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The discussion on ‘The comparative institutional analysis of energy transitions’ gives us a state-of-the-art overview of the main theoretical and conceptual developments within the field of political economy. It invites us to broaden our knowledge on the changing realities of different geographical regions in energy transition. In this discussion forum, Finnegan discusses emerging themes in the comparative political economy literature of climate change. He identifies gaps and offers an outline for further research. Allen, Allen, Cumming and Johan take a closer look at the links between different types of capitalism and the natural environment. The authors stress the importance of adopting an institutional perspective to explain differences in environmental outcomes. Wood compares the transitions of energy usage and mixes between liberal and coordinated market economies from a historical perspective. He looks for parallels between the energy transition from coal to oil and gas to the current renewables. Nicklich and Endo answer the question ‘Do globalization and globally perceived occurrences of environmental problems lead to a convergence of energy supply?’. They compare the fields of German and Japanese wind power with a particular focus on Greenpeace after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Finally, Lim and Tanaka focus on the question ‘When do energy transition policies enjoy broad-based acceptance?’. They conclude that the public acceptance of energy transition varies between Western and non-Western societies.

In the field of aerial robotics, physical interaction with the surrounding environment is currently receiving a considerable attention. One of the key challenges is to control not only the position, but also the force exerted by the end-effector while performing complex tasks such as object manipulation, inspection, and assembly/disassembly. To meet these demands, this paper proposes a dynamic hybrid position/force controller for a quadrotor-borne multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator. The system is modeled under the situation that the constraints on the end-effector are described by a set of hypersurfaces, and system dynamics are then developed while taking into account the redundancy of the system. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid controller, we carried out numerical simulations for two different application scenarios which include (1) placement of a sensor unit on a vertical wall and (2) inspection with contact on a curved-shape wall. The results show that the system is able to maintain the desired force and position simultaneously in both cases.

Background: Lateral mass screw (LMS) and transpedicular screw (TPS) techniques are the two major options for performing posterior cervical fusion of the subaxial cervical spine. Although these two techniques can cover the vast majority of patients who require posterior fixation of the cervical spine, they are not without their limitations. Objective: The objective of this study is to introduce a novel technique, lateral mass intrapedicular screw (LMIS) fixation, for posterior subaxial cervical spine (C3–C6) fixation. Materials and Methods: The starting point of the screw is defined as the midpoint of the lateral mass. In the axial plane, the screw is angled at 20°–25° with respect to the midline of the spinous process. In the sagittal plane, the screw is directed toward the rostral quarter (zone 1) of the vertebral body and placed within the pedicle. A preliminary, proof-of-concept experiment was performed using a bone model created with synthetic bone and computed tomography images before performing the operation on a patient. Results: During the preliminary experiment, insignificant breaching of the inner cortex of the pedicle was observed with one of the screws. However, no other screws breached the inner cortex in the same manner during the preliminary experiment or during the operation, and the intraoperative fixation was strong. Conclusion: LMIS is a relatively simple and safe technique that can be performed for the fixation of subaxial cervical spines with screws that are longer than those used in LMS. We believe that this technique may join the two existing techniques to become a common alternative technique, particularly for patients with poor bone quality.

This chapter highlights that management ideas do not exist in a vacuum. They need to be captured without losing the insights into dynamics. Such dynamics of management ideas may need to be examined by embracing vertical and horizontal factors. Such attention to vertical and horizontal factors is crucial, since the emphasis of either one over the other may fail to embrace the entire picture concerning dynamics centred on management ideas. This article focuses on such vertical and horizontal dynamics concerning agile methodologies in Japan, which tend to be associated with car manufacturing in business and management studies. The examination reveals that ‘TPS’ has provided a ‘common base’ throughout the period under investigation. The newly introduced idea of ‘agility’ has not replaced it, but has been ‘added on’.

