, potentially compromising the accuracy of test results. In this paper, to address the challenges, we implement a creep test assisting system that possesses the following features: (1) to save the installation cost, a web camera and Raspberry Pi are employed to capture images of the dial gauge and automate the needle reading by image processing in real time, (2) to ensure reliability under low-lighting environments, a smart lighting mechanism is integrated to turn on a supplementary light when the dial gauge is not clearly visible, and (3) to allow a user to stay in a distant place from the instrument during a creep test, material break is detected and the corresponding message is notified to a laboratory staff using LINE automatically. For evaluations, we install the implemented system into a material strength measuring instrument at Okayama University, Japan, and confirm the effectiveness and accuracy through conducting experiments under various lighting conditions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0956-5663 287 2025 A plant-insertable multi-enzyme biosensor for the real-time monitoring of stomatal sucrose uptake 117674 EN Shiqi Wu Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University Wakutaka Nakagawa Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University Yuki Mori Faculty and Graduate School of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu Saman Azhari Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University Gábor Méhes Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University Yuta Nishina Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Tomonori Kawano Faculty and Graduate School of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu Takeo Miyake Graduate School of Information, Production and Systems, Waseda University Monitoring sucrose transport in plants is essential for understanding plant physiology and improving agricultural practices, yet effective sensors for continuous and real-time in-vivo monitoring are lacking. In this study, we developed a plant-insertable sucrose sensor capable of real-time sucrose concentration monitoring and demonstrated its application as a useful tool for plant research by monitoring the sugar-translocating path from leaves to the lower portion of plants through the stem in living plants. The biosensor consists of a bilirubin oxidase-based biocathode and a needle-type bioanode integrating glucose oxidase, invertase, and mutarotase, with the two electrodes separated by an agarose gel for ionic connection. The sensor exhibits a sensitivity of 6.22 μA mM−1 cm−2, a limit of detection of 100 μM, a detection range up to 60 mM, and a response time of 90 s at 100 μM sucrose. Additionally, the sensor retained 86 % of its initial signal after 72 h of continuous measurement. Day-night monitoring from the biosensor inserted in strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum) showed higher sucrose transport activity at night, following well the redistribution of photosynthetically produced sugars. In addition, by monitoring the forced translocation of sucrose dissolved in the stable isotopically labeled water, we demonstrated that a young seedling of Japanese cedar known as Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) can absorb and transport both water and sucrose through light-dependently opened stomata, which is the recently revealed path for liquid uptake by higher plants. These findings highlight the potential of our sensor for studying dynamic plant processes and its applicability in real-time monitoring of sugar transport under diverse environmental conditions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

SAGE Publications Acta Medica Okayama 1076-0296 31 2025 Activated Clotting Time Requires Adaptation Across Altered Measurement Devices: Determination of Appropriate Range During Atrial Fibrillation Ablation EN Haruna Sakanoue Department of Nursing, Okayama Heart Clinic Hirosuke Yamaji Heart Rhythm Center, Okayama Heart Clinic Sayaka Okamoto Department of Nursing, Okayama Heart Clinic Kumi Okano Department of Nursing, Okayama Heart Clinic Yuka Fujita Department of Nursing, Okayama Heart Clinic Shunichi Higashiya Heart Rhythm Center, Okayama Heart Clinic Takashi Murakami Heart Rhythm Center, Okayama Heart Clinic Satoshi Hirohata Department of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences Shozo Kusachi Department of Medical Technology, Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences Background: Methods for measuring activated clotting time (ACT) are not yet standardized.<br> Objectives: To adjust and compare values between two measurement systems and to optimize ACT during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.<br> Methods: Two systems were compared: electromagnetic detection using a rotating tube (EM system; Hemochron Response) and photo-optical detection using a cartridge immersed in blood (PO system; ACT CA-300TM).<br> Results: ACT was measured simultaneously in 124 instances in 53 patients before and during AF ablations using both methods. A linear regression analysis showed ACT (EM system) = 1.19 × ACT (PO system) + 9.03 (p < .001, r = 0.90). Bland–Altman plots indicated an average difference of 50 s between the two systems. In 3364 ACT measurements from 1161 ablations, the EM system recorded a mean ACT of 320 ± 44 s (range 156-487 s). Estimating the target range as mean ± 1 SD range, the EM system's range was 275-365 s, in 5-s increments. The pre-ablation ACT measured on the EM system was 143 ± 28 s (115-170 s). Cardiac tamponade occurred in 4 out of 2085 ablations (0.19%) over 5 years, with ACT values ranging from 330 to 391 s on the EM system. Based on these findings, the estimated optimal ACT range for the PO system was adjusted to 225-300 s to align with the EM system's range of 275-365 s.<br> Conclusions: ACT target ranges should be system-specific, and direct extrapolation between devices is not recommended. Adjustment is clinically necessary when switching systems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学大学院教育学研究科 Acta Medica Okayama 1883-2423 189 2025 ウィトゲンシュタイン哲学に基づく授業分析研究 ―理科の授業を支える「信用」の基底性― 1 17 EN Yoshitsugu HIRATA Faculty of Education，Okayama University 10.18926/bgeou/69234 　本研究は、小学校4 年生の単元「月と星」（50 分×3 回）の授業に会話分析を施したうえで、ウィトゲンシュタインの『確実性について』における信用概念に依拠した考察を加えた。ここで言う信用とは、子どもが教師や教材を端的に信じることを指しており、言語ゲームの学習を基底において支えているものである。理科の授業は科学的条件を重視しようとすればするほど、授業が成立しなくなってしまうという逆説を抱えているが、この逆説による破綻を回避するものとして、科学的でも合理的でもない信用があることを指摘した。本研究は、先行研究において理論的に指摘されるに留まっていた非合理的な概念変容の過程を、実践的に明らかにしたものである。 No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0360-3199 140 2025 Advances in filler-crosslinked membranes for hydrogen fuel cells in sustainable energy generation 745 776 EN Aminul Islam Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Jashore University of Science and Technology Mamun Shahriar Department of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Jashore University of Science and Technology Md. Tarekul Islam Department of Leather Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering and Technology Siow Hwa Teo Industrial Chemistry Program, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah M. Azizur R. Khan Department of Chemistry, Jashore University of Science and Technology Yun Hin Taufiq-Yap Catalysis Science and Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia Suman C. Mohanta Department of Chemistry, Jashore University of Science and Technology Ariyan Islam Rehan Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo Adiba Islam Rasee Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University Khadiza Tul Kubra Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University Md. Munjur Hasan Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University Md. Shad Salman Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University R.M. Waliullah Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University Md. Nazmul Hasan Department of Chemistry, School of Science, The University of Tokyo Md. Chanmiya Sheikh Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tetsuya Uchida Division of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mrs Eti Awual Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University Mohammed Sohrab Hossain Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University Hussein Znad Western Australian School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University Md. Rabiul Awual Western Australian School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University Fuel cell membranes can be used in various ways to achieve zero-emission transport and energy systems, which offer a promising way to power production due to their higher efficiency compared to the internal combustion engine and the eco-environment. Perfluoro sulfonic acid membranes used for proton exchange membranes (PEMs) have certain drawbacks, like higher fuel permeability and expense, lower mechanical and chemical durability, and proton conductivity under low humidity and above 80 °C temperature. Researchers have drawn their attention to the production of polymer electrolyte membranes with higher proton conductivity, thermal and chemical resilience, maximum power density, lower fuel permeability, and lower expense. For sustainable clean energy generation, a review covering the most useful features of advanced material-associated membranes would be of great benefit to all interested communities. This paper endeavors to explore several types of novel inorganic fillers and crosslinking agents, which have been incorporated into membrane matrices to design the desired properties for an advanced fuel cell system. Membrane parameters such as proton conductivity, the ability of H2 transport, and the stability of the membrane are described. Research directions for developing fuel cell membranes are addressed based on several challenges suggested. The technological advancement of nanostructured materials for fuel cell applications is believed to significantly promote the future clean energy generation technology in practice. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Atherosclerosis Society Acta Medica Okayama 1340-3478 32 5 2025 ChatGPT Responses to Clinical Questions in the Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease 2022 567 579 EN Takashi Hisamatsu Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Mari Fukuda Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Minako Kinuta Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hideyuki Kanda Department of Public Health, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Aims: Artificial intelligence is increasingly used in the medical field. We assessed the accuracy and reproducibility of responses by ChatGPT to clinical questions (CQs) in the Japan Atherosclerosis Society Guidelines for Prevention Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases 2022 (JAS Guidelines 2022).<br> Methods: In June 2024, we assessed responses by ChatGPT (version 3.5) to CQs, including background questions (BQs) and foreground questions (FQs). Accuracy was assessed independently by three researchers using six-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (“completely incorrect”) to 6 (“completely correct”) by evaluating responses to CQs in Japanese or translated into English. For reproducibility assessment, responses to each CQ asked five times separately in a new chat were scored using six-point Likert scales, and Fleiss kappa coefficients were calculated.<br> Results: The median (25th–75th percentile) score for ChatGPT’s responses to BQs and FQs was 4 (3–5) and 5 (5–6) for Japanese CQs and 5 (3–6) and 6 (5–6) for English CQs, respectively. Response scores were higher for FQs than those for BQs (P values ＜0.001 for Japanese and English). Similar response accuracy levels were observed between Japanese and English CQs (P value 0.139 for BQs and 0.586 for FQs). Kappa coefficients for reproducibility were 0.76 for BQs and 0.90 for FQs.<br> Conclusions: ChatGPT showed high accuracy and reproducibility in responding to JAS Guidelines 2022 CQs, especially FQs. While ChatGPT primarily reflects existing guidelines, its strength could lie in rapidly organizing and presenting relevant information, thus supporting instant and more efficient guideline interpretation and aiding in medical decision-making. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0969-806X 238 2026 Bone-enhanced high contrast X-ray images derived from attenuation estimation related to ultra-low energy X-rays – An application of an energy-resolving photon-counting detector (ERPCD) 113243 EN Rina Nishigami Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Natsumi Kimoto Department of Radiological Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Junshin Gakuen University Takashi Asahara Faculty of Health Sciences, Okayama University Tatsuya Maeda Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Daiki Kobayashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Sota Goto Faculty of Health Sciences, Kobe Tokiwa University Tomonobu Haba Faculty of Radiological Technology, School of Medical Science, Fujita Health University Yuki Kanazawa Faculty of Life Science, Kumamoto University Shuichiro Yamamoto JOB CORPORATION Hiroaki Hayashi College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, Kanazawa University Purpose: X-ray diagnosis in medicine is often used for bone diagnosis based on qualitative observation analysis. However, there are often cases where the contrast of bones is reduced because of the existence of soft-tissues, making it difficult to accurately diagnose the bone conditions. Although the algorithm for bone extraction images was proposed using an energy-resolving photon-counting detector (ERPCD), this algorithm can depict “one” bone material (such as hydroxyapatite under the assumption), and it is difficult to adequately depict other components. The purpose of this study is to develop an algorithm for bone-enhanced high-contrast images that can be virtually represented by the attenuation of extremely low-energy X-rays without making any special assumptions.<br> Methods: High-contrast images were virtually generated based on the attenuation rate of ultra-low energy X-rays. It was determined by fitting the mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ) curve to the X-ray attenuation values (μt values) measured at middle (30–40 keV) and high (40–60 keV) energy windows, and extrapolating the μt values to those for the low energy region (E = 5–20 keV). When performing the extrapolation, the effective atomic number (Zeff ) of the object was taken into consideration. The methodology was validated by simulating X-ray projections using a digital human body phantom. The frequency of correspondence between the pixel values in the high-contrast image and the Zeff image was analyzed for each pixel.<br> Results: We succeeded in creating virtual high-contrast X-ray images that reflect the image contrast of monochromatic X-rays of 5–20 keV. It was confirmed that the pixel values in the high-contrast image corresponding to an Zeff = 7.5 (soft-tissue) were completely separated from those corresponding to an Zeff = 9 (bone). The optimization of the energy related to the high contrast images was performed based on the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) analysis. The high contrast image with 10 keV showed a good CNR value.<br> Conclusions: Based on the analysis of the attenuation information of middle and high-energy X-rays measured by ERPCDs, we succeeded in creating a novel algorithm that can generate a virtual monochromatic image with high contrast. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0969-806X 239 2026 Counting-loss correction procedure of X-ray imaging detectors with consideration for the effective atomic number of biological objects 113237 EN Natsumi Kimoto Department of Radiological Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Junshin Gakuen University Rina Nishigami Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Daiki Kobayashi Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Tatsuya Maeda Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University Takashi Asahara Department of Radiological Technology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Okayama University Sota Goto Faculty of Health Science, Kobe Tokiwa University Yuki Kanazawa Faculty of Life Science, Kumamoto University Akitoshi Katsumata Oral Radiology and Artificial Intelligence, Asahi University Shuichiro Yamamoto JOB CORPORATION Hiroaki Hayashi College of Transdisciplinary Sciences for Innovation, Kanazawa University It is necessary to correct counting loss caused by the pulse pile-up effect and dead time when using energy-resolving photon-counting detectors (ERPCDs) under “high-counting-rate” conditions in medical and/or industrial settings. We aimed to develop a novel counting-loss correction procedure in which biological objects having effective atomic numbers (Zeff values) of 6.5–13.0 are measured with polychromatic X-rays. To correct for counting loss, such a procedure must theoretically estimate the count value of an ideal X-ray spectrum without counting loss. In this study, we estimated the ideal X-ray spectrum by focusing on the following two points: (1) the X-ray attenuation in an object (Zeff values of 6.5–13.0) and (2) the detector response. Virtual materials having intermediate atomic numbers between 6.5 and 13.0 were generated by using a mixture of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA, Zeff = 6.5) and aluminum (Al, Zeff = 13.0). We then constructed an algorithm that can perform the counting-loss correction based on the object’s true Zeff value. To demonstrate the applicability of our procedure, we analyzed investigational objects consisting of PMMA and Al using a prototype ERPCD system. A fresh fish sample was also analyzed. The Zeff values agree with the theoretical values within an accuracy of Zeff ±1. In conclusion, we have developed a highly accurate procedure for correcting counting losses for the quantitative X-ray imaging of biological objects. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1439-0108 25 5 2025 Comparison of geostatistics, machine learning algorithms, and their hybrid approaches for modeling soil organic carbon density in tropical forests 1554 1577 EN Viet Hoang Ho Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University Hidenori Morita Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Thanh Ha Ho University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University Felix Bachofer German Aerospace Center (DLR), Earth Observation Center Thi Thuong Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University Purpose Understanding the spatial variability of soil organic carbon density (SOCD) in tropical forests is necessary for efficient climate change mitigation initiatives. However, accurately modeling SOCD in these landscapes is challenging due to low-density sampling efforts and the limited availability of in-situ data caused by constrained accessibility. In this study, we aimed to explore the most suitable modeling technique for SOCD estimation in the context of tropical forest ecosystems.<br> Methods To support the research, thirty predictor covariates derived from remote sensing data, topographic attributes, climatic factors, and geographic positions were utilized, along with 104 soil samples collected from the top 30 cm of soil in Central Vietnamese tropical forests. We compared the effectiveness of geostatistics (ordinary kriging, universal kriging, and kriging with external drift), machine learning (ML) algorithms (random forest and boosted regression tree), and their hybrid approaches (random forest regression kriging and boosted regression tree regression kriging) for the prediction of SOCD. Prediction accuracy was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2), the root mean squared error (RMSE), and the mean absolute error (MAE) obtained from leave-one-out cross-validation.<br> Results The study results indicated that hybrid approaches performed best in predicting forest SOCD with the greatest values of R2 and the lowest values of MAE and RMSE, and the ML algorithms were more accurate than geostatistics. Additionally, the prediction maps produced by the hybridization showed the most realistic SOCD pattern, whereas the kriged maps were prone to have smoother patterns, and ML-based maps were inclined to possess more detailed patterns. The result also revealed the superiority of the ML plus residual kriging approaches over the ML models in reducing the underestimation of large SOCD values in high-altitude mountain areas and the overestimation of low SOCD values in low-lying terrain areas.<br> Conclusion Our findings suggest that the hybrid approaches of geostatistics and ML models are most suitable for modeling SOCD in tropical forests. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0169-5002 199 2025 Real-world status of multimodal treatment of Stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer in Japan: Results from the SOLUTION study, a non-interventional, multicenter cohort study 108027 EN Hidehito Horinouchi Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital Haruyasu Murakami Department of Thoracic Oncology, Shizuoka Cancer Center Hideyuki Harada Division of Radiation Therapy, Shizuoka Cancer Center Tomotaka Sobue Division of Environmental Medicine and Population Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University Tomohiro Kato Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Himeji Medical Cente Shinji Atagi Department of Thoracic Oncology, National Hospital Organization Kinki-Chuo Chest Medical Center Toshiyuki Kozuki Department of Thoracic Oncology and Medicine, National Hospital Organization Shikoku Cancer Center Takaaki Tokito Division of Respirology, Neurology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University Hospital Satoshi Oizumi Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Hokkaido Cancer Center Masahiro Seike Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Oncology, Nippon Medical School Hospital Kadoaki Ohashi Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Tadashi Mio Department of Respiratory Medicine, National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center Takashi Sone Department of Respiratory Medicine, Kanazawa University Hospital Chikako Iwao Department of Medical, AstraZeneca K.K. Takeshi Iwane Department of Medical, AstraZeneca K.K. Ryo Koto Department of Medical, AstraZeneca K.K. Masahiro Tsuboi Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East Objectives: There is limited consensus on resectability criteria for Stage IIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We examined the patient characteristics, N2 status, treatment decisions, and clinical outcomes according to the treatment modality for Stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC in Japan.<br> Materials and methods: Patients with Stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC in Japan were consecutively registered in the SOLUTION study between 2013 and 2014. Patients were divided according to treatment (chemoradiotherapy [CRT], surgery + perioperative therapy [neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant therapy], surgery alone). Demographic characteristics, N2 status (number and morphological features), pathological information, and treatments were analyzed descriptively. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method.<br> Results: Of 227 patients registered, 133 underwent CRT, 56 underwent surgery + perioperative therapy, and 38 underwent surgery alone. The physicians reported the following reasons for unresectability for 116 of 133 CRT patients: large number of metastatic lymph nodes (70.7 %), extranodal infiltration (25.0 %), poor surgical tolerance (19.0 %), or other reasons (18.1 %). CRT was more frequently performed in patients whose lymph nodes had an infiltrative appearance (64.3 %) and was the predominant treatment in patients with multiple involved stations (discrete: 60.0 %; infiltrative: 80.4 %). Distant metastasis with/without local progression was found in 50.4 %, 50.0 %, and 36.8 % of patients in the CRT, surgery + perioperative therapy, and surgery alone groups, respectively. The respective 3-year OS and DFS/PFS rates (median values) were as follows: surgery + perioperative therapy―61.9 % (not reached) and 37.1 % (22.4 months; DFS); CRT group―42.2 % (31.9 months) and 26.8 % (12.0 months; PFS); surgery alone group―37.7 % (26.5 months) and 28.7 % (12.6 months; DFS).<br> Conclusion: This study has illuminated the real-world decision rules for choosing between surgical and non-surgical approaches in patients with Stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC. Our landmark data could support treatment decision making for using immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy for driver oncogenes in the perioperative therapy era. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI AG Acta Medica Okayama 2075-4418 15 5 2025 Review Article: Diagnostic Paradigm Shift in Spine Surgery 594 EN Aras Efe Levent Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Masato Tanaka Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Chetan Kumawat Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Christian Heng Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Salamalikis Nikolaos Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Kajetan Latka Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Akiyoshi Miyamoto Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Tadashi Komatsubara Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Shinya Arataki Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama Rosai Hospital Yoshiaki Oda Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Hospital Kensuke Shinohara Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Hospital Koji Uotani Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Hospital Meticulous clinical examination is essential for spinal disorders to utilize the diagnostic methods and technologies that strongly support physicians and enhance clinical practice. A significant change in the approach to diagnosing spinal disorders has occurred in the last three decades, which has enhanced a more nuanced understanding of spine pathology. Traditional radiographic methods such as conventional and functional X-rays and CT scans are still the first line in the diagnosis of spinal disorders due to their low cost and accessibility. As more advanced imaging technologies become increasingly available worldwide, there is a constantly increasing trend in MRI scans for detecting spinal pathologies and making treatment decisions. Not only do MRI scans have superior diagnostic capabilities, but they also assist surgeons in performing meticulous preoperative planning, making them currently the most widely used diagnostic tool for spinal disorders. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) can help detect inflammatory lesions, infections, and tumors. Other advanced diagnostic tools such as CT/MRI fusion image, Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Upright and Kinetic MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could play an important role when it comes to detecting more special pathologies. However, some technical difficulties in the daily praxis and their high costs act as obstacles to their further spread. Integrating artificial intelligence and advancements in data analytics and virtual reality promises to enhance spinal procedures’ precision, safety, and efficacy. As these technologies continue to develop, they will play a critical role in transforming spinal surgery. This paradigm shift emphasizes the importance of continuous innovation and adaptability in improving the diagnosis and treatment of spinal disorders. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 2045-2322 15 1 2025 Automated identification of the origin of energy loss in nonoriented electrical steel by feature extended Ginzburg–Landau free energy framework 23758 EN Michiki Taniwaki Tokyo University of Science Ryunosuke Nagaoka Tokyo University of Science Ken Masuzawa Tokyo University of Science Shunsuke Sato Tokyo University of Science Alexandre Lira Foggiatto Tokyo University of Science Chiharu Mitsumata Tokyo University of Science Takahiro Yamazaki Tokyo University of Science Ippei Obayashi Okayama University Yasuaki Hiraoka Kyoto University Yasuhiko Igarashi University of Tsukuba Yuta Mizutori University of Tsukuba Sepehri Amin Hossein NIMS Tadakatsu Ohkubo NIMS Hisashi Mogi Nippon Steel Masato Kotsugi Tokyo University of Science This study presents the automated identification of the complex magnetization reversal process in nonoriented electrical steel (NOES) using the feature extended Ginzburg–Landau (eX-GL) free energy framework. eX-GL provides a robust connection between microscopic magnetic domains and macroscopic magnetic hysteresis using a data science perspective. This method employs physically meaningful features to analyze the energy landscape, providing insights into the mechanisms behind function. We obtained features representing both the microstructure and energy of the domain wall. The causes of iron loss were traced to the original domain structure, through which we could successfully distinguish and visualize the role of pinning as a promoting and resisting factor. We found that the reversal process was governed not only by general grain boundary pinning but also by segmented magnetic domains within the grain. This method revealed the complex interplay between magnetism and metallography and introduced a new means for transformative material design, bridging structures and functions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 2041-6520 16 26 2025 Collective motions in the primary coordination sphere: a critical functional framework for catalytic activity of the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II 12024 EN Hiroshi Isobe Takayoshi Suzuki Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Michihiro Suga Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Jian-Ren Shen Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Kizashi Yamaguchi Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology, Osaka University Photosynthetic water oxidation, vital for dioxygen production and light energy conversion, is catalyzed by the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II, where the inorganic Mn4CaO5 cluster acts as the catalytic core. In this study, we investigate the functional significance of collective motions of amino acid side chains within the primary coordination sphere of the Mn cluster, focusing on their role in modulating the energetic demands for catalytic transformations in the S3 state. We applied regularized canonical correlation analysis to quantitatively correlate the three-dimensional arrangement of coordinating atoms with catalytic driving forces computed via density functional theory. Our analysis reveals that distinct collective side chain motions profoundly influence the energetic requirements for structural reconfigurations of the Mn cluster, achieved through expansion and contraction of the ligand cavity while fine-tuning its geometry to stabilize key intermediates. Complementary predictions from a neural network-based machine learning model indicate that the coordination sphere exerts a variable energetic impact on the catalytic transformations of the Mn cluster, depending on the S-state environment. Integrated computational analyses suggest that the extended lifetime of the S3YZ˙ state, consistently observed after three flash illuminations, may result from slow, progressive protein dynamics that continuously reshape the energy landscape, thereby shifting the equilibrium positions of rapid, reversible chemical processes over time. Overall, our findings demonstrate that collective motions in the primary coordination sphere constitute an active, dynamic framework essential for the efficient execution of multi-electron catalysis under ambient conditions, while simultaneously achieving a high selectivity with irreversible nature required for effective 3O2 evolution. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0910-6340 2025 Innovations in paper-based analytical devices and portable absorption photometers for onsite analysis EN Sasikarn Seetasang Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Thammasat University Mika I. Umeda Department of Chemistry, Okayama University Jianchao Ren Department of Chemistry, Okayama University Takashi Kaneta Department of Chemistry, Okayama University Two types of analytical instruments and devices―one sophisticated high-performance instrument and another portable device―have been the focus of recent trends in analytical science. The necessity of point-of-care testing and onsite analysis has accelerated the advancement of high-performance, user-friendly portable analytical devices such as paper-based analytical devices (PADs) and light-emitting diode-based portable photometers. In this review, we summarize our achievements in the study of PADs and portable photometers. Several types of PADs are capable of performing titrations, metal ion analysis, and food analysis, while photometers, which consist of paired emitter–detector light-emitting diode (PEDD) photometers, are used for thiocyanate and herbicide analysis. These PADs and photometers permit the onsite determination of real environmental, body fluid, and food samples when an equipped laboratory is unavailable. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) Acta Medica Okayama 1600-5767 58 3 2025 Enhanced estimation method for partial scattering functions in contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering via Gaussian process regression with prior knowledge of smoothness 976 991 EN Ippei Obayashi Center for Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Data Science, Okayama University Shinya Miyajima Faculty of Science and Engineering, Iwate University Kazuaki Tanaka Global Center for Science and Engineering, Waseda University Koichi Mayumi Institute for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo Contrast variation small-angle neutron scattering (CV-SANS) is a powerful tool for evaluating the structure of multi-component systems. In CV-SANS, the scattering intensities I(Q) measured with different scattering contrasts are de­com­posed into partial scattering functions S(Q) of the self- and cross-correlations between components. Since the measurement has a measurement error, S(Q) must be estimated statistically from I(Q). If no prior knowledge about S(Q) is available, the least-squares method is best, and this is the most popular estimation method. However, if prior knowledge is available, the estimation can be improved using Bayesian inference in a statistically authorized way. In this paper, we propose a novel method to improve the estimation of S(Q), based on Gaussian process regression using prior knowledge about the smoothness and flatness of S(Q). We demonstrate the method using synthetic core–shell and experimental polyrotaxane SANS data. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Risk Assessment for Heavy Rainfall-Induced Geohazards using Surrogate Models EN SHIYING ZHENG Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 数理統計学と情報理論を用いた限定的な事前情報下での意思決定補助手法に関する研究 EN Shuto TANABASHI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Study of Hand Gestures for Controlling Video Games in Rehabilitation Exergame System EN RADHIATUL HUSNA Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Enhancements of Active Access-Point Configuration for IEEE 802.11n 2.4GHz Wireless Local-Area Network EN Mousumi Saha Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Social Factors in Motion: Quantifying the Dynamics of Dyad–Individual Collision Avoidance EN Adrien Thibaud Marie GREGORJ Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 A Study on Information Security for End-to-End Communication by TCP/IP Internet Protocol Suite EN Takashi NORIMATSU Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Design of the full-sky scanning strategy and systematic effect control in a cosmic microwave background probe EN Yusuke TAKASE Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Herbal medicine Ninjinyoeito inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption activity by regulating NF-κB and MAPK pathway. EN KAUNG HTIKE Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2025 Celiac and superior mesenteric ganglia removal improves glucose tolerance and reduces pancreas islet size EN SHANSHAN XU Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1572-9613 192 5 2025 The Intertwining Property for Laguerre Processes with a Fixed Parameter 58 EN Alexander I. Bufetov Steklov Mathematical Institute of RAS Yosuke Kawamoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University We investigate the intertwining of Laguerre processes of parameter α in different dimensions. We introduce a Feller kernel that depends on α and intertwines the α-Laguerre process in N + 1 dimensions and that in N dimensions. When α is a non-negative integer, the new kernel is interpreted in terms of the conditional distribution of the squared singular values: if the singular values of a unitarily invariant random matrix of order (N+α+1)×(N+1) are fixed, then the those of its (N+α) × N truncation matrix are given by the new kernel. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Mathematical Society of Japan (Project Euclid) Acta Medica Okayama 0025-5645 77 2 2025 Period integrals (Givental's I-function) of Calabi–Yau hypersurface in CPN−1 as generating functions of intersection numbers on the moduli space of quasimaps 449 482 EN Masao JINZENJI Department of Mathematics, Okayama University Kohki MATSUZAKA Faculty of Integrated Media, Ikueikan University In this paper, we derive the generalized hypergeometric functions (period integrals) used in mirror computation of Calabi–Yau hypersurface in CPN−1 as generating functions of intersection numbers on the moduli space of quasimaps from CP1 with 2+1 marked points to CPN−1. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1744-9979 29 3 2025 Text mining for case report articles on “peritoneal dialysis” from PubMed database 459 470 EN Kazuhiko Fukushima Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kenji Tsuji Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroyuki Nakanoh Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Naruhiko Uchida Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Soichiro Haraguchi Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Shinji Kitamura Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Jun Wada Department of Nephrology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Introduction: The number of published medical articles on peritoneal dialysis (PD) has been increasing, and efficiently selecting information from numerous articles can be difficult. In this study, we examined whether artificial intelligence (AI) text mining can be a good support for efficiently collecting PD information.<br> Methods: We performed text mining and analyzed all the abstracts of case reports on PD in the PubMed database. In total, 3137 case reports with abstracts related to “peritoneal dialysis” published from 1970 to 2021 were identified.<br> Results: A total of 280 347 relevant words were extracted from all the abstracts. Word frequency analysis, word dependency analysis, and word frequency transition analysis showed that peritonitis, encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis, and child have been important keywords. Theseanalyses not only reflected historical background but also anticipated future trends of PD study.<br> Conclusion: These suggest that text mining can be a good support for efficiently collecting PD information. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2227-7080 13 4 2025 An Implementation of Creep Test Assisting System with Dial Gauge Needle Reading and Smart Lighting Function for Laboratory Automation 139 EN Dezheng Kong Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shihao Fang Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuhiro Noprianto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mitsuhiro Okayasu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Pradini Puspitaningayu Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas Negeri Surabaya For decades, analog dial gauges have been essential for measuring and monitoring data at various industrial instruments including production machines and laboratory equipment. Among them, we focus on the instrument for creep test in a mechanical engineering laboratory, which evaluates material strength under sustained stress. Manual reading of gauges imposes significant labor demands, especially in long-duration tests. This burden further increases under low-lighting environments, where poor visibility can lead to misreading data points, potentially compromising the accuracy of test results. In this paper, to address the challenges, we implement a creep test assisting system that possesses the following features: (1) to save the installation cost, a web camera and Raspberry Pi are employed to capture images of the dial gauge and automate the needle reading by image processing in real time, (2) to ensure reliability under low-lighting environments, a smart lighting mechanism is integrated to turn on a supplementary light when the dial gauge is not clearly visible, and (3) to allow a user to stay in a distant place from the instrument during a creep test, material break is detected and the corresponding message is notified to a laboratory staff using LINE automatically. For evaluations, we install the implemented system into a material strength measuring instrument at Okayama University, Japan, and confirm the effectiveness and accuracy through conducting experiments under various lighting conditions. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Acta Medica Okayama 1029-8479 2024 12 2024 Elliptic virtual structure constants and generalizations of BCOV-Zinger formula to projective Fano hypersurfaces 135 EN Masao Jinzenji Department of Mathematics, Okayama University Ken Kuwata Department of General Education, National Institute of Technology, Kagawa College In this paper, we propose a method for computing genus 1 Gromov-Witten invariants of Calabi-Yau and Fano projective hypersurfaces using the B-model. Our formalism is applicable to both Calabi-Yau and Fano cases. In the Calabi-Yau case, significant cancellation of terms within our formalism occurs, resulting in an alternative representation of the BCOV-Zinger formula for projective Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 Tsetlin library on p-colored permutations and q-analogue 133 147 EN Yuto Nakagawa Mathematical Institute, Tohoku University Fumihiko Nakano Mathematical Institute, Tohoku University K. Brown [1] studied the random to top shuffle (the Tsetlin libary) by semigroup method. In this paper, (i) we extend his results to the colored permutation groups, and (ii) we consider a q-analogue of Tsetlin library which is different from what is studied in [1]. In (i), the results also extends those results for the top to random shuffle [4],[5], [6] to arbitrary distribution of choosing cards, but we still have derangement numbers in the multiplicity of each eigenvalues. In (ii), a version of q-analogue of derangement numbers by Chen-Rota [3] appears in the multiplicity of eigenvalues. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 The characterizations of an alternating sign matrices using a triplet 101 131 EN Toyokazu Ohmoto Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University An alternating sign matrix (ASM for short) is a square matrix which consists of 0, 1 and −1. In this paper, we characterize an ASM by showing a bijection between alternating sign matrix and six vertex model, and a bijection between six vertex model and height function. In order to show these bijections, we define a triplet (ai,j , ci,j , ri,j) for each entry of an ASM. We also define a track for each index of height function, and state more properties of height function. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 The best constant of the Sobolev inequality corresponding to a bending problem of a string with a rectangular spring constant 75 99 EN Hiroyuki Yamagishi Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology Yoshinori Kametaka Faculty of Engineering Science, Osaka University The Sobolev inequality shows that the supremum of a function defined on a whole line is estimated from the above by constant multiples of the potential energy. Among such constants, the smallest constant is the best constant. If we replace a constant by the best constant in the Sobolev inequality, then the equality holds for the best function. The aim of this paper is to find the best constant and the best function. In the background, there is a bending problem of a string with a rectangular spring constant. The Green function is an important function because the best constant and the best function consist of the Green function. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 Locally serially coalescent classes of Lie algebras 67 74 EN Masanobu Honda Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Medical and Life Sciences Takanori Sakamoto Department of Mathematics, University of Teacher Education Fukuoka We assume that a basic field k has zero characteristic. We show that any Fitting class is serially coalescent for locally finite Lie algebras. We also show that any class X satisfying N ≤ X ≤ ˆGr (e.g. Ft, B, Z, Gr, lN, rN, `e(◁)ˆA, ˆe(◁)ˆA, `Gr) is locally serially coalescent for locally finite Lie algebras, and, for any locally finite Lie algebra L, the X-ser radical of L is locally nilpotent. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 The irreducibility and monogenicity of power-compositional trinomials 53 65 EN Joshua Harrington Department of Mathematics, Cedar Crest College Lenny Jones Department of Mathematics, Shippensburg University A polynomial f(x) ∈ Z[x] of degree N is called monogenic if f(x) is irreducible over Q and {1, θ, θ2, . . . , θN−1} is a basis for the ring of integers of Q(θ), where f(θ) = 0. Define F(x) := xm+Axm−1+B. In this article, we determine sets of conditions on m, A, and B, such that the power-compositional trinomial F(xpn) is monogenic for all integers n ≥ 0 and a given prime p. Furthermore, we prove the actual existence of infinite families of such trinomials F(x). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 The Quillen model structure on the category of diffeological spaces 29 51 EN Tadayuki Haraguchi Faculty of Education for Human Growth, Nara Gakuen University Kazuhisa Shimakawa Okayama University We construct on the category of diffeological spaces a Quillen model structure having smooth weak homotopy equivalences as the class of weak equivalences. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 67 1 2025 Inseparable Gauss maps and dormant opers 1 28 EN Yasuhiro Wakabayashi Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University The present paper aims to generalize a result by H. Kaji on Gauss maps in positive characteristic and establish an interaction with the study of dormant opers and Frobenius-projective structures. We prove a correspondence between dormant opers on a smooth projective variety and closed immersions into a projective space with purely inseparable Gauss map. By using this, we determine the subfields of the function field of a smooth curve in positive characteristic induced by Gauss maps. Moreover, this correspondence gives us a Frobenius-projective structure on a Fermat hypersurface. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学教師教育開発センター Acta Medica Okayama 2186-1323 15 2025 岡山大学教師教育開発センター紀要 第15号 全文（一括ダウンロード用） EN No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学資源植物科学研究所 Acta Medica Okayama 2186-4918 32 2025 岡山大学資源植物科学研究所報告 1 60 EN Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2076-3417 15 5 2025 Deep Reinforcement Learning for Dynamic Pricing and Ordering Policies in Perishable Inventory Management 2421 EN Yusuke Nomura Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ziang Liu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi Nishi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Perishable goods have a limited shelf life, and inventory should be discarded once it exceeds its shelf life. Finding optimal inventory management policies is essential since inefficient policies can lead to increased waste and higher costs. While many previous studies assume the perishable inventory is processed following the First In, First Out rule, it does not reflect customer purchasing behavior. In practice, customers' preferences are influenced by the shelf life and price of products. This study optimizes inventory and pricing policies for a perishable inventory management problem considering age-dependent probabilistic demand. However, introducing dynamic pricing significantly increases the complexity of the problem. To tackle this challenge, we propose eliminating irrational actions in dynamic programming without sacrificing optimality. To solve this problem more efficiently, we also implement a deep reinforcement learning algorithm, proximal policy optimization, to solve this problem. The results show that dynamic programming with action reduction achieved an average of 63.1% reduction in computation time compared to vanilla dynamic programming. In most cases, proximal policy optimization achieved an optimality gap of less than 10%. Sensitivity analysis of the demand model revealed a negative correlation between customer sensitivity to shelf lives or prices and total profits. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0022-0396 429 2025 Polyhedral entire solutions in reaction-diffusion equations 529 565 EN Masaharu Taniguchi Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University This paper studies polyhedral entire solutions to a bistable reaction-diffusion equation in Rn. We consider a pyramidal traveling front solution to the same equation in Rn+1. As the speed goes to infinity, its projection converges to an n-dimensional polyhedral entire solution. Conversely, as the time goes to -infinity, an n-dimensional polyhedral entire solution gives n-dimensional pyramidal traveling front solutions. The result in this paper suggests a correlation between traveling front solutions and entire solutions in general reaction-diffusion equations or systems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 1341-321X 31 3 2025 Intention and potential determinants of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers at a single university hospital in Japan, 2024–2025 pre-season 102660 EN Hideharu Hagiya Department of Infectious Diseases, Okayama University Hospital Yasushi Fujita Division of Infection Prevention and Control, Okayama University Hospital Takashi Kiguchi Division of Infection Prevention and Control, Okayama University Hospital Yohei Manabe Division of Infection Prevention and Control, Okayama University Hospital Background: Financial accessibility has emerged as a significant barrier to vaccine uptake following the cessation of universal public funding for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination programs. This investigation assessed the intention and determinant factors of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in Japan in the 2024–2025 pre-season.<br> Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted utilizing data collected from hospital staff at Okayama University Hospital, Japan, to inform the COVID-19 vaccination strategy in October 2024. The analysis evaluated demographic characteristics, vaccine intention, perceived barriers to vaccination, and maximum acceptable out-of-pocket expenditure.<br> Results: The study population of 3417 respondents comprised 843 medical doctors (24.7 %), 1131 nurses (33.1 %), 320 other medical staff (9.4 %), 286 dental doctors (8.4 %), and 627 administrative officers (18.3 %). At full cost, 2109 (61.7 %) indicated no intention to receive vaccination, while only 4.4 % expressed willingness to be vaccinated and 33.9 % remained undecided. With total self-payment, the vaccination acceptance rates were the highest and lowest among medical doctors (11.4 %) and nurses (1.0 %), respectively. Cost (38.1 %), followed by safety issues (29.5 %) and concerns regarding efficacy or medical necessity (20.3 %), emerged as the primary barrier. The projected vaccination intention increased to 43.9 % and 54.9 % at reduced self-pay costs of 3000 JPY and 5000 JPY, respectively.<br> Conclusions: Addressing financial constraints through policy interventions could be effective strategies in increasing overall vaccination coverage among healthcare workers. In addition, providing tailored education on vaccine safety, efficacy, and necessity may further facilitate increased vaccine uptake within this critical population. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 16 2 2025 Implementation of Sensor Input Setup Assistance Service Using Generative AI for SEMAR IoT Application Server Platform 108 EN I. Nyoman Darma Kotama Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yohanes Yohanie Fridelin Panduman Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Anak Agung Surya Pradhana Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Noprianto Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University I. Gusti Made Ngurah Desnanjaya Department of Computer System Engineering, Institute of Business and Technology Indonesia For rapid deployments of various IoT application systems, we have developed Smart Environmental Monitoring and Analytical in Real-Time (SEMAR) as an integrated server platform. It is equipped with rich functions for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing various data. Unfortunately, the proper configuration of SEMAR with a variety of IoT devices can be complex and challenging for novice users, since it often requires technical expertise. The assistance of Generative AI can be helpful to solve this drawback. In this paper, we present an implementation of a sensor input setup assistance service for SEMAR using prompt engineering techniques and Generative AI. A user needs to define the requirement specifications and environments of the IoT application system for sensor inputs, and give them to the service. Then, the service provides step-by-step guidance on sensor connections, communicating board configurations, network connections, and communication protocols to the user, which can help the user easily set up the configuration to connect the relevant devices to SEMAR. For evaluations, we applied the proposal to the input sensor setup processes of three practical IoT application systems with SEMAR, namely, a smart light, water heater, and room temperature monitoring system. In addition, we applied it to the setup process of an IoT application system for a course for undergraduate students at the Insitut Bisnis dan Teknologi (INSTIKI), Indonesia. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed service for SEMAR. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press Acta Medica Okayama 2050-3911 2025 1 2024 Modification on Thermal Motion in Geant4 for Neutron Capture Simulation in Gadolinium Loaded Water 013C01 EN Y. Hino Department of Physics, Okayama University K. Abe Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo R. Asaka Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science S. Han Research Center for Cosmic Neutrinos, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo M. Harada Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo M. Ishitsuka Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science H. Ito Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science S. Izumiyama Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology Y. Kanemura Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo Y. Koshio Department of Physics, Okayama University F. Nakanishi Department of Physics, Okayama University H. Sekiya Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo T. Yano Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo Neutron tagging is a fundamental technique for electron anti-neutrino detection via the inverse beta decay channel. A reported discrepancy in neutron detection efficiency between observational data and simulation predictions prompted an investigation into neutron capture modeling in Geant4. The study revealed that an overestimation of the thermal motion of hydrogen atoms in Geant4 impacts the fraction of captured nuclei. By manually modifying the Geant4 implementation, the simulation results align with calculations based on evaluated nuclear data and show good agreement with observables derived from the SK-Gd data. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2073-431X 14 1 2025 An Investigation of Hand Gestures for Controlling Video Games in a Rehabilitation Exergame System 25 EN Radhiatul Husna Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Komang Candra Brata Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Irin Tri Anggraini Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Alfiandi Aulia Rahmadani Department of Electrical Engineering, State Polytechnic of Malang Chih-Peng Fan Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can significantly impact individuals' quality of life (QoL), often requiring effective rehabilitation strategies to promote recovery. However, traditional rehabilitation methods can be expensive and may lack engagement, leading to poor adherence to therapy exercise routines. An exergame system can be a solution to this problem. In this paper, we investigate appropriate hand gestures for controlling video games in a rehabilitation exergame system. The Mediapipe Python library is adopted for the real-time recognition of gestures. We choose 10 easy gestures among 32 possible simple gestures. Then, we specify and compare the best and the second-best groups used to control the game. Comprehensive experiments are conducted with 16 students at Andalas University, Indonesia, to find appropriate gestures and evaluate user experiences of the system using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and User Experience Questionnaire (UEQ). The results show that the hand gestures in the best group are more accessible than in the second-best group. The results suggest appropriate hand gestures for game controls and confirm the proposal's validity. In future work, we plan to enhance the exergame system by integrating a diverse set of video games, while expanding its application to a broader and more diverse sample. We will also study other practical applications of the hand gesture control function. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0003-9527 249 1 2025 Traveling Front Solutions of Dimension n Generate Entire Solutions of Dimension (n-1) in Reaction-Diffusion Equations as the Speeds Go to Infinity 13 EN Hirokazu Ninomiya School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences, Meiji University Masaharu Taniguchi Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Multidimensional traveling front solutions and entire solutions of reaction-diffusion equations have been studied intensively. To study the relationship between multidimensional traveling front solutions and entire solutions, we study the reaction-diffusion equation with a bistable nonlinear term. It is well known that there exist multidimensional traveling front solutions with every speed that is greater than the speed of a one-dimensional traveling front solution connecting two stable equilibria. In this paper, we show that the limit of the n-dimensional multidimensional traveling front solutions as the speeds go to infinity generates an entire solution of the same reaction-diffusion equation in the (n-1)-dimensional space. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 1745-1345 E108-B 1 2024 Overloaded MIMO Spatial Multiplexing Independent of Antenna Setups 1 13 EN Satoshi Denno Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Takumi Sugimoto Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Koki Matoba Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yafei Hou Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This paper proposes overloaded MIMO spatial multiplexing that can increase the number of spatially multiplexed signal streams despite of the number of antennas on a terminal and that on a receiver. We propose extension of the channel matrix for the spatial multiplexing to achieve the superb multiplexing performance. Precoding based on the extended channel matrix plays a crucial role in carrying out such spatial multiplexing. We consider three types of QR-decomposition techniques for the proposed spatial multiplexing to improve the transmission performance. The transmission performance of the proposed spatial multiplexing is evaluated by computer simulation. The simulation reveals that the proposed overloaded MIMO spatial multiplexing can implement 6 stream-spatial multiplexing in a 2×2 MIMO system, i.e., the overloading ratio of 3.0. The superior transmission performance is achieved by the proposed overloaded MIMO spatial multiplexing with one of the QR-decomposition techniques. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1475-7516 2024 12 2024 Multi-dimensional optimisation of the scanning strategy for the LiteBIRD space mission EN Y. Takase Okayama University, Department of Physics L. Vacher International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) H. Ishino Okayama University, Department of Physics G. Patanchon ILANCE, CNRS, University of Tokyo International Research Laboratory L. Montier IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, UPS S.L. Stever Okayama University, Department of Physics K. Ishizaka Okayama University, Department of Physics Y. Nagano Okayama University, Department of Physics W. Wang Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie J. Aumont IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, UPS K. Aizawa The University of Tokyo, Department of Physics A. Anand Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata C. Baccigalupi International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) M. Ballardini Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara A.J. Banday IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, UPS R.B. Barreiro Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) N. Bartolo Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università degli Studi di Padova S. Basak School of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram M. Bersanelli Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano M. Bortolami Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara T. Brinckmann Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara E. Calabrese School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University P. Campeti INFN Sezione di Ferrara E. Carinos IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, UPS A. Carones International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) F.J. Casas Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) K. Cheung Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Natural Sciences, The University of Manchester L. Clermont Centre Spatial de Liège, Université de Liège F. Columbro Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza A. Coppolecchia Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza F. Cuttaia INAF, OAS Bologna G. D'Alessandro Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza P. de Bernardis Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza T. de Haan Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) E. de la Hoz CNRS-UCB International Research Laboratory, Centre Pierre Binétruy, UMI2007 S. Della Torre INFN Sezione Milano Bicocca P. Diego-Palazuelos Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics H.K. Eriksen Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo J. Errard Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie F. Finelli INAF, OAS Bologna U. Fuskeland Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo G. Galloni Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara M. Galloway Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo M. Gervasi University of Milano Bicocca, Physics Department T. Ghigna International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) S. Giardiello School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University C. Gimeno-Amo Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) E. Gjerløw Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo R. González González Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias A. Gruppuso INAF, OAS Bologna M. Hazumi International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) S. Henrot-Versillé Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab L.T. Hergt Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia K. Ikuma Okayama University, Department of Physics K. Kohri Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) L. Lamagna Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza M. Lattanzi INFN Sezione di Ferrara C. Leloup Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo M. Lembo Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara F. Levrier Laboratoire de Physique de l'École Normale Supérieure, ENS, Université PSL, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris A.I. Lonappan University of California, San Diego, Department of Physics M. López-Caniego Aurora Technology for the European Space Agency G. Luzzi Space Science Data Center, Italian Space Agency B. Maffei Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale E. Martínez-González Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) S. Masi Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza S. Matarrese Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "G. Galilei", Università degli Studi di Padova F.T. Matsuda Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) T. Matsumura Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo S. Micheli Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza M. Migliaccio Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata M. Monelli Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics G. Morgante INAF, OAS Bologna B. Mot IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, UPS R. Nagata Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) T. Namikawa Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo A. Novelli Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza K. Odagiri Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) S. Oguri Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) R. Omae Okayama University, Department of Physics L. Pagano Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara D. Paoletti INAF, OAS Bologna F. Piacentini Dipartimento di Fisica, Università La Sapienza M. Pinchera INFN Sezione di Pisa G. Polenta Space Science Data Center, Italian Space Agency L. Porcelli Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-aboratori Nazionali di Frascati (INFN-LNF) N. Raffuzzi Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Ferrara M. Remazeilles Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) A. Ritacco Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata M. Ruiz-Granda Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) Y. Sakurai Suwa University of Science D. Scott Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia Y. Sekimoto Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) M. Shiraishi Suwa University of Science G. Signorelli Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa R.M. Sullivan Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia H. Takakura Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) L. Terenzi INAF, OAS Bologna M. Tomasi Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli Studi di Milano M. Tristram Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab B. van Tent Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab P. Vielva Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC) I.K. Wehus Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo B. Westbrook University of California, Berkeley, Department of Physics, Berkeley G. Weymann-Despres Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS/IN2P3, IJCLab E.J. Wollack NASA Goddard Space Flight Center M. Zannoni University of Milano Bicocca, Physics Department Y. Zhou International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Large angular scale surveys in the absence of atmosphere are essential for measuring the primordial B-mode power spectrum of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). Since this proposed measurement is about three to four orders of magnitude fainter than the temperature anisotropies of the CMB, in-flight calibration of the instruments and active suppression of systematic effects are crucial. We investigate the effect of changing the parameters of the scanning strategy on the in-flight calibration effectiveness, the suppression of the systematic effects themselves, and the ability to distinguish systematic effects by null-tests. Next-generation missions such as LiteBIRD, modulated by a Half-Wave Plate (HWP), will be able to observe polarisation using a single detector, eliminating the need to combine several detectors to measure polarisation, as done in many previous experiments and hence avoiding the consequent systematic effects. While the HWP is expected to suppress many systematic effects, some of them will remain. We use an analytical approach to comprehensively address the mitigation of these systematic effects and identify the characteristics of scanning strategies that are the most effective for implementing a variety of calibration strategies in the multi-dimensional space of common spacecraft scan parameters. We verify that LiteBIRD's standard configuration yields good performance on the metrics we studied. We also present Falcons.jl, a fast spacecraft scanning simulator that we developed to investigate this scanning parameter space. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IARIA Acta Medica Okayama 1942-2644 17 3-4 2024 Deep Reinforcement Learning Enabled Adaptive Virtual Machine Migration Control in Multi-Stage Information Processing Systems 116 125 EN Yukinobu Fukushima Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Yuki Koujitani Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology Okayama University Kazutoshi Nakane Graduate School of Information Science Nagoya University Yuya Tarutani Graduate School of Engineering Osaka University Celimuge Wu Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering The Univ. of Electro-Commun. Yusheng Ji Information Systems Architecture Research Division National Institute of Informatics Tokumi Yokohira Faculty of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems Okayama University Tutomu Murase Graduate School of Information Science Nagoya University This paper tackles a Virtual Machine (VM) migration control problem to maximize the progress (accuracy) of information processing tasks in multi-stage information processing systems. The conventional methods for this problem are effective only for specific situations, such as when the system load is high. In this paper, in order to adaptively achieve high accuracy in various situations, we propose a VM migration method using a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm. It is difficult to directly apply a DRL algorithm to the VM migration control problem because the size of the solution space of the problem dynamically changes according to the number of VMs staying in the system while the size of the agent’s action space is fixed in DRL algorithms. To cope with this difficulty, the proposed method divides the VM migration control problem into two problems: the problem of determining only the VM distribution (i.e., the proportion of the number of VMs deployed on each edge server) and the problem of determining the locations of all the VMs so that it follows the determined VM distribution. The former problem is solved by a DRL algorithm, and the latter by a heuristic method. This approach makes it possible to apply a DRL algorithm to the VM migration control problem because the VM distribution is expressed by a vector with a fixed number of dimensions and can be directly outputted by the agent. The simulation results confirm that our proposed method can adaptively achieve quasi-optimal accuracy in various situations with different link delays, types of the information processing tasks and the number of VMs. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1871-4080 18 3 2023 Review: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors to regulate important brain activity―what occurs at the molecular level? 769 774 EN Shigetoshi Nara Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yutaka Yamaguti Faculty of Information Engineering, Fukuoka Institute of Technology Ichiro Tsuda Chubu University Academy of Emerging Sciences/Center for Mathematical Science and Artificial Intelligence, Chubu University Herein, we briefly review the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in regulating important brain activity by controlled release of acetylcholine from subcortical neuron groups, focusing on a microscopic viewpoint and considering the nonlinear dynamics of biological macromolecules associated with neuron activity and how they give rise to advanced brain functions of brain. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 2644-1284 5 2024 Skewing Technology for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors: A Comprehensive Review and Recent Trends 1251 1273 EN Ren Tsunata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masatsugu Takemoto Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This article gives a comprehensive overview of the current research trends in the skewing technique for permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). The skewing technique has been widely used in many applications to reduce the cogging torque and torque ripple in PMSMs. There are many ways to implement the skew, and new techniques are continually being developed. First, this article summarizes the types of skew structures and presents a survey of existing techniques. Specific emphasis is placed on what kind of skew structure is selected depending on the PMSM configuration. Second, the optimal value of the skew angle for each structure is comprehensively explained, and the discrepancy between theory and finite element analysis is discussed. The definition of skew angle varies across the literature, and one of the purposes of this article is to organize the definition in an easy-to-understand manner. In addition, this article offers three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D-FEA) results of various PMSMs employing the skew for quantitative comparison. Then, this article discusses the properties of PMSMs using the skew by structure and the latest trends, and finally describes future prospects. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 The neural substrates of motion inhibitory control during Go/No-Go response inhibition task EN NAN ZHANG Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Computer Vision Systems for Estimating Food Consumption in a Hospital Setting EN YUITA ARUM SARI Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Spatiotemporal and Long-term Evaluation of Groundwater Recharge in a Steep Forested Catchment Western Japan by Hydrological Modeling EN HALAKE GUYO RENDILICHA Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Monitoring of Riparian Infrastructure and Riverine Environment using AI and Air Vehicles EN Shijun PAN Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Recognition Methodology of Deformable String State Using Visual Information Processing for Robotic Manipulation EN JUNXIANG WANG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 ELiPS-based Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption EN LE HOANG ANH Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 A Study of Integrated Server Platform for IoT Application Systems EN YOHANES YOHANIE FRIDELIN PANDUMAN Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 A Study of Uniform Job Assignment Algorithms to Workers in User-PC Computing System EN XUDONG ZHOU Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 A Study of Java Answer Code Validation Program and JavaScript Code Modification Problems EN KHAING HSU WAI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 クロスカルメロースナトリウムの塩基性環境下における高吸水性ゲル化を利用した新規徐放化システムの開発 EN Masato GOMI Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学経済学会 Acta Medica Okayama 2433-4146 56 2 2024 エージェントベースモデルによる自己組織化的集積の再現：特別区におけるICT 事業所 41 71 EN Ryohei Nakamura Takeshi Nagamune Syusei Hayashi 10.18926/OER/67707 　As a preliminary step to conducting a self-organizing simulation of the agglomeration and dispersion of the information and communications industry, we quantify the spatial agglomeration of the information and communications industry in Japan’s major cities. Using the town and district data from the Economic Census for Economic Activity, we attempted a spatial analysis of the information and communications industry in the Tokyo Special Wards as well as in Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka, which have regional central functions. As a result of detecting spatial autocorrelation in small areas within each city, hotspots indicating the agglomeration of information and communications industry offi ces were found in the city center of each city. At the same time, we were able to confi rm the impact of agglomeration economies, which are the premise of the self-organizing model, and confi rmed that the information and communications industry is an industry suitable for simulation of the self-organizing model. 　Krugman（1996）was the fi rst to model the self-organizing model in cities and clarifi ed the emergence principle of peripheral cities, but this was limited to numerical simulations. Later, Kumar et al.（2007）used actual data to show that Krugman’s self-organizing model could be applied to predict corporate agglomeration and dispersion. In this paper, we use an agent-based model to examine whether a self-organizing model is also effective in reproducing and predicting the concentration and dispersion of the information and communications industry in Japanese cities. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Acta Medica Okayama 0093-9994 60 5 2024 Superior Efficiency Under PWM Harmonic Current in an Axial-Flux PM Machine for HEV/EV Traction: Comparison With a Radial-Flux PM Machine 6736 6751 EN Ren Tsunata Division of Industrial Innovation Sciences Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Masatsugu Takemoto Division of Industrial Innovation Sciences Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jun Imai Division of Industrial Innovation Sciences Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsuya Saito Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. Tomoyuki Ueno Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. This paper evaluates the harmonic current caused by a pulse width modulation (PWM) inverter and how it affects the efficiency of a novel axial-flux permanent-magnet machine using a ferrite permanent magnet (AF-FePM) in traction applications. First, differences between the finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental results are discussed using a prototype of the proposed AF-FePM. Second, the AF-FePM is compared with a commercially available radial-flux permanent-magnet machine using a Nd-sintered magnet (RF-NdPM). For both machines, the efficiency and loss are calculated using FEA when applying the sinusoidal and harmonic currents. Additionally, we present the superior efficiency of the AF-FePM under the PWM harmonic current during a WLTC driving cycle because the designed model employs the ferrite magnet and a round copper wire, unlike the RF-NdPM. Finally, motor and inverter losses at different switching frequencies are also evaluated. This paper eventually shows that the proposed AF-FePM would be one of the suitable candidates to enhance high efficiency under PWM harmonic current condition based on comprehensive discussion. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 2329-4124 10 1 2024 Design and performance of a gain calibration system for the POLARBEAR-2a receiver system at the Simons Array cosmic microwave background experiment 018003 EN Daisuke Kaneko High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles Sayuri Takatori Okayama University, Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science Masaya Hasegawa High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles Masashi Hazumi High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles Yuki Inoue National Central University, Center for High Energy and High Field Physics, Department of Physics Oliver Jeong University of California, Department of Physics Nobuhiko Katayama University of Tokyo, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe Adrian T. Lee University of California, Department of Physics Frederick Matsuda Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science Haruki Nishino The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Research Center for the Early Universe Praween Siritanasak National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand Aritoki Suzuki Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Physics Division Satoru Takakura Kyoto University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science Takayuki Tomaru National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Gravitational Wave Project Office We present an advanced system for calibrating the detector gain responsivity with a chopped thermal source for POLARBEAR-2a, which is the first receiver system of a cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarimetry experiment: the Simons Array. Intensity-to-polarization leakage due to calibration errors between detectors can be a significant source of systematic error for a polarization-sensitive experiment. To suppress this systematic uncertainty, POLARBEAR-2a calibrates the detector gain responsivities by observing a chopped thermal source before and after each period of science observations. The system includes a high-temperature ceramic heater that emits blackbody radiation covering a wide frequency range and an optical chopper to modulate the radiation signal. We discuss the experimental requirements of gain calibration and system design to calibrate POLARBEAR-2a. We evaluate the performance of our system during the early commissioning of the receiver system. This calibration system is promising for the future generation of CMB ground-based polarization observations. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 0032-0781 65 11 2024 Nutrient Requirements Shape the Preferential Habitat of Allorhizobium vitis VAR03-1, a Commensal Bacterium, in the Rhizosphere of Arabidopsis thaliana 1769 1786 EN Niarsi Merry Hemelda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Jiyuan Bao Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Megumi Watanabe Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Hidenori Matsui Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuhiro Toyoda Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yuki Ichinose Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yoshiteru Noutoshi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University A diverse range of commensal bacteria inhabit the rhizosphere, influencing host plant growth and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. While root-released nutrients can define soil microbial habitats, the bacterial factors involved in plant–microbe interactions are not well characterized. In this study, we investigated the colonization patterns of two plant disease biocontrol agents, Allorhizobium vitis VAR03-1 and Pseudomonas protegens Cab57, in the rhizosphere of Arabidopsis thaliana using Murashige and Skoog (MS) agar medium. VAR03-1 formed colonies even at a distance from the roots, preferentially in the upper part, while Cab57 colonized only the root surface. The addition of sucrose to the agar medium resulted in excessive proliferation of VAR03-1, similar to its pattern without sucrose, whereas Cab57 formed colonies only near the root surface. Overgrowth of both bacterial strains upon nutrient supplementation inhibited host growth, independent of plant immune responses. This inhibition was reduced in the VAR03-1 ΔrecA mutant, which exhibited increased biofilm formation, suggesting that some activities associated with the free-living lifestyle rather than the sessile lifestyle may be detrimental to host growth. VAR03-1 grew in liquid MS medium with sucrose alone, while Cab57 required both sucrose and organic acids. Supplementation of sugars and organic acids allowed both bacterial strains to grow near and away from Arabidopsis roots in MS agar. These results suggest that nutrient requirements for bacterial growth may determine their growth habitats in the rhizosphere, with nutrients released in root exudates potentially acting as a limiting factor in harnessing microbiota. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Taylor and Francis Acta Medica Okayama 0883-9514 38 1 2024 Surrogate-Assisted Multi-Objective Optimization for Simultaneous Three-Dimensional Packing and Motion Planning Problems Using the Sequence-Triple Representation 2398895 EN Ziang Liu Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomoya Kawabe Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi Nishi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Shun Ito Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomofumi Fujiwara Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Packing problems are classical optimization problems with wide-ranging applications. With the advancement of robotic manipulation, there are growing demands for the automation of packing tasks. However, the simultaneous optimization of packing and the robot's motion planning is challenging because these two decisions are interconnected, and no previous study has addressed this optimization problem. This paper presents a framework to simultaneously determine the robot's motion planning and packing decision to minimize the robot's processing time and the container's volume. This framework comprises three key components: solution encoding, surrogate modeling, and evolutionary computation. The sequence-triple representation encodes complex packing solutions by a sequence of integers. A surrogate model is trained to predict the processing time for a given packing solution to reduce the computational burden. Training data is generated by solving the motion planning problem for a set of packing solutions using the rapidly exploring random tree algorithm. The Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II searches for the Pareto solutions. Experimental evaluations are conducted using a 6-DOF robot manipulator. The experimental results suggest that implementing the surrogate model can reduce the computational time by 91.1%. The proposed surrogate-assisted optimization method can obtain significantly better solutions than the joint angular velocity-based estimation method. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2078-2489 15 8 2024 An Image-Based User Interface Testing Method for Flutter Programming Learning Assistant System 464 EN Soe Thandar Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Lynn Htet Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Safira Adine Kinari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Khaing Hsu Wai Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Flutter has become popular for providing a uniform development environment for user interfaces (UIs) on smart phones, web browsers, and desktop applications. We have developed the Flutter programming learning assistant system (FPLAS) to assist its novice students' self-study. We implemented the Docker-based Flutter environment with Visual Studio Code and three introductory exercise projects. However, the correctness of students' answers is manually checked, although automatic checking is necessary to reduce teachers' workload and provide quick responses to students. This paper presents an image-based user interface (UI) testing method to automate UI testing by the answer code using the Flask framework. This method produces the UI image by running the answer code and compares it with the image made by the model code for the assignment using ORB and SIFT algorithms in the OpenCV library. One notable aspect is the necessity to capture multiple UI screenshots through page transitions by user input actions for the accurate detection of changes in UI elements. For evaluations, we assigned five Flutter exercise projects to fourth-year bachelor and first-year master engineering students at Okayama University, Japan, and applied the proposed method to their answers. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposal. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2227-9032 12 16 2024 Postgraduate Year Two Medical Residents' Awareness of Personal Development as a Physician during the Management of Inpatients: A Qualitative Study 1621 EN Kazuki Tokumasu Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Haruo Obara Department of General Internal Medicine, Okinawa Chubu Hospital Takanobu Hirosawa Department of Diagnostic and Generalist Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University Hiroko Ogawa Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Fumio Otsuka Department of General Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Clinical experiences, helping relationships, and reflection are key factors for personal development for physicians. However, few studies have shown which experiences are important for personal growth and how medical residents specifically use their experiences for personal growth. The aim of this study was to identify from the medical residents' perspective which clinical experiences contribute to their personal development. We employed a qualitative design, conducting semi-structured interviews with ten postgraduate year two medical residents at a Japanese teaching hospital. The interviews were transcribed in interview memos, anonymized, and subjected to reflective thematic analysis to generate themes relevant to personal and professional development. Successful clinical experiences with autonomy and responsibility in clinical management were shown to be essential points for personal development as a physician. Autonomy in this study was the attitude of making one's own choices when managing patients. Responsibility was the obligation of the resident to take charge of a patient. Instructing junior trainees, appreciation received from patients, and approval granted by attending physicians reinforced their feelings of personal growth. The realization of what experiences and concepts influence medical residents' personal growth and development will make their professional development more effective. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1347-9032 115 11 2024 High-quality expert annotations enhance artificial intelligence model accuracy for osteosarcoma X-ray diagnosis 3695 3704 EN Joe Hasei Department of Medical Information and Assistive Technology Development, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Ryuichi Nakahara Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yujiro Otsuka Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine Yusuke Nakamura Department of Radiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine Tamiya Hironari Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology Service, Osaka International Cancer Institute Naoaki Kahara Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mizushima Central Hospital Shinji Miwa Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences Shusa Ohshika Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine Shunji Nishimura Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Kindai University Hospital Kunihiro Ikuta Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine Shuhei Osaki Department of Musculoskeletal Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital Aki Yoshida Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Tomohiro Fujiwara Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Eiji Nakata Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshiyuki Kunisada Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshifumi Ozaki Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Primary malignant bone tumors, such as osteosarcoma, significantly affect the pediatric and young adult populations, necessitating early diagnosis for effective treatment. This study developed a high-performance artificial intelligence (AI) model to detect osteosarcoma from X-ray images using highly accurate annotated data to improve diagnostic accuracy at initial consultations. Traditional models trained on unannotated data have shown limited success, with sensitivities of approximately 60%–70%. In contrast, our model used a data-centric approach with annotations from an experienced oncologist, achieving a sensitivity of 95.52%, specificity of 96.21%, and an area under the curve of 0.989. The model was trained using 468 X-ray images from 31 osteosarcoma cases and 378 normal knee images with a strategy to maximize diversity in the training and validation sets. It was evaluated using an independent dataset of 268 osteosarcoma and 554 normal knee images to ensure generalizability. By applying the U-net architecture and advanced image processing techniques such as renormalization and affine transformations, our AI model outperforms existing models, reducing missed diagnoses and enhancing patient outcomes by facilitating earlier treatment. This study highlights the importance of high-quality training data and advocates a shift towards data-centric AI development in medical imaging. These insights can be extended to other rare cancers and diseases, underscoring the potential of AI in transforming diagnostic processes in oncology. The integration of this AI model into clinical workflows could support physicians in early osteosarcoma detection, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy and patient care. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0029-8549 206 1-2 2024 Does a coexisting congener of a mixed mating species affect the genetic structure and selfing rate via reproductive interference? 37 45 EN Koki R. Katsuhara Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Atushi Ushimaru Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University Yuko Miyazaki Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Reproductive interference is defined as an interspecific interaction that reduces fitness via mating processes. Although its ecological and evolutionary consequences have attracted much attention, how reproductive interference affects the population genetic structures of interacting species is still unclear. In flowering plants, recent studies found that self-pollination can mitigate the negative effects of reproductive interference. Selfing-biased seed production is expected to increase population-level inbreeding and the selfing rate, and limits gene flow via pollinator outcrossing among populations. We examined the population genetics of the mixed-mating annual herb Commelina communis f. ciliata, focusing on reproductive interference by the sympatric competing congener C. communis using microsatellite markers. First, we found that almost all C. c. f. ciliata populations had relatively high inbreeding coefficients. Then, comparing sympatric and allopatric populations, we found evidence that reproductive interference from a competing congener increased the inbreeding coefficient and selfing rate. Allopatric populations exhibit varied selfing rates while almost all sympatric populations exhibit extremely high selfing rates, suggesting that population selfing rates were also influenced by unexamined factors, such as pollinator limitation. Besides, our findings revealed that reproductive interference from a competing congener did not limit gene flow among populations. We present the first report on how reproductive interference affects the genetic aspects of populations. Our results suggested that the high selfing rate of C. c. f. ciliata promotes its sympatric distribution with C. communis, even in the presence of reproductive interference, although it is not clear whether reproductive interference directly causes the high selfing rate. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Frontiers Media Acta Medica Okayama 1664-3224 15 2024 Vaccine and antiviral drug promise for preventing post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, and their combination for its treatment 1329162 EN Tomonari Sumi Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Kouji Harada Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology Introduction: Most healthy individuals recover from acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas a remarkable number continues to suffer from unexplained symptoms, known as Long COVID or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS). It is therefore imperative that methods for preventing and treating the onset of PASC be investigated with the utmost urgency.<br> Methods: A mathematical model of the immune response to vaccination and viral infection with SARS-CoV-2, incorporating immune memory cells, was developed.<br> Results and discussion: Similar to our previous model, persistent infection was observed by the residual virus in the host, implying the possibility of chronic inflammation and delayed recovery from tissue injury. Pre-infectious vaccination and antiviral medication administered during onset can reduce the acute viral load; however, they show no beneficial effects in preventing persistent infection. Therefore, the impact of these treatments on the PASC, which has been clinically observed, is mainly attributed to their role in preventing severe tissue damage caused by acute viral infections. For PASC patients with persistent infection, vaccination was observed to cause an immediate rapid increase in viral load, followed by a temporary decrease over approximately one year. The former was effectively suppressed by the coadministration of antiviral medications, indicating that this combination is a promising treatment for PASC. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2079-9292 13 15 2024 Performance Investigations of VSLAM and Google Street View Integration in Outdoor Location-Based Augmented Reality under Various Lighting Conditions 2930 EN Komang Candra Brata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Prismahardi Aji Riyantoko Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yohanes Yohanie Fridelin Panduman Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mustika Mentari Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University The growing demand for Location-based Augmented Reality (LAR) experiences has driven the integration of Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (VSLAM) with Google Street View (GSV) to enhance the accuracy. However, the impact of the ambient light intensity on the accuracy and reliability is underexplored, posing significant challenges in outdoor LAR implementations. This paper investigates the impact of light conditions on the accuracy and reliability of the VSLAM/GSV integration approach in outdoor LAR implementations. This study fills a gap in the current literature and offers valuable insights into vision-based approach implementation under different light conditions. Extensive experiments were conducted at five Point of Interest (POI) locations under various light conditions with a total of 100 datasets. Descriptive statistic methods were employed to analyze the data and assess the performance variation. Additionally, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analysis was utilized to assess the impact of different light conditions on the accuracy metric and horizontal tracking time, determining whether there are significant differences in performance across varying levels of light intensity. The experimental results revealed that a significant correlation (p < 0.05) exists between the ambient light intensity and the accuracy of the VSLAM/GSV integration approach. Through the confidence interval estimation, the minimum illuminance 434 lx is needed to provide a feasible and consistent accuracy. Variations in visual references, such as wet surfaces in the rainy season, also impact the horizontal tracking time and accuracy. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2079-9292 13 14 2024 A Reference Paper Collection System Using Web Scraping 2700 EN Inzali Naing Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Soe Thandar Aung Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Khaing Hsu Wai Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Department of Information and Communication Systems, Okayama University Collecting reference papers from the Internet is one of the most important activities for progressing research and writing papers about their results. Unfortunately, the current process using Google Scholar may not be efficient, since a lot of paper files cannot be accessed directly by the user. Even if they are accessible, their effectiveness needs to be checked manually. In this paper, we propose a reference paper collection system using web scraping to automate paper collections from websites. This system can collect or monitor data from the Internet, which is considered as the environment, using Selenium, a popular web scraping software, as the sensor; this examines the similarity against the search target by comparing the keywords using the Bert model. The Bert model is a deep learning model for natural language processing (NLP) that can understand context by analyzing the relationships between words in a sentence bidirectionally. The Python Flask is adopted at the web application server, where Angular is used for data presentations. For the evaluation, we measured the performance, investigated the accuracy, and asked members of our laboratory to use the proposed method and provide their feedback. Their results confirm the method’s effectiveness. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 1661-6596 25 13 2024 Mechanisms and Functions of Sweet Reception in Oral and Extraoral Organs 7398 EN Ryusuke Yoshida Department of Oral Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yuzo Ninomiya Department of Oral Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University The oral detection of sugars relies on two types of receptor systems. The first is the G-protein-coupled receptor TAS1R2/TAS1R3. When activated, this receptor triggers a downstream signaling cascade involving gustducin, phospholipase C beta 2 (PLC beta 2), and transient receptor potential channel M5 (TRPM5). The second type of receptor is the glucose transporter. When glucose enters the cell via this transporter, it is metabolized to produce ATP. This ATP inhibits the opening of KATP channels, leading to cell depolarization. Beside these receptor systems, sweet-sensitive taste cells have mechanisms to regulate their sensitivity to sweet substances based on internal and external states of the body. Sweet taste receptors are not limited to the oral cavity; they are also present in extraoral organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, and brain. These extraoral sweet receptors are involved in various functions, including glucose absorption, insulin release, sugar preference, and food intake, contributing to the maintenance of energy homeostasis. Additionally, sweet receptors may have unique roles in certain organs like the trachea and bone. This review summarizes past and recent studies on sweet receptor systems, exploring the molecular mechanisms and physiological functions of sweet (sugar) detection in both oral and extraoral organs. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOS Press Acta Medica Okayama 1387-2877 100 1 2024 A Novel Peptidome Technology for the Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease by Selected Reaction Monitoring 219 228 EN Yusuke Fukui Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Koh Tadokoro Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Minaki Hamada Protosera, Inc. Kyoichi Asada Protosera, Inc. Lyang-Ja Lee Protosera, Inc. Hidehisa Tachiki Protosera, Inc. Ryuta Morihara Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Koji Abe Department of Neurology, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry Toru Yamashita Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Background:With the aging of populations worldwide, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has become a concern due to its high prevalence and the continued lack of established treatments. Early diagnosis is required as a preventive intervention to modify the disease’s progression. In our previous study, we performed peptidomic analysis of serum samples obtained from AD patients and age-matched healthy subjects to seek peptide biomarker candidates for AD by using BLOTCHIP-MS analysis, and identified four peptides as AD biomarker candidates. <br> Objective:The objective was to validate the serum biomarker peptides to distinguish mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD in comparison to cognitively healthy controls using a new peptidome technology, the Dementia Risk Test. <br> Methods:We enrolled 195 subjects with normal cognitive function (NC; n = 70), MCI (n = 55), and AD (n = 70), The concentrations of cognitive impairment marker peptides (Fibrinogen α chain (FAC), Fibrinogen β chain (FBC), Plasma protease C1 inhibitor (PPC1I), α2-HS-glycoprotein (AHSG)) were quantified by using a selected reaction monitoring assay based on liquid chromatography-MS/MS. <br> Results:The present study confirmed that three peptides, FAC, FBC, and PPC1I, were significantly upregulated during the onset of AD. This three-peptide set was both highly sensitive in determining AD (sensitivity: 85.7%, specificity: 95.7%, AUC: 0.900) and useful in distinguishing MCI (sensitivity: 61.8%, specificity: 98.6%, AUC: 0.824) from NC. <br> Conclusions:In this validation study, we confirmed the high diagnostic potential of the three peptides identified in our previous study as candidate serum biomarkers for AD. The Dementia Risk Test may be a powerful tool for detecting AD-related pathological changes. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Tokyo Institute of Technology, Department of Mathematics Acta Medica Okayama 0386-5991 47 2 2024 Generalized hypergeometric functions for degree k hypersurface in CPN-1 and intersection numbers of moduli space of quasimaps from CP1 with two marked points to CPN-1 162 177 EN Masao Jinzenji Department of Mathematics, Okayama University Kohki Matsuzaka Faculty of Integrated Media, Ikueikan University In this paper, we derive the generalized hypergeometric functions used in mirror computation of degree k hypersurface in CPN-1 as generating functions of intersection numbers of the moduli space of quasimaps from CP1 with two marked points to CPN-1. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Okayama University Medical School Acta Medica Okayama 0386-300X 78 3 2024 Effect of Lipopolysaccharide on the Duration of Zolpidem-Induced Loss of Righting Reflex in Mice 227 235 EN Yudai Wada Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Soichiro Ushio Department of Pharmacy, Okayama University Hospital Yoshihisa Kitamura Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yoshito Zamami Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Toshiaki Sendo Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Original Article 10.18926/AMO/67197 Zolpidem, a non-benzodiazepine hypnotic, is primarily used to treat insomnia. In a previous study, pior treatment with non-benzodiazepine receptor agonists was associated with inflammation. The present study aimed to clarify the association between the effects of zolpidem and inflammation in mice treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a known model of inflammation. We assessed the zolpidem-induced loss of righting reflex (LORR) duration 24 h after LPS treatment in mice. Additionally, the expressions of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor subunit and K+-Cl− cotransporter isoform 2 (KCC2) mRNA in the hippocampus and frontal cortex were examined in LPS-treated mice. Pretreatment with LPS was associated with significantly prolonged duration of zolpidem-induced LORR compared to control mice. This effect was significantly attenuated by administering bicuculline, a GABAA receptor antagonist, or flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, in LPS-treated mice. Compared to controls, LPS-treated mice showed no significant change in the expression of GABAA receptor subunits in the hippocampus or frontal cortex. Bumetanide, an Na+-K+-2Cl− cotransporter isoform 1 blocker, attenuated the extended duration of zolpidem-induced LORR observed in LPS-treated mice. LPS significantly decreased Kcc2 mRNA expression in the hippocampus and the frontal cortex. These findings suggest that inflammation increases zolpidem-induced LORR, possibly through a reduction in KCC2 expression. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Public Library of Science Acta Medica Okayama 1932-6203 19 5 2024 The use of artificial intelligence in induced pluripotent stem cell-based technology over 10-year period: A systematic scoping review e0302537 EN Quan Duy Vo Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yukihiro Saito Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Toshihiro Ida Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Kazufumi Nakamura Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Shinsuke Yuasa Faculty of Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Background <br> Stem cell research, particularly in the domain of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, has shown significant progress. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI), especially machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL), has played a pivotal role in refining iPSC classification, monitoring cell functionality, and conducting genetic analysis. These enhancements are broadening the applications of iPSC technology in disease modelling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine. This review aims to explore the role of AI in the advancement of iPSC research.<br> Methods <br> In December 2023, data were collected from three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct) to investigate the application of AI technology in iPSC processing.<br> Results <br> This systematic scoping review encompassed 79 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The number of research studies in this area has increased over time, with the United States emerging as a leading contributor in this field. AI technologies have been diversely applied in iPSC technology, encompassing the classification of cell types, assessment of disease-specific phenotypes in iPSC-derived cells, and the facilitation of drug screening using iPSC. The precision of AI methodologies has improved significantly in recent years, creating a foundation for future advancements in iPSC-based technologies.<br> Conclusions <br> Our review offers insights into the role of AI in regenerative and personalized medicine, highlighting both challenges and opportunities. Although still in its early stages, AI technologies show significant promise in advancing our understanding of disease progression and development, paving the way for future clinical applications. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IARIA Acta Medica Okayama 2308-4413 2024 Application of a Deep Reinforcement Learning Algorithm to Virtual Machine Migration Control in Multi-Stage Information Processing Systems 13 18 EN Yukinobu Fukushima Okayama University Yuki Koujitani Okayama University Kazutoshi Nakane Nagoya University Yuta Tarutani Okayama University Celimuge Wu The Univ. of Electro-Commun. Yusheng Ji National Institute of Informatics Tokumi Yokohira Okayama University Tutomu Murase Nagoya University This paper tackles a Virtual Machine (VM) migration control problem to maximize the progress (accuracy) of information processing tasks in multi-stage information processing systems. The conventional methods for this problem (e.g., VM sweeping method and VM number averaging method) are effective only for specific situations, such as when the system load is high. In this paper, in order to achieve high accuracy in various situations, we propose a VM migration method using a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) algorithm. It is difficult to directly apply a DRL algorithm to the VM migration control problem because the size of the solution space of the problem dynamically changes according to the number of VMs staying in the system while the size of the agent’s action space is fixed in DRL algorithms. Therefore, the proposed method divides the VM migration control problem into two problems: the problem of determining only the VM distribution (i.e., the proportion of the number of VMs deployed on each edge server) and the problem of determining the locations of all the VMs so that it follows the determined VM distribution. The former problem is solved by a DRL algorithm, and the latter problem is solved by a heuristic method. The simulation results confirm that our proposed method can select quasi-optimal VM locations in various situations with different link delays. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Fabrication of two-dimensional materials/polyimide composites by covalent bonding strategies EN YIKAI CHENG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Fusion of Geophysical and Geotechnical Data Based on Gaussian Process Regression and Ensemble Kalman Filter EN Yuxiang REN Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Latent Heat Utilization and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCM) Slurry as Heat Transfer Medium EN ZHENGYIN YUAN Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Study on Machining Characteristics and Improvement of Machined Surface Quality of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy EN Peng Chong ZHANG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 抵抗スポット溶接の電気・熱・力学連成数値解析に関する研究 EN Manabu FUKUMOTO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 A Study on Efficient Methods for Optimal Design and Countermeasures Using Equivalent Circuit Models to Satisfy EMC Performance in Multi-Component Systems EN Shohei KAN Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 A Study of Exercise Problems with Automatic Marking for Fundamental Programming Learning EN Xiqin Lu Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Enhancing E-Learning Efficiency: A Comprehensive Approach for Computer-Aided Rote Learning through Automated Deck Generation and Audio Reinforcement EN Parisa SUPITAYAKUL Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 MOLECULAR SIMULATION STUDIES OF THE SALT EFFECT ON AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS EN Hiroyuki KATSUTO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 非晶質炭素膜の成長プロセス，構造および物性に関するシミュレーション研究 EN QIANG YUE Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2024 Fabrication of a Fish-Bone-Inspired Inorganic–Organic Composite Membrane EN YuYang Jiao Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Wiley Acta Medica Okayama 1759-7706 15 17 2024 Concomitant osimertinib and antituberculosis therapy in an elderly patient with EGFR-mutated lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis: A case report 1390 1394 EN Hiroaki Matsuura Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Hisao Higo Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Tadahiro Kuribayashi Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Akihiko Tamaoki Okayama Health Foundation Hospital, Okayama Health Foundation Takamasa Nakasuka Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Mari Uno Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Go Makimoto Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Kiichiro Ninomiya Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Masanori Fujii Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Kammei Rai Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Eiki Ichihara Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Katsuyuki Hotta Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Nobuaki Miyahara Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Masahiro Tabata Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Yoshinobu Maeda Department of Hematology, Oncology and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Katsuyuki Kiura Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital Kadoaki Ohashi Department of Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital The concurrent incidence of lung cancer and tuberculosis is expected to escalate due to the projected growth in the older population. Combination therapy with osimertinib and antituberculosis drugs has not been well-established. We report a case of successful treatment involving the concomitant administration of osimertinib and antituberculosis drugs in an older patient, an 89-year-old female, diagnosed with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis. Accumulating evidence is warranted to develop an optimal treatment strategy for patients with lung cancer and tuberculosis. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

AIP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1070-6631 36 3 2024 Effect of non-local near-resonant interactions of Rossby waves on formation of large-scale zonal flows in unforced two-dimensional turbulence on rotating sphere 036617 EN Yusuke Hagimori Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kiori Obuse Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Michio Yamada Research Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Kyoto University This study investigates the effect of nonlinear interactions of Rossby waves on large-scale zonal flow formation in two-dimensional turbulence on a rotating sphere. The coefficients of nonlinear interactions are first calculated. Then, the non-local, near-resonant, and non-local near-resonant interactions are investigated in detail. The results show that the formation of large-scale westward circumpolar zonal flows is directly caused by non-local energy transfer due to the three-wave near-resonant interactions of Rossby waves. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Acta Medica Okayama 1882-0778 16 9 2023 Active control of localized mode and transmission in topological phononic waveguides by non-Hermitian modulation 094001 EN Md. Shuzon Ali Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Okayama University Yusuke Hata Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Okayama University Kenji Tsuruta Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Okayama University We demonstrate the switching behavioral differences between lossy and nearly lossless edge-mode propagation by non-Hermitian modulation based on the phononic band design of a C3v symmetric, two-dimensional phononic crystal with a unit cell composed of three air-filled circular holes in polydimethylsiloxane. We numerically show that strong loss effects lead to the extinction of the localized modes. This mechanism is analogous to the bound-to-unbound transition in non-Hermitian quantum systems. This result suggests that large variations in non-Hermitian modulation can be used for the active control of edge-mode propagation along topological interfaces. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0179-5376 70 3 2023 Field Choice Problem in Persistent Homology 645 670 EN Ippei Obayashi Center for Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Data Science, Okayama University Michio Yoshiwaki Present address: Osaka Central Advanced Mathematical Institute This paper tackles the problem of coefficient field choice in persistent homology. When we compute a persistence diagram, we need to select a coefficient field before computation. We should understand the dependence of the diagram on the coefficient field to facilitate computation and interpretation of the diagram. We clarify that the dependence is strongly related to the torsion part of Z relative homology in the filtration. We show the sufficient and necessary conditions of the independence of coefficient field choice. An efficient algorithm is proposed to verify the independence. A slight modification of the standard persistence algorithm gives the verification algorithm. In a numerical experiment with the algorithm, a persistence diagram rarely changes even when the coefficient field changes if we consider a filtration in R3. The experiment suggests that, in practical terms, changes in the field coefficient will not change persistence diagrams when the data are in R3. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Ltd Acta Medica Okayama 0004-637X 965 1 2024 Supernova Burst and Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background Simulator for Water Cherenkov Detectors 91 EN Fumi Nakanishi Department of Physics, Okayama University Shota Izumiyama Department of Physics, Tokyo Institute of Technology Masayuki Harada Department of Physics, Okayama University Yusuke Koshio Department of Physics, Okayama University If a Galactic core-collapse supernova explosion occurs in the future, it will be critical to rapidly alert the community to the direction of the supernova by utilizing neutrino signals in order to enable the initiation of follow-up optical observations. In addition, there is anticipation that observation of the diffuse supernova neutrino background will yield discoveries in the near future, given that experimental upper limits are approaching theoretical predictions. We have developed a new supernova event simulator for water Cherenkov neutrino detectors, such as the highly sensitive Super-Kamiokande. This simulator calculates the neutrino interaction in water for two simulation purposes, individual core-collapse supernova bursts and diffuse supernova neutrino background. Based on this simulator, we can evaluate the precision in determining the location of supernovae and estimate the expected number of events related to the diffuse supernova neutrino background in Super-Kamiokande. In this paper, we describe the basic structure of the simulator and its demonstration. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 0025-5831 390 3 2024 Entire solutions with and without radial symmetry in balanced bistable reaction–diffusion equations 3931 3967 EN Masaharu Taniguchi Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Let n ≥ 2 be a given integer. In this paper, we assert that an n-dimensional traveling front converges to an (n−1)-dimensional entire solution as the speed goes to infinity in a balanced bistable reaction–diffusion equation. As the speed of an n-dimensional axially symmetric or asymmetric traveling front goes to infinity, it converges to an (n−1)-dimensional radially symmetric or asymmetric entire solution in a balanced bistable reaction–diffusion equation, respectively. We conjecture that the radially asymmetric entire solutions obtained in this paper are associated with the ancient solutions called the Angenent ovals in the mean curvature flows. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学理学部地球科学科 Acta Medica Okayama 1340-7414 30 1 2024 A new insight into the driving mechanism for plate tectonics―the relationship between tectonic processes and the circumferential tensile forces associated with a rotating planet― 21 35 EN Robert MAURER Stuart HARKER Shigeyuki SUZUKI Allan WHEELER 10.18926/ESR/66846 　Mantle convection currents are the currently accepted driving force for plate tectonics that have ripped apart the continents and created oceans. Because of these actions, continental collisions and ocean closures have resulted. Our paper challenges the conventional concept and provides an alternate, mathematically justified drive mechanism. The pull-push motions of such convection currents in the upper mantle are here concluded to be too weak to be the driving mechanism.<br> 　Our proposal for such global scale forces concerns the effect of an offset centre of mass of the Earth that results in rotational wobbling. Kepler’s laws of planetary motion demonstrate the rotational behavior of the Earth to be aligned with the Sun on the outward and inward motions of the elliptical orbit. The unbalanced rotation on a fixed gravitational axis results in circumferential stresses on the outer Earth’s rim that is more than strong enough to pull the continental plates apart. The proposed unbalanced rotational stress force equation is shown to be sufficient to drive the cyclic breakup and reassembly of the continental plates, as well as the generation of new oceanic crust and subduction zones. Mantle convection currents are here demonstrated to have a passive rather than active role in the plate movements. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 1424-8220 24 4 2024 An Enhancement of Outdoor Location-Based Augmented Reality Anchor Precision through VSLAM and Google Street View 1161 EN Komang Candra Brata Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Nobuo Funabiki Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yohanes Yohanie Fridelin Panduman Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Evianita Dewi Fajrianti Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Outdoor Location-Based Augmented Reality (LAR) applications require precise positioning for seamless integrations of virtual content into immersive experiences. However, common solutions in outdoor LAR applications rely on traditional smartphone sensor fusion methods, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and compasses, which often lack the accuracy needed for precise AR content alignments. In this paper, we introduce an innovative approach to enhance LAR anchor precision in outdoor environments. We leveraged Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) technology, in combination with innovative cloud-based methodologies, and harnessed the extensive visual reference database of Google Street View (GSV), to address the accuracy limitation problems. For the evaluation, 10 Point of Interest (POI) locations were used as anchor point coordinates in the experiments. We compared the accuracies between our approach and the common sensor fusion LAR solution comprehensively involving accuracy benchmarking and running load performance testing. The results demonstrate substantial enhancements in overall positioning accuracies compared to conventional GPS-based approaches for aligning AR anchor content in the real world. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学経済学会 Acta Medica Okayama 2433-4146 55 3 2024 経済基盤モデルによる知識集約型産業・創造的職業に対する地域乗数効果の分析：広域連携の便益 1 24 EN Ryohei Nakamura 10.18926/OER/66733 　The traditional economic base model in the field of regional science contributes to identifying regional income producing industries and labor absorption. The economic base model has some conditional assumptions while it is quite tractable.<br> 　Recently, papers by Moretti and others show significant regional multiplier effects of innovative jobs. They refocused on the traditional economic base model. However, their approach has several deficiencies concerning the identification of basic/non-basic industries and ambiguity of multiplier generating mechanisms.<br> 　This paper focuses on regional specialization of knowledge intensive industries and creative jobs which are the driving forces of regional development in the framework of the economic base model. The estimations of regional economic multiplier in terms of employment are carried out using two-digit employment and three-digit job classification data at local municipality level with two-period data. Using these data, I explain regional differences by degree of specialization of knowledge intensive industries and creative workers. By doing this, I propose contemporary regional economic policy. Furthermore, by comparing multiplier effects at local municipality level and regional employment area level, benefits of municipal consolidation are shown. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers and The Heat Transfer Society of Japan Acta Medica Okayama 1880-5566 19 1 2024 Radiative energy transfer via surface plasmon polaritons around metal–insulator grating: For better understanding of magnetic polariton 23-00531 EN Kazuma ISOBE Department of Advanced Mechanics, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Yutaka YAMADA Department of Advanced Mechanics, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akihiko HORIBE Department of Advanced Mechanics, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Katsunori HANAMURA School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology A conventional metal–insulator nanograting has the potential to transmit near-infrared thermal radiation because an electromagnetic wave is resonated in the grating structure. Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) take place at the interface between the metal and the insulator with boundaries at both ends. Physicists formulated the resonance frequency of the grating from the Fabry–Pérot interference between the grating thickness and the wavelength of SPPs in a short-range coupled mode. On the other hand, engineering researchers often use a lumped-element model assuming a resonant circuit consisting of an inductance of metal and a capacitance of metal-insulator-metal grating structure. Furthermore, they have considered that the resonant circuit excites a strong magnetic field independent of SPPs. This study compares each physical model and numerical simulation results, then clearly shows that all resonance frequencies and features of the circuit resonance can be described by the Fabry–Pérot interference of the SPPs in short-range coupled mode. Moreover, the estimated resonance frequencies obviously correspond to the local maxima of the transmittance of the nanograting with the various thicknesses and pitches. In this case, a strong magnetic field can be observed in the insulator layer as if it might be an isolated magnetic quantum. However, since materials show no magnetism at near-infrared frequencies, the magnetic response appears due to the contribution of SPPs. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学資源植物科学研究所 Acta Medica Okayama 2186-4918 31 2024 岡山大学資源植物科学研究所報告 1 69 EN Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Science and Business Media LLC Acta Medica Okayama 1609-0985 44 1 2024 Preliminary Study of Dental Caries Detection by Deep Neural Network Applying Domain-Specific Transfer Learning 43 48 EN Toshiyuki Kawazu Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Yohei Takeshita Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Mamiko Fujikura Department of Oral Diagnosis and Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Okayama University Hospital Shunsuke Okada Department of Oral Diagnosis and Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Okayama University Hospital Miki Hisatomi Department of Oral Diagnosis and Dentomaxillofacial Radiology, Okayama University Hospital Junichi Asaumi Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Purpose The purpose of this study is to confirm whether it is possible to acquire a certain degree of diagnostic ability even with a small dataset using domain-specific transfer learning. In this study, we constructed a simulated caries detection model on panoramic tomography using transfer learning.<br> Methods A simulated caries model was trained and validated using 1094 trimmed intraoral images. A convolutional neural network (CNN) with three convolution and three max pooling layers was developed. We applied this caries detection model to 50 panoramic images and evaluated its diagnostic performance.<br> Results The diagnostic performance of the CNN model on the intraoral film was as follows: C0 84.6%; C1 90.6%; C2 88.6%. Finally, we tested 50 panoramic images with simulated caries insertion. The diagnostic performance of the CNN model on the panoramic image was as follows: C0 75.0%, C1 80.0%, C2 80.0%, and overall diagnostic accuracy was 78.0%. The diagnostic performance of the caries detection model constructed only with panoramic images was much lower than that of the intraoral film.<br> Conclusion Domain-specific transfer learning methods may be useful for saving datasets and training time (179/250). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Emerald Acta Medica Okayama 2046-8253 13 1 2024 The authorship of teachers: jissen kiroku as the core of professionalism in Japanese jugyo kenkyu EN Yuichi Miyamoto Graduate School of Education, Okayama University Purpose<br> This paper aims to discuss the significance of teacher authorship (jissen kiroku) developed during jugyo kenkyu. Specifically, it explores the structural conditions of jugyo kenkyu that enabled the flourishing of jissen kiroku.<br> <br> Design/methodology/approach<br> To find how jissen kiroku developed in jugyo kenkyu, this paper settled triad of authors-text-readers as the analytical perspective. Disputes through 1960s–1980s are adequate to inquire because it can elucidate how readers read jissen kiroku, which is typically challenging to observe.<br> <br> Findings<br> Jissen kiroku is a powerful tool for semantically preserving, reconstructing and consolidating professional values and knowledge in jugyo kenkyu with deepening connoisseurship. Voluntary educational research associations (VERAs) encourage teachers to write and read jissen kiroku to develop their professionalism, which also helped develop exclusive semantics within the field. These developments were possible due to the public nature of jissen kiroku, disseminated to lesson study (LS) actors, thereby strengthening discussions both inside and outside VERAs.<br> <br> Research limitations/implications<br> The paper proposes shift in views on educational science and emphasizes authorship as authority in that professionalism of teaching can be protected and elevated through authoring.<br> <br> Originality/value<br> The significant roles of writing practice have not been explored enough. This paper finds the value of authorship in terms of public nature and openness to all teachers which enable the enhancement of professionalism of the LS field. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

岡山大学農学部 Acta Medica Okayama 2186-7755 113 2024 Instant estimation of rice yield using ground-based RGB images and its potential applicability to UAV 41 48 EN Yu Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomoya Watanabe Graduate School of Mathematics, Kyushu University Keisuke Katsura Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Yasuhiro Tsujimoto Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Toshiyuki Takai Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Takashi Sonam Tashi Tanaka Faculty of Biological Sciences, Gifu UniversityFaculty of Biological Sciences, Gifu University Kensuke Kawamura Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Hiroki Saito Tropical Agriculture Research Front, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Koki Homma Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University Salifou Goube Mairoua Africa Rice Center （AfricaRice） Kokou Ahouanton Africa Rice Center （AfricaRice） Ali Ibrahim Africa Rice Center （AfricaRice）, Regional Station for the Sahel Kalimuthu Senthilkumar Africa Rice Center （AfricaRice） Vimal Kumar Semwal Africa Rice Center （AfricaRice）, Nigeria Station Eduardo Jose Graterol Matute Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice - The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Edgar Corredor Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice - The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Raafat El-Namaky Rice Research and Training Center, Field Crops Research Institute Norvie Manigbas Philippine Rice Research Institute （PhilRice） Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang Philippine Rice Research Institute （PhilRice） Yu Iwahashi Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kota Nakajima Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Eisuke Takeuchi Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kazuki Saito Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereals, which provides 20% of the world’s food energy. However, its productivity is poorly assessed especially in the global South. Here, we provide a first study to perform a deep learning-based approach for instantaneously estimating rice yield using RGB images. During ripening stage and at harvest, over 22,000 digital images were captured vertically downwards over the rice canopy from a distance of 0.8 to 0.9m at 4,820 harvesting plots having the yield of 0.1 to 16.1 t ha-1 across six countries in Africa and Japan. A convolutional neural network (CNN) applied to these data at harvest predicted 68% variation in yield with a relative root mean square error (rRMSE) of 0.22. Even when the resolution of images was reduced (from 0.2 to 3.2cm pixel-1 of ground sampling distance), the model could predict 57% variation in yield, implying that this approach can be scaled by use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Our work offers low-cost, hands-on, and rapid approach for high throughput phenotyping, and can lead to impact assessment of productivity-enhancing interventions, detection of fields where these are needed to sustainably increase crop production. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 2352-409X 53 2024 Multi-isotopic analysis of domestic burials from sin Cabezas, Escuintla, Guatemala 104348 EN Shintaro Suzuki Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University Tomás Barrientos Centro de Investigaciones Arqueológicas y Antropológicas, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala Héctor Mejía Transportadora de Energía de Centroamérica, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala T. Douglas Price University of Wisconsin We present the results from the stable isotope measurements of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and oxygen (δ 18O) in tooth enamel from 36 individuals from the site of Sin Cabezas, Escuintla, Guatemala. This is the first contribution of isotopic proveniencing from the Pacific Coast of Guatemala and offers new solid baseline reference data from a large archaeological sample. Although some outlier cases are identified, the high homogeneity is the most evident feature in the sample. Based on this homogeneity, we discuss a critical issue of baseline data between Teotihuacan and the Pacific Coast, where the material culture has indicated intimate cultural interactions. A critical overlap for both strontium and oxygen reference between the Mexican metropolis and the coastal region is pointed out. This is why detecting human movement between both regions is still elusive. A case study of a possible Mexican individual is introduced. We also assess the outlier cases in terms of proveniencing and add several osteobiographic notes for the most relevant cases whose origin could be seen among the Northern - Eastern part of the Guatemalan Highlands, the Soconusco border region, or Central Honduras. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0300-9572 193 2023 Effect of stomach inflation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation on return of spontaneous circulation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients: A retrospective observational study 109994 EN Hiromichi Naito Department of Emergency, Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroaki Hanafusa Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tsuyama Chuo Hospital Takashi Hongo Department of Emergency, Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Tetsuya Yumoto Department of Emergency, Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Takashi Yorifuji Department of Epidemiology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences Alexandra Weissman Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Jon C. Rittenberger Department of Emergency Medicine, Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital Francis X. Guyette Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Mamoru Fujishima Department of Radiology, Tsuyama Chuo Hospital Hiroki Maeyama Emergency and Critical Care Center, Tsuyama Chuo Hospital Astunori Nakao Department of Emergency, Critical Care, and Disaster Medicine, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Background: Gastric inflation caused by excessive ventilation is a common complication of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Gastric inflation may further compromise ventilation via increases in intrathoracic pressure, leading to decreased venous return and cardiac output, which may impair out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) outcomes. The purpose of this study was to measure the gastric volume of OHCA patients using computed tomography (CT) scan images and evaluate the effect of gastric inflation on return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC).<br> Methods: In this single-center, retrospective, observational study, CT scan was conducted after ROSC or immediately after death. Total gastric volume was measured. Primary outcome was ROSC. Achievement of ROSC was compared in the gastric distention group and the no gastric distention group; gastric distension was defined as total gastric volume in the ≥75th percentile. Additionally, factors associated with gastric distention were examined.<br> Results: A total of 446 cases were enrolled in the study; 120 cases (27%) achieved ROSC. The median gastric volume was 400 ml for all OHCA subjects; 1068 ml in gastric distention group vs. 287 ml in no gastric distention group. There was no difference in ROSC between the groups (27/112 [24.1%] vs. 93/334 [27.8%], p = 0.440). Gastric distention did not have a significant impact, even after adjustments (adjusted odds ratio 0.73, 95% confidence interval [0.42–1.29]). Increased gastric volume was associated with longer emergency medical service activity time.<br> Conclusions: We observed a median gastric volume of 400 ml in patients after OHCA resuscitation. In our setting, gastric distention did not prevent ROSC. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier Acta Medica Okayama 1751-7311 17 7 2023 Effects of liquefied sake lees on growth performance and faecal and blood characteristics in Japanese Black calves 100873 EN S. Katsumata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Y. Hayashi Shiga Prefectural Livestock Production Technology Promotion Center K. Oishi Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University T. Tsukahara Kyoto Institute of Nutrition and Pathology R. Inoue Department of Applied Biological Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Setsunan University A. Obata Shiga Prefectural Livestock Production Technology Promotion Center H. Hirooka Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University H. Kumagai Department of Applied Biosciences, Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Liquefied sake lees, a by-product of Japanese sake, is rich in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, proteins, and prebiotics derived from rice and yeast. Previous studies have reported that Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation products improved the health, growth, and faecal characteristics of preweaning calves. This study investigated the effects of adding liquefied sake lees to milk replacer on the growth performance, faecal characteristics, and blood metabolites of preweaning Japanese Black calves from 6 to 90 days of age. Twenty-four Japanese Black calves at 6 days of age were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: No liquefied sake lees (C, n = 8), 100 g/d (on a fresh matter basis) liquefied sake lees mixed with milk replacer (LS, n = 8), and 200 g/d (on a fresh matter basis) liquefied sake lees mixed with milk replacer (HS, n = 8). The intake of milk replacer and calf starter, as well as, the average daily gain did not differ between the treatments. The number of days counted with faecal score 1 in LS was higher than in HS (P < 0.05), while the number of days with diarrhoea medication in LS and C was lower than HS (P < 0.05). The faecal n-butyric acid concentration tended to be higher in LS compared to C (P = 0.060). The alpha diversity index (Chao1) was higher in HS than in C and LS at 90 days of age (P < 0.05). The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) using weighted UniFrac distance showed that the bacterial community structures in faeces among the treatments at 90 days of age were significantly different (P < 0.05). The plasma β-hydroxybutyric acid concentration, an indicator of rumen development, was higher for LS than in C throughout the experiment (P < 0.05). These results suggested that adding liquefied sake lees up to 100 g/d (on a fresh matter basis) might promote rumen development in preweaning Japanese Black calves. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Acta Medica Okayama 2643-6515 5 2023 Deep Learning Enables Instant and Versatile Estimation of Rice Yield Using Ground-Based RGB Images 0073 EN Yu Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tomoya Watanabe Graduate School of Mathematics, Kyushu University Keisuke Katsura Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Yasuhiro Tsujimoto Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Toshiyuki Takai Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Takashi Sonam Tashi Tanaka Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kensuke Kawamura Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Hiroki Saito Tropical Agriculture Research Front, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences Koki Homma Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Tohoku University Salifou Goube Mairoua Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) Kokou Ahouanton Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) Ali Ibrahim Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Regional Station for the Sahel Kalimuthu Senthilkumar Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice) Vimal Kumar Semwal Africa Rice Center (AfricaRice), Nigeria Station Eduardo Jose Graterol Matute Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice - The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Edgar Corredor Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice - The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT Raafat El-Namaky Rice Research and Training Center, Field Crops Research Institute, ARC Norvie Manigbas Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Eduardo Jimmy P. Quilang Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) Yu Iwahashi Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kota Nakajima Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Eisuke Takeuchi Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Kazuki Saito Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important cereals, which provides 20% of the world’s food energy. However, its productivity is poorly assessed especially in the global South. Here, we provide a first study to perform a deep-learning-based approach for instantaneously estimating rice yield using red-green-blue images. During ripening stage and at harvest, over 22,000 digital images were captured vertically downward over the rice canopy from a distance of 0.8 to 0.9 m at 4,820 harvesting plots having the yield of 0.1 to 16.1 t·ha−1 across 6 countries in Africa and Japan. A convolutional neural network applied to these data at harvest predicted 68% variation in yield with a relative root mean square error of 0.22. The developed model successfully detected genotypic difference and impact of agronomic interventions on yield in the independent dataset. The model also demonstrated robustness against the images acquired at different shooting angles up to 30° from right angle, diverse light environments, and shooting date during late ripening stage. Even when the resolution of images was reduced (from 0.2 to 3.2 cm·pixel−1 of ground sampling distance), the model could predict 57% variation in yield, implying that this approach can be scaled by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Our work offers low-cost, hands-on, and rapid approach for high-throughput phenotyping and can lead to impact assessment of productivity-enhancing interventions, detection of fields where these are needed to sustainably increase crop production, and yield forecast at several weeks before harvesting. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Frontiers Media Acta Medica Okayama 2504-284X 8 2023 Sustainable development goals in teacher education: comparing syllabi in a Japanese and a Slovenian university 1215500 EN Khalifatulloh Fiel'ardh Graduate School of Education, Okayama University Gregor Torkar Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana Hana Rožman Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana Hiroki Fujii Graduate School of Education, Okayama University Introduction: This research aims to explore the integration of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within teacher education programs, focusing on the Faculty of Education at Okayama University, Japan and the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.<br> Methods: We employed a qualitative content analysis of the syllabi (n = 2,079 from Okayama University; n = 504 from University of Ljubljana) and combined it with insights from semi-structured interviews.<br> Results: The analysis illuminated a strong emphasis on Quality Education (SDG 4) in both institutions. However, certain SDGs, like Climate Action (SDG 13), were less represented, marking potential areas for enhancement. Differences were also identified in the distribution of SDGs-related content between compulsory and elective courses, indicating institutional priorities. Interview reflections emphasized the pivotal role of educators in realizing SDGs and highlighted the necessity of collaboration to achieve these global objectives.