Industry dynamics are about stability and change on the field level of analysis. This chapter will use the lens of path dependence to study the emergent field of renewable energy. On this level of analysis, path dependence theory has to address not only technological, but also organizational and institutional dynamics that intricately interact. More specifically, by means of such a multi-dimensional lens, this chapter will look at the increasing generation of electric energy through wind power to illustrate different industry dynamics in four countries. The UK and Japan will illustrate the persistence of an established path in generating electric energy through fossil fuels and nuclear, while the German and, more tenuously, Chinese cases serve as examples for path-breaking change and the conditions making the emergence of renewables, and in particular wind energy possible.

In this study, we develop a platform that can display approximately 20 types of data via a web browser to realize a digital twin of a wider area, including a detailed reading display of block units and individual three-dimensional point cloud data (point cloud) of a city. Using actual data, we examine if the data model and visualization design correspond with the zoom level. Owing to the comparative examination of the wide-area display performance and the map representation design in a JavaScript-based open-source library, we were able to develop a platform with light architecture and an easily customizable display. Furthermore, prototyping, based on Mapbox GL JS and Deck.GL, and the display of spatiotemporal flow layers, such as background maps, point cloud data in many places, dozens of layer display types, and the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) allowed for the seamless transition from the local government to the wide-area display in the prefecture unit in approximately 10-20 s.It is recommended that this digital smart city platform should be standardized by other local governments, especially in areas where higher-order data visualization is yet to advance. To display this digital city in a lightweight environment, we consider the digital data situation of local governments in Japan. It is necessary to define the visualized design for each zoom level according to the characteristics of the data. We then arranged the display model of each zoom level for 20 types of urban infrastructure data related to the digital smart city by referring to the style schema of the tile form. Through these tasks, we organized the commonality and optimization of data models and formats.

Retropharyngeal hematomas are uncommon, but they may rarely cause occlusion of the upper airway and threaten life. Retropharyngeal hematomas often occur due to head or neck injury;they rarely occur due to iatrogenic causes such as insertion of a gastric tube or anticoagulant therapy. It has been found that patients receiving anticoagulant therapy are more likely to experience potentially severe retropharyngeal hematomas. We report the case of a patient with retropharyngeal hematoma with cervical cord damage. A 75-year-old man was transferred to our hospital after he sustained a fall and damaged his face. CT showed a massive retropharyngeal hematoma, but he did not complain of any breathing issues. Therefore, we selected conservative therapy. However, after approximately 4 hours, he suddenly complained of breathing problems and suffered from loss of consciousness. We performed intubation and provided sedation. After one week, his condition clearly improved and he was extubated.

The production line engineer's task of designing the external path for cables feeding electricity, air, and other resources to robot arms is a labor-intensive one. As the motions of robot arms are complex, the manual task of designing their cable path is a time-consuming and continuous trial-and-error process. Herein, we propose an automatic optimization method for planning the cable paths for industrial robot arms. The proposed method applies current physics simulation techniques for reducing the person–hours involved in cable path design. Our method yields an optimal parameter vector (PV) that specifies the cable length and cable-guide configuration via filtering the candidate PV set through a cable-geometry simulation based on the mass–spring model. The proposed method offers two key features: 1) Increased computational efficiency via an optimization procedure that separates the entire cable into the cable segments. In the proposed method, the entire cable is segmented at the positions of the cable guides into several separate cable segments, and the PVs of the cable segments that satisfy the constraints of collision, stretch, and curvature radius are filtered into the local optimal PV set. The global optimal PV is obtained by finding the combination of the local optimal PVs which have the same guide configuration between the adjacent cable segments and have minimal total length of the adjacent cable segments. 2) Robustness to external disturbances, such as fluctuation in the physical properties of the cables and the accuracy of manually attaching the cables. The PVs of the local optimal PV sets are required to satisfy the above constraints, even if the cable length changes in the predefined range, which ensures the robustness of the obtained cable path. To verify the validity of the proposed method, we obtain the global optimal PVs by applying the method to several pick-and-place motions of a six-axis vertical articulated robot arm in our simulations and implement the cable paths on an actual robot arm based on the obtained PVs. Our results indicate that the proposed method can aid line engineers to efficiently design the cable paths along robot arms.

This paper discusses formation problem for robotic swarms when multiple robotic swarms cross one another's path. To realize the crossing motion, collision avoidance between agents is an important issue, with the potential to cause a general mix-up of formation during the crossing motion. To realize an orderly and well-organized crossing motion with the least mix-up, as well as collision avoidance, we propose a distributed controller. This well-organized crossing motion can realize visually appealing and highly entertaining robotic mass games. This paper proposes a distributed controller using the gradient of the cost functions about the formation maintenance, collision avoidance, and tracking to the desired trajectory. We then prove that we can achieve a well-organized crossing motion of multiple robotic swarms under several assumptions. Finally, experimental and numerical simulations are carried out to investigate whether the well-organized crossing motion can be achieved.

This paper presents a new remote center of motion (RCM) mechanism design for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) robotic manipulators, capable of providing two important degrees of freedom (DoFs) — pitch and translation — purely through its mechanism design. Novelty of the proposed design is that it offers a significantly smaller footprint compared to the existing state-of-the-art 2-DoF planar RCM mechanisms. We describe the design, perform kinematic analysis, and use simulation to validate its RCM capability. The design is also optimized using manipulability and tool translation to achieve maximum kinematic performance with smallest size of the proposed mechanism. A comparison between the mechanism workspace and the required workspace shows that the proposed design meets the MIS workspace requirements. Optimization results demonstrate that the proposed design offers same kinematic performance as of an exiting design, but with a significantly smaller footprint. Compact distal-end and smaller footprint make the proposed design ideal for applications requiring multiple manipulators to operate in close proximity.

This paper discusses grasping and orientation control of an object by dual one-link Timoshenko arms. The control objective is to control the grasping force and the orientation of the object, and to...

This paper addresses the navigation of a robotic swarm with nonhomogeneous abilities, including sensing range, maximum velocity, and acceleration. With this method, the robotic swarm moves in a two-dimensional plane, and each follower distributedly constructs and maintains local directed connection using only local information to achieve maintenance of global connectivity. We also ensure the swarm is stable when the leader moves at a constant velocity. Validity and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy are shown by theoretical analysis, experiments with real robots, and numerical simulations.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to locate the role of local standard setters in institutional complexity, where multiple sources of pressure for change and continuity coexist. The existing research does not fully explore this since it tends to illustrate the way in which a particular interpretation concerning certain accounting standards prevails over time (Archelet al., 2011; Murphy and O’Connell, 2013; Pelger, 2016; Young, 2014).Design/methodology/approachIt empirically examines and critiques the Japanese experience through the concepts of institutional complexity and translation that specify the relationship between the name and types of practice of accounting standards in the local context (Czarniawska and Sevón, 1996, 2005; Erlingsdóttfr and Lindberg, 2005; Røvik, 2016; Sahlin and Wedlin, 2008). Data sources are texts produced (between 2001 and 2015) by the local accounting standard setter and relevant organisations that represent firms, the certified public accountants and regulatory agency, respectively.FindingsThe local accounting standard setter in Japan was exposed to competing pressures between change and maintenance, which was translated by the standard setter in Japan. Consequently, the translation led to an “explosion” of local accounting standards (“pure” International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Japanese Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), modified IFRS and US GAAP).Originality/valueThis paper is the first attempt to systematically examine the role of a local standard setter under institutional complexity. It illustrates how institutional complexity is turned into divergent outcomes against the assumption of previous research that indicates multiple interpretations of particular accounting standards finally merging into a specific one.

Japan’s corporate governance and employment relations systems have been under considerable pressures to reform towards a more Anglo-American model, against a back-drop of intensified global competition and slow economic growth over two ‘lost’ decades. But what is the relationship between these systems, and specifically, how does corporate governance structure condition employment relations practice? This paper adopts the ‘Systems, Society, Dominance and Corporate effects’ framework in order to contextualize and evaluate the outcomes of these pressures, particularly in the period following the 2007-8 global financial crisis. It reports case study data from various parts of the Japanese economy drawn from a series of firm-based interviews and a variety of secondary sources. It is argued that there has been a strong degree of continuity in certain employment practices, such as lifetime employment, even in relatively new high technology firms, but that the pattern for other practices, such as seniority-based pay, is more mixed with increasing differentiation between industries and individual organizations. We articulate a layered assessment of the varying SSDC effects at play in corporate Japan. This differentiation across industries and organizations is a function both of strategic choice (corporate effects) and also the increasing variation in the meso-level institutional pressures that are experienced at organizational level; that is, the differentiation in the sources and nature of dominance effects that are relevant.

We apply dynamic event-triggered control to a general linear multiagent system. On the basis of output feedback, a decentralized dynamic event-triggered controller is proposed for each agent to achieve consensus. No agent requires continuous communication, and it is sufficient for an agent to continuously observe its own states and broadcast them to its neighbors at the event time. The event frequency can be greatly reduced without appreciable loss of consensusability compared with the case of conventional static event-triggered controllers. Each event occurs with appropriate timing because we use dynamically varying thresholds for event triggering. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulation. Furthermore, the consensusability and event frequency are compared between static and dynamic event-triggered controllers in numerical simulation.

This paper discusses a cooperative control problem by two one-link flexible Timoshenko arms. The goal is to control a grasping force to collect an object with the two flexible arms, and to simultaneously suppress the vibrations of the arms. To solve this problem, we propose a boundary controller that is based on a dynamic model represented by a hybrid PDE–ODE model; the exponential stability of the closed-loop system is then proven by the frequency domain method. Finally, several numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the validity of the proposed boundary cooperative controller.

Incipient charnockites representing granulite formation on a mesoscopic scale occur in the Ambodin Ifandana area of Ikalamavony sub-domain in south-central Madagascar. Here we report new petrological data from these rocks, and discuss the process of granulite formation on the basis of petrography, mineral equilibrium modeling, and fluid inclusion studies. The incipient charnockites occur as brownish patches, lenses, and layers characterized by an assemblage of biotite + orthopyroxene + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + magnetite + ilmenite within host orthopyroxene-free biotite gneiss with an assemblage of biotite + K-feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + magnetite + ilmenite. Lenses and layers of calc-silicate rock (clinopyroxene + garnet + plagioclase + quartz + titanite + calcite) are typically associated with the charnockite. Coarse-grained charnockite occurs along the contact between the layered charnockite and calc-silicate rock. The application of mineral equilibrium modeling on the mineral assemblages in charnockite and biotite gneiss employing the NCKFMASHTO system as well as fluid inclusion study on coarse-grained charnockite defines a P–T range of 8.5–10.5 kbar and 880–900 °C, which is nearly consistent with the inferred P–T condition of the Ikalamavony sub-domain (8.0–10.5 kbar and 820–880 °C). The result of T versus H 2 O activity ( a (H 2 O)) modeling demonstrates that orthopyroxene-bearing assemblage in charnockite is stable under relatively low a (H 2 O) condition of 0.42–0.43, which is consistent with the popular models of incipient-charnockite formation related to the lowering of water activity and stabilization of orthopyroxene through dehydration of biotite. The occurrence of calc-silicate rocks adjacent to the charnockite suggests that the CO 2 -bearing fluid that caused dehydration and incipient-charnockite formation might have been derived through decarbonation of calc-silicate rocks during the initial stage of decompression slightly after the peak metamorphism. The calc-silicate rocks might have also behaved as a cap rock that trapped CO 2 infiltrated from an external source. ‘CO 2 -rich fluid ponds’ formed