<br> Discussion: The insights from interviews and syllabi content analysis underscore the urgency to bridge the identified gaps in SDG coverage. Disparities in emphasis between the two Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)-committed universities were noted, suggesting the importance of fostering strategy exchange and partnerships across institutions.<br> Conclusion: Enhancing the alignment of teacher education programs with SDGs requires collective efforts. By addressing the gaps and promoting effective collaboration, these programs can achieve greater relevance and efficacy in promoting the SDGs. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 0743-7463 39 44 2023 Analysis of Evaporation of Droplet Pairs by a Quasi-Steady-State Diffusion Model Coupled with the Evaporative Cooling Effect 15587 15596 EN Yutaka Yamada Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Kazuma Isobe Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Akihiko Horibe Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Multidroplet evaporation is a common phase-change phenomenon not only in nature but also in many industrial applications, including inkjet printing and spray cooling. The evaporation behavior of these droplets is strongly affected by the distance between neighboring droplets, and in particular, evaporation suppression occurs as the distance decreases. However, further quantitative information, such as the temperature and local evaporation flux, is limited because the analytical models of multidroplet evaporation only treat vapor diffusion, and the effect of the latent heat transfer through the liquid–vapor phase change is ignored. Here, we perform a numerical analysis of evaporating droplet pairs that linked vapor diffusion from the droplet surface and evaporative cooling. Heat transfer through the liquid and gas phases is also considered because the saturation pressure depends on the temperature. The results show an increase in the vapor concentration in the region between the two droplets. Consequently, the local evaporation flux in the proximate region significantly decreases with decreasing separation distance. This means that the latent heat transfer through the phase change is diminished, and an asymmetrical temperature distribution occurs in the liquid and gas phases. These numerical results provide quantitative information about the temperature and local evaporation flux of evaporating droplet pairs, and they will guide further investigation of multiple droplet evaporation. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 Study on audiovisual integration and cross-modal working memory training in young and older adults EN Ao Guo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 Design of actively controllable two-dimensional phononic waveguides based on valley topological phononic band engineering EN MD. SHUZON ALI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 A Study of General-Purpose Parameter Optimization Algorithm in Three Diverse Applications EN Yuanzhi HUO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 A Study of Value Trace Problems and Code Modification Problems in Python Programming Learning Assistant System EN SAN HAY MAR SHWE Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 A Study of Digital Watermarking for Protecting the Multimedia Content EN Tatsuya YASUI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2073-4360 15 20 2023 Fabrication of a Fish-Bone-Inspired Inorganic-Organic Composite Membrane 4190 EN Yuyang Jiao Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University Masahiro Okada Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University Bhingaradiya Nutan Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University Noriyuki Nagaoka Advanced Research Center for Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Ahmad Bikharudin Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University Randa Musa Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University Takuya Matsumoto Department of Biomaterials, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Okayama University Biological materials have properties like great strength and flexibility that are not present in synthetic materials. Using the ribs of crucian carp as a reference, we investigated the mechanisms behind the high mechanical properties of this rib bone, and found highly oriented layers of calcium phosphate (CaP) and collagen fibers. To fabricate a fish-rib-bone-mimicking membrane with similar structure and mechanical properties, this study involves (1) the rapid synthesis of plate-like CaP crystals, (2) the layering of CaP-gelatin hydrogels by gradual drying, and (3) controlling the shape of composite membranes using porous gypsum molds. Finally, as a result of optimizing the compositional ratio of CaP filler and gelatin hydrogel, a CaP filler content of 40% provided the optimal mechanical properties of toughness and stiffness similar to fish bone. Due to the rigidity, flexibility, and ease of shape control of the composite membrane materials, this membrane could be applied as a guided bone regeneration (GBR) membrane. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2076-3417 13 20 2023 Evolutionary-Game-Theory-Based Epidemiological Model for Prediction of Infections with Application to Demand Forecasting in Pharmaceutical Inventory Management Problems 11308 EN Yu Nishihata Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Ziang Liu Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi Nishi Graduate School of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Pharmaceuticals play a critical role in the eradication of infectious diseases. Effective pharmaceutical inventory management is important for controlling epidemics since medical resources such as pharmaceuticals, medical staff, and hospitals are limited. In this study, a novel epidemiological model is proposed to evaluate the resource requirements for pharmaceuticals and is applied to analyze different pharmaceutical inventory management strategies. We formulate the relationship between the number of infected individuals and the risk of infection to account for virus mutation. Evolutionary game theory is integrated into an epidemiological model to represent human behavioral choices. The proposed model can be developed to forecast the demand for pharmaceuticals and analyze how human behavior affects the demand of pharmaceuticals. This study found that making people aware of the risk of disease has a positive impact on both reducing the number of infections and managing the pharmaceutical inventory. The main contribution of this study is to enhance areas of research in pharmaceutical inventory management. This study revealed that the correct recognition of the risk of disease leads to appropriate pharmaceutical management. There are a few studies on the application of infectious disease models to inventory control problems. This study provides clues toward proper pharmaceutical management. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Note on smoothness condition on tropical elliptic curves of symmetric truncated cubic forms 171 187 EN Rani Sasmita Tarmidi Department of Mathematics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University In this work, we provide explicit conditions for the coeffi-cients of a symmetric truncated cubic to give a smooth tropical curve. We also examine non-smooth cases corresponding to some specific sub-division types. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Duality-reflection formulas of multiple polylogarithms and their ℓ-adic Galois analogues 159 169 EN Densuke Shiraishi Department of Mathematics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University In this paper, we derive formulas of complex and ℓ-adic multiple polylogarithms, which have two aspects: a duality in terms of indexes and a reflection in terms of variables. We provide an algebraic proof of these formulas by using algebraic relations between associators arising from the S3-symmetry of the projective line minus three points. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Several homotopy fixed point spectral sequences in telescopically localized algebraic K-theory 135 157 EN Daniel G. Davis Department of Mathematics, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Let n ≥ 1, p a prime, and T(n) any representative of the Bousfield class of the telescope v−1n F(n) of a finite type n complex. Also, let En be the Lubin-Tate spectrum, K(En) its algebraic K-theory spectrum, and Gn the extended Morava stabilizer group, a profinite group. Motivated by an Ausoni-Rognes conjecture, we show that there are two spectral sequences<br> IEs,t2 ⇒ πt−s((LT(n+1)K(En))hGn) ⇐ IIEs,t2<br> with common abutment π∗(−) of the continuous homotopy fixed points of LT(n+1)K(En), where IEs,t2 is continuous cohomology with coefficients in a certain tower of discrete Gn-modules. If the tower satisfies the Mittag-Leffler condition, then there are isomorphisms with continuous cochain cohomology groups:<br> IE∗,∗2 ≅ H∗cts(Gn, π∗(LT(n+1)K(En))) ≅ IIE∗,∗2.<br> We isolate two hypotheses, the first of which is true when (n, p) = (1, 2), that imply (LT(n+1)K(En))hGn ≃ LT(n+1)K(LK(n)S0). Also, we show that there is a spectral sequence<br> Hscts(Gn, πt(K(En) ⊗ T(n + 1))) ⇒ πt−s((K(En) ⊗ T(n + 1))hGn). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 A subclass of strongly close-to-convex functions associated with Janowski function 125 133 EN Gagandeep Singh Department of Mathematics, Khalsa College Gurcharanjit Singh Department of Mathematics, G.N.D.U. College The aim of this paper is to introduce a new subclass of strongly close-to-convex functions by subordinating to Janowski function. Certain properties such as coefficient estimates, distortion theorem, argument theorem, inclusion relations and radius of convexity are established for this class. The results obtained here will generalize various earlier known results. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 A combinatorial integration on the Cantor dust 115 124 EN Takashi Maruyama Department of Engineering, Stanford University Tatsuki Seto General Education and Research Center, Meiji Pharmaceutical University In this paper, we generalize the Cantor function to 2-dimensional cubes and construct a cyclic 2-cocycle on the Cantor dust. This cocycle is non-trivial on the pullback of the smooth functions on the 2-dimensional torus with the generalized Cantor function while it vanishes on the Lipschitz functions on the Cantor dust. The cocycle is calculated through the integration of 2-forms on the torus by using a combinatorial Fredholm module. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 On G(A)Q of rings of finite representation type 103 113 EN Tony J. Puthenpurakal Department of Mathematics, IIT Bombay Let (A,m) be an excellent Henselian Cohen-Macaulay local ring of finite representation type. If the AR-quiver of A is known then by a result of Auslander and Reiten one can explicity compute G(A) the Grothendieck group of finitely generated A-modules. If the AR-quiver is not known then in this paper we give estimates of G(A)Q = G(A) ⊗Z Q when k = A/m is perfect. As an application we prove that if A is an excellent equi-characteristic Henselian Gornstein local ring of positive even dimension with char A/m ≠ 2, 3, 5 (and A/m perfect) then G(A)Q ≅ Q. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Positive solutions to a nonlinear three-point boundary value problem with singularity 85 102 EN Moses B. Akorede Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan Peter O. Arawomo Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan In this paper, we discuss the existence and uniqueness of positive solutions to a singular boundary value problem of fractional differential equations with three-point integral boundary conditions. The nonlinear term f possesses singularity and also depends on the first-order derivative u′. Our approach is based on Leray-Schauder fixed point theorem and Banach contraction principle. Examples are presented to confirm the application of the main results. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Harmonic partitions of positive integers and bosonic extension of Euler’s pentagonal number theorem 71 83 EN Masao Jinzenji Department of Mathematics, Okayama University Yu Tajima Division of Mathematics, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University In this paper, we first propose a cohomological derivation of the celebrated Euler’s Pentagonal Number Theorem. Then we prove an identity that corresponds to a bosonic extension of the theorem. The proof corresponds to a cohomological re-derivation of Euler’s another celebrated identity. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Construction of families of dihedral quintic polynomials 63 69 EN Yasuhiro Kishi Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Education, Aichi University of Education Mei Yamada Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Education, Aichi University of Education In this article, we give two families of dihedral quintic polynomials by using the Weber sextic resolvent and a certain elliptic curve. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Dirac pairs on Jacobi algebroids 45 61 EN Tomoya Nakamura Academic Support Center, Kogakuin University We define Dirac pairs on Jacobi algebroids, which is a generalization of Dirac pairs on Lie algebroids introduced by Kosmann-Schwarzbach. We show the relationship between Dirac pairs on Lie and on Jacobi algebroids, and that Dirac pairs on Jacobi algebroids characterize several compatible structures on Jacobi algebroids. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Game positions of multiple hook removing game 31 44 EN Yuki Motegi Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba Multiple Hook Removing Game (MHRG for short) introduced in [1] is an impartial game played in terms of Young diagrams. In this paper, we give a characterization of the set of all game positions in MHRG. As an application, we prove that for t ∈ Z≥0 and m, n ∈ N such that t ≤ m ≤ n, and a Young diagram Y contained in the rectangular Young diagram Yt,n of size t × n, Y is a game position in MHRG with Ym,n the starting position if and only if Y is a game position in MHRG with Yt,n−m+t the starting position, and also that the Grundy value of Y in the former MHRG is equal to that in the latter MHRG. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, Okayama University Acta Medica Okayama 0030-1566 66 1 2024 Equivalence classes of dessins d’enfants with two vertices 1 30 EN Madoka Horie Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University Let N be a positive integer. For any positive integer L ≤ N and any positive divisor r of N, we enumerate the equivalence classes of dessins d’enfants with N edges, L faces and two vertices whose representatives have automorphism groups of order r. Further, for any non-negative integer h, we enumerate the equivalence classes of dessins with N edges, h faces of degree 2 with h ≤ N, and two vertices whose representatives have automorphism group of order r. Our arguments are essentially based upon a natural one-to-one correspondence between the equivalence classes of all dessins with N edges and the equivalence classes of all pairs of permutations whose entries generate a transitive subgroup of the symmetric group of degree N. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0003-9969 155 2023 Ruxolitinib altered IFN-β induced necroptosis of human dental pulp stem cells during osteoblast differentiation 105797 EN Atsuko Tanaka Department of Orthodontics, Okayama University Hospital Satoru Hayano Department of Orthodontics, Okayama University Hospital Masayo Nagata Department of Orthodontics, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Takahiro Kosami Department of Orthodontics, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Ziyi Wang Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroshi Kamioka Department of Orthodontics, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the role of ruxolitinib in the interferon beta (IFN-β) mediated osteoblast differentiation using human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs).<br> Design: hDPSCs from five deciduous teeth of healthy patients were stimulated by adding human recombinant IFN-β protein (1 or 2 ng/ml) to the osteogenic differentiation induction medium. Substrate formation was determined using Alizarin Red staining, calcium concentration, and osteoblast marker expression levels. Ruxolitinib was used to inhibit the Janus kinase/signal transducers and activators of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway. Apoptosis was detected using terminal deoxynucleotidyl nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and necroptosis was detected using propidium iodide staining and phosphorylated mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (pMLKL) expression.<br> Results: In the IFN-β-treated group, substrate formation was inhibited by a reduction in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Although the proliferation potency was unchanged between the IFN-β-treated and control groups, the cell number was significantly reduced in the experimental group. TUNEL-positive cell number was not significantly different; however, the protein level of necroptosis markers, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and pMLKL were significantly increased in the substrate formation. Cell number and ALP expression level were improved in the group administered ruxolitinib, a JAK-STAT inhibitor. Additionally, ruxolitinib significantly suppressed IL-6 and pMLKL levels.<br> Conclusion: Ruxolitinib interfered with the IFN-β-mediated necroptosis and osteogenic differentiation via the JAK-STAT pathway. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

American Chemical Society (ACS) Acta Medica Okayama 0022-2623 65 8 2022 Identification of a Vitamin-D Receptor Antagonist, MeTC7, which Inhibits the Growth of Xenograft and Transgenic Tumors In Vivo 6039 6055 EN Negar Khazan Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Kyu Kwang Kim Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Jeanne N. Hansen Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center Niloy A. Singh Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Taylor Moore Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Cameron W. A. Snyder Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Ravina Pandita Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Myla Strawderman Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center Michiko Fujihara Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yuta Takamura Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Ye Jian Division of Surgery and of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center Nicholas Battaglia Division of Surgery and of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center Naohiro Yano Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Research, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University Yuki Teramoto Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center Leggy A. Arnold Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Russell Hopson Department of Chemistry, Brown University Keshav Kishor Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology Sneha Nayak Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology Debasmita Ojha Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology Ashoke Sharon Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology John M. Ashton Genomics Core Facility, Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center Jian Wang Department of Pharmacology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State University Michael T. Milano Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Rochester Medical Center Hiroshi Miyamoto Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center David C. Linehan Division of Surgery and of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center Scott A. Gerber Division of Surgery and of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center Nada Kawar Center for Breast Health and Gynecologic Oncology, Mercy Medical Center Ajay P. Singh Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Erdem D. Tabdanov CytoMechanobiology Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Penn State College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University Nikolay V. Dokholyan Department of Pharmacology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State University Hiroki Kakuta Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Peter W. Jurutka School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Arizona State University, Health Futures Center Nina F. Schor Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Neuroscience, University of Rochester Medical Center Rachael B. Rowswell-Turner Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Rakesh K. Singh Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Richard G. Moore Wilmot Cancer Institute and Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester Medical Center Vitamin-D receptor (VDR) mRNA is overexpressed in neuroblastoma and carcinomas of lung, pancreas, and ovaries and predicts poor prognoses. VDR antagonists may be able to inhibit tumors that overexpress VDR. However, the current antagonists are arduous to synthesize and are only partial antagonists, limiting their use. Here, we show that the VDR antagonist MeTC7 (5), which can be synthesized from 7-dehydrocholesterol (6) in two steps, inhibits VDR selectively, suppresses the viability of cancer cell-lines, and reduces the growth of the spontaneous transgenic TH-MYCN neuroblastoma and xenografts in vivo. The VDR selectivity of 5 against RXRα and PPAR-γ was confirmed, and docking studies using VDR-LBD indicated that 5 induces major changes in the binding motifs, which potentially result in VDR antagonistic effects. These data highlight the therapeutic benefits of targeting VDR for the treatment of malignancies and demonstrate the creation of selective VDR antagonists that are easy to synthesize. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 1881-3054 16 4 2022 A bilevel production planning using machine learning-based customer modeling JAMDSM0037 EN Jun NAKAO Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi NISHI Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Mass customization is an important strategy to improve production systems to satisfy customers’ preferences while maintaining production efficiency for mass production. Module production is one of the ways to achieve mass customization, and products are produced by combining modules. In the module production, it becomes much more important for manufacturing companies to reflect customers’ preferences for selling products. The manufacturer can increase its total profit by providing customized products that satisfy customers’ preferences by increasing customers’ satisfaction. In conventional production planning, there are some cases where module production is conducted by the demands from customers’ preferences. However, the customer decision-making model has not been employed in the production planning model. In this paper, a production planning model incorporating customers’ preferences is developed. The customers’ purchasing behavior is generated by using a machine learning model. Customer segmentation is conducted by clustering data that uses the purchase data of multiple customers. The resulting production planning model is a bilevel production planning problem consisting of a single company and multiple customers. Each company can sell products that combine modules that customers require in each segment. We show that the proposed model can obtain higher customers’ satisfaction with greater profits than the model that does not employ the customers’ purchasing model. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering Acta Medica Okayama 2187-5219 11 2022 Skin Electrical Impedance Model for Evaluation of the Thickness and Water Content of the Stratum Corneum 98 108 EN Osamu Uehara Medical Engineering Laboratory, ALCARE CO., Ltd. Toshimasa Kusuhara Department of Radiological Technology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University Kenichi Matsuzaki Medical Engineering Laboratory, ALCARE CO., Ltd. Yoshitake Yamamoto Okayama University Takao Nakamura Department of Radiological Technology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University Deterioration of the skin barrier function causes symptoms such as allergies because various chemical substances may enter the human body. Quantitative evaluation of the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum is useful as a measure of the skin barrier function in domains such as dermatology, nursing science, and cosmetics development. The stratum corneum is responsible for most of the skin barrier function, and two factors―the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum―are thus important. In this paper, the stratum corneum is regarded as a parallel model of resistance and capacitance. From measurements of the electrical impedance of the skin, we propose a new model for simultaneous estimation of the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum conventionally measured by a confocal laser scanning microscope and a confocal Raman spectrometer, respectively, and we discuss the results of the measurements. The electrical impedance of the skin was measured using a device that we developed. The measurement began 3 seconds after the electrodes on the measurement head of the device came into contact with the skin, and parameters including the impedance, which was obtained by applying an alternating current signal at two frequencies, were measured. We measured the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum using confocal laser microscopy and confocal Raman spectroscopy, respectively; investigated the relationship of the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum with the electrical impedance of the skin; and established a new potential model for estimating the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum from the parallel resistance and capacitance. The correlation coefficients of the verification data were 0.931 and 0.776, respectively; and the root-mean-squared error of the thickness of the stratum corneum was 2.3 µm, while the root-mean-squared error of the water content at the surface of the stratum corneum was 5.4 points. These findings indicate the feasibility of quantitative evaluation of the thickness and water content of the stratum corneum by measuring skin electrical impedance. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Institute of Mathematics, Polish Academy of Sciences Acta Medica Okayama 0016-2736 263 2023 The universal factorial Hall–Littlewood P- and Q-functions 133 166 EN Masaki Nakagawa Graduate School of Education Okayama University Hiroshi Naruse Graduate School of Education University of Yamanashi We introduce factorial analogues of the ordinary Hall–Littlewood P- and Q-polynomials, which we call the factorial Hall–Littlewood P- and Q-polynomials. Using the universal formal group law, we further generalize these polynomials to the universal factorial Hall–Littlewood P- and Q-functions. We show that these functions satisfy the vanishing property which the ordinary factorial Schur S-, P-, and Q-polynomials have. By the vanishing property, we derive the Pieri-type formula and a certain generalization of the classical hook formula. We then characterize our functions in terms of Gysin maps from flag bundles in complex cobordism theory. Using this characterization and Gysin formulas for flag bundles, we obtain generating functions for the universal factorial Hall–Littlewood P- and Q-functions. Using our generating functions, we show that our factorial Hall–Littlewood P- and Q-polynomials have a certain cancellation property. Further applications such as Pfaffian formulas for K-theoretic factorial Q-polynomials are also given. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers Acta Medica Okayama 1881-3054 16 4 2022 Adaptive heterogeneous particle swarm optimization with comprehensive learning strategy JAMDSM0035 EN Ziang LIU Faculty of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi NISHI Faculty of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University This paper proposes an adaptive heterogeneous particle swarm optimization with a comprehensive learning strategy for solving single-objective constrained optimization problems. In this algorithm, particles can use an exploration strategy and an exploitation strategy to update their positions. The historical success rates of the two strategies are used to adaptively control the adoption rates of strategies in the next iteration. The search strategy in the canonical particle swarm optimization algorithm is based on elite solutions. As a result, when no particles can discover better solutions for several generations, this algorithm is likely to fall into stagnation. To respond to this challenge, a new strategy is proposed to explore the neighbors of the elite solutions in this study. Finally, a constraint handling method is equipped to the proposed algorithm to make it be able to solve constrained optimization problems. The proposed algorithm is compared with the canonical particle swarm optimization, differential evolution, and several recently proposed algorithms on the benchmark test suite. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test results show that the proposed algorithm is significantly better on most of the benchmark problems compared with the competitors. The proposed algorithm is also applied to solve two real-world mechanical engineering problems. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm performs consistently well on these problems. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Acta Medica Okayama 2050-7488 10 37 2022 Effects of the rigid and sterically bulky structure of non-fused nonfullerene acceptors on transient photon-to-current dynamics 20035 20047 EN Seihou Jinnai The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University Kasumi Murayama Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University Keisuke Nagai The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University Megumi Mineshita Department of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Japan Women's University Kosaku Kato Graduate School of Natural Science & Technology, Okayama University Azusa Muraoka Department of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Japan Women's University Akira Yamakata Graduate School of Natural Science & Technology, Okayama University Akinori Saeki Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University Yasuhiro Kobori Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Kobe University Yutaka Ie The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (SANKEN), Osaka University Non-fused electron-accepting π-conjugated compounds have been investigated recently for application to nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) in organic solar cells (OSCs). However, the establishment of rational molecular design for non-fused NFAs is still lagging because the influence of flexible non-fused structures on the dynamics of electron–hole pairs in OSCs is not entirely understood. In this study, we utilized cyclopentene-annelated thiophene with spiro-substituted 2,7-bis(2-ethylhexyl)fluorene (FT) as a rigid and sterically bulky linker unit and developed a non-fused NFA (TT–FT–DCI) containing FT units. Photophysical measurements indicated that the introduction of the FT unit leads to the formation of rigid molecular structure. OSCs based on donor polymer (PBDB-T) and TT–FT–DCI showed an improved power conversion efficiency of 7.13% due to the increase in the short-circuit current density and fill factor. Time-resolved optical and microwave spectroscopies showed that the FT unit contributes to the long lifetimes of excited state and charge-separated state in the PBDBT:TT–FT–DCI blend films. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance measurements showed that the distant charge-separated states of the face-to-face PBDB-T:TT–FT–DCI structure, which is derived by avoiding over-crystallization by the steric bulkiness of TT–FT–DCI, can interact with the cathodes for preferential electron injection following charge generations. This study highlights that by using the rigid π-conjugated framework and suppressed self-aggregation of the non-fused acceptor, effective molecular design for the appropriate dynamics of photocurrent generation is possible. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

IOP Publishing Ltd Acta Medica Okayama 2041-8205 951 2 2023 Search for Astrophysical Electron Antineutrinos in Super-Kamiokande with 0.01% Gadolinium-loaded Water L27 EN M. Harada Department of Physics, Okayama University We report the first search result for the flux of astrophysical electron antineutrinos for energies O(10) MeV in the gadolinium-loaded Super-Kamiokande (SK) detector. In 2020 June, gadolinium was introduced to the ultrapure water of the SK detector in order to detect neutrons more efficiently. In this new experimental phase, SK-Gd, we can search for electron antineutrinos via inverse beta decay with efficient background rejection thanks to the high efficiency of the neutron tagging technique. In this paper, we report the result for the initial stage of SK-Gd, during 2020 August 26, and 2022 June 1 with a 22.5 x 552 kton center dot day exposure at 0.01% Gd mass concentration. No significant excess over the expected background in the observed events is found for the neutrino energies below 31.3 MeV. Thus, the flux upper limits are placed at the 90% confidence level. The limits and sensitivities are already comparable with the previous SK result with pure water (22.5 x 2970 kton center dot day) owing to the enhanced neutron tagging. Operation with Gd increased to 0.03% started in 2022 June. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 1996-1073 16 15 2023 Features and Evolution of Global Energy Trade Patterns from the Perspective of Complex Networks 5677 EN Yingnan Cong Business School, China University of Political Science and Law Yufei Hou Business School, China University of Political Science and Law Jiaming Jiang Center for Artificial Intelligence and Mathematical Data Science, Okayama University Shuangzi Chen School of Economics, Hebei University Xiaojing Cai Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Okayama University As an integral part of economic trade, energy trade is crucial to international dynamics and national interests. In this study, an international energy trade network is constructed by abstracting countries as nodes and representing energy trade relations as edges. A variety of indicators are designed in terms of networks, nodes, bilaterals, and communities to analyze the temporal and spatial evolution of the global energy trade network from 2001 to 2020. The results indicate that network density and strength have been steadily increasing since the beginning of the 21st century. It is observed that the position of the United States as the core of the international energy market is being impacted by emerging developing countries, thus affecting the existing trade balance based on topological analysis. The weighted analysis of bilateral relations demonstrates that emerging countries such as China, Brazil, and Saudi Arabia are pursuing closer cooperation. The community analysis reveals that an increasing number of countries possess strong energy trade capabilities, resulting in a corresponding increase in energy trade volumes. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Springer Acta Medica Okayama 2199-4536 10 1 2023 Data-driven evolutionary computation for service constrained inventory optimization in multi-echelon supply chains 825 846 EN Ziang Liu Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Tatsushi Nishi Faculty of Environmental, Life, Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University Supply chain digital twin has emerged as a powerful tool in studying the behavior of an actual supply chain. However, most studies in the field of supply chain digital twin have only focused on what-if analysis that compares several different scenarios. This study proposes a data-driven evolutionary algorithm to efficiently solve the service constrained inventory optimization problem using historical data that generated by supply chain digital twins. The objective is to minimize the total costs while satisfying the required service level for a supply chain. The random forest algorithm is used to build surrogate models which can be used to estimate the total costs and service level in a supply chain. The surrogate models are optimized by an ensemble approach-based differential evolution algorithm which can adaptively use different search strategies to improve the performance during the computation process. A three-echelon supply chain digital twin on the geographic information system (GIS) map in real-time is used to examine the efficiency of the proposed method. The experimental results indicate that the data-driven evolutionary algorithm can reduce the total costs and maintain the required service level. The finding suggests that our proposed method can learn from the historical data and generate better inventory policies for a supply chain digital twin. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Oxford University Press (OUP) Acta Medica Okayama 0032-0781 63 12 2022 Plant Hormonomics: A Key Tool for Deep Physiological Phenotyping to Improve Crop Productivity 1826 1839 EN Takashi Hirayama Institute of Plant Science and Resources, Okayama University Keiichi Mochida RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate change. To cope with the risks posed by climate-related stressors to agricultural production, global population growth, and changes in food preferences, it is imperative to develop new climate-smart crop varieties with increased yield and environmental resilience. Molecular genetics and genomic analyses have revealed that allelic variations in genes involved in phytohormone-mediated growth regulation have greatly improved productivity in major crops. Plant science has remarkably advanced our understanding of the molecular basis of various phytohormone-mediated events in plant life. These findings provide essential information for improving the productivity of crops growing in changing climates. In this review, we highlight the recent advances in plant hormonomics (multiple phytohormone profiling) and discuss its application to crop improvement. We present plant hormonomics as a key tool for deep physiological phenotyping, focusing on representative plant growth regulators associated with the improvement of crop productivity. Specifically, we review advanced methodologies in plant hormonomics, highlighting mass spectrometry- and nanosensor-based plant hormone profiling techniques. We also discuss the applications of plant hormonomics in crop improvement through breeding and agricultural management practices. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

MDPI Acta Medica Okayama 2072-6643 15 13 2023 Adrenomedullin Enhances Mouse Gustatory Nerve Responses to Sugars via T1R-Independent Sweet Taste Pathway 2941 EN Shusuke Iwata Section of Oral Neuroscience, Graduate School of Dental Science, Kyushu University Ryusuke Yoshida Department of Oral Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University Shingo Takai Section of Oral Neuroscience, Graduate School of Dental Science, Kyushu University Keisuke Sanematsu Section of Oral Neuroscience, Graduate School of Dental Science, Kyushu University Noriatsu Shigemura Section of Oral Neuroscience, Graduate School of Dental Science, Kyushu University Yuzo Ninomiya Department of Oral Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University On the tongue, the T1R-independent pathway (comprising glucose transporters, including sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) and the K-ATP channel) detects only sugars, whereas the T1R-dependent (T1R2/T1R3) pathway can broadly sense various sweeteners. Cephalic-phase insulin release, a rapid release of insulin induced by sensory signals in the head after food-related stimuli, reportedly depends on the T1R-independent pathway, and the competitive sweet taste modulators leptin and endocannabinoids may function on these two different sweet taste pathways independently, suggesting independent roles of two oral sugar-detecting pathways in food intake. Here, we examined the effect of adrenomedullin (ADM), a multifunctional regulatory peptide, on sugar sensing in mice since it affects the expression of SGLT1 in rat enterocytes. We found that ADM receptor components were expressed in T1R3-positive taste cells. Analyses of chorda tympani (CT) nerve responses revealed that ADM enhanced responses to sugars but not to artificial sweeteners and other tastants. Moreover, ADM increased the apical uptake of a fluorescent D-glucose derivative into taste cells and SGLT1 mRNA expression in taste buds. These results suggest that the T1R-independent sweet taste pathway in mouse taste cells is a peripheral target of ADM, and the specific enhancement of gustatory nerve responses to sugars by ADM may contribute to caloric sensing and food intake. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Nature Portfolio Acta Medica Okayama 2045-2322 13 1 2023 Social aspects of collision avoidance: a detailed analysis of two-person groups and individual pedestrians 5756 EN Adrien Gregorj Okayama University Zeynep Yucel Okayama University Francesco Zanlungo Okayama University Claudio Feliciani The University of Tokyo Takayuki Kanda ATR International Pedestrian groups are commonly found in crowds but research on their social aspects is comparatively lacking. To fill that void in literature, we study the dynamics of collision avoidance between pedestrian groups (in particular dyads) and individual pedestrians in an ecological environment, focusing in particular on (i) how such avoidance depends on the group's social relation (e.g. colleagues, couples, friends or families) and (ii) its intensity of social interaction (indicated by conversation, gaze exchange, gestures etc). By analyzing relative collision avoidance in the "center of mass" frame, we were able to quantify how much groups and individuals avoid each other with respect to the aforementioned properties of the group. A mathematical representation using a potential energy function is proposed to model avoidance and it is shown to provide a fair approximation to the empirical observations. We also studied the probability that the individuals disrupt the group by "passing through it" (termed as intrusion). We analyzed the dependence of the parameters of the avoidance model and of the probability of intrusion on groups' social relation and intensity of interaction. We confirmed that the stronger social bonding or interaction intensity is, the more prominent collision avoidance turns out. We also confirmed that the probability of intrusion is a decreasing function of interaction intensity and strength of social bonding. Our results suggest that such variability should be accounted for in models and crowd management in general. Namely, public spaces with strongly bonded groups (e.g. a family-oriented amusement park) may require a different approach compared to public spaces with loosely bonded groups (e.g. a business-oriented trade fair). No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins Acta Medica Okayama 2471-2531 8 4 2023 Decreased expression of hyaluronan synthase and loss of hyaluronan-rich cells in the anterior tibial fascia of the rat model of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy e1088 EN Ruilin Wang Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Yoshikazu Matsuoka Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Nobutaka Sue Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Kosuke Nakatsuka Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Chika Tsuboi Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Hiroshi Morimatsu Department of Anesthesiology and Resuscitology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Introduction: Previous studies on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) have focused on neuronal damage. Although some studies have revealed that the fascia is an important sensory organ, currently, we do not know about chemotherapy drug-induced fascial dysfunction.<br> Objectives: This study aimed to explore the fascia as a nonneural cause of mechanical hypersensitivity in CIPN by investigating the expression of hyaluronic acid synthase (HAS) and histology of the fascia in an animal model of CIPN.<br> Methods: Rats were intraperitoneally administered with vincristine (VCR). Mechanical hypersensitivities of the hind paw and the anterior tibial muscle were assessed. The expression of HAS mRNA in the fascia of the anterior tibial muscles was quantitated using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Immunohistochemistry was also performed for HAS2, hyaluronic acid-binding protein, and S100A4 in the fascia.<br> Results: Vincristine administration significantly decreased mechanical withdrawal thresholds in the hind paw and the anterior tibial muscle after day 3. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed significant downregulation of HAS mRNAs in the fascia of VCR-treated rats. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the number of cells with strong HAS2 immunoreactivity, classified as fasciacytes by morphology and colocalized marker S100A4, decreased significantly in the VCR group.<br> Conclusion:Hyaluronic acid plays a critical role in somatic pain sensation. Damaged fascia could be a possible cause of musculoskeletal pain in patients with CIPN. This study suggests that fascia is a nonneural cause and novel therapeutic target for chemotherapy-induced "peripheral neuropathy." No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Elsevier BV Acta Medica Okayama 0893-6080 164 2023 Design of continuous-time recurrent neural networks with piecewise-linear activation function for generation of prescribed sequences of bipolar vectors 588 605 EN Norikazu Takahashi Okayama University Tsuyoshi Yamakawa Kyushu University Yasuhiro Minetoma Kyushu University Tetsuo Nishi Kyushu University Tsuyoshi Migita Okayama University A recurrent neural network (RNN) can generate a sequence of patterns as the temporal evolution of the output vector. This paper focuses on a continuous-time RNN model with a piecewise-linear activation function that has neither external inputs nor hidden neurons, and studies the problem of finding the parameters of the model so that it generates a given sequence of bipolar vectors. First, a sufficient condition for the model to generate the desired sequence is derived, which is expressed as a system of linear inequalities in the parameters. Next, three approaches to finding solutions of the system of linear inequalities are proposed: One is formulated as a convex quadratic programming problem and others are linear programming problems. Then, two types of sequences of bipolar vectors that can be generated by the model are presented. Finally, the case where the model generates a periodic sequence of bipolar vectors is considered, and a sufficient condition for the trajectory of the state vector to converge to a limit cycle is provided. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Cell Press Acta Medica Okayama 2589-0042 26 3 2023 Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-dependent and NMDA receptor-dependent LTP and LTD share the common AMPAR trafficking pathway 106133 EN Tomonari Sumi Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University Kouji Harada Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology The forebrain cholinergic system promotes higher brain function in part by signaling through the M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR). Long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of excitatory synaptic transmis-sion in the hippocampus are also induced by mAChR. An AMPA receptor (AMPAR) trafficking model for hippocampal neurons has been proposed to simulate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent synaptic plasticity in the early phase. In this study, we demonstrated the validity of the hypothesis that the mAChR-dependent LTP/LTD shares a common AMPAR trafficking pathway associated with NMDAR-dependent LTP/LTD. However, unlike NMDAR, Ca2+ influx into the spine cytosol occurs owing to the Ca2+ stored inside the ER and is induced via the activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors during M1 mAChR activation. Moreover, the AMPAR trafficking model implies that alterations in LTP and LTD observed in Alzheimer's disease could be attributed to age-dependent reductions in AMPAR expression levels. No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 オオツノコクヌストモドキにおける環境要因と性選択の相互作用 EN Katsuya KIYOSE Graduate School of Environmental and Life Science, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 Motion planning of a snake robot in crowded pipe environments EN Yongdong WANG Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 Hf-B-Li-Mg isotope systematics of late Cenozoic volcanic rocks from the Chugoku district, Southwest Japan: Implications for the property and transport mechanism of slab-derived fluids in the subduction zone EN Wei ZHANG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 Studies on systems modeling and model order reduction EN WEIQI ZHANG Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Acta Medica Okayama 2023 A Study of Job-Worker Assignment Algorithms Considering CPU Core Usage for User-PC Computing System EN KAMOYEDJI ARIEL ELIE ASSEREHOU Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama university No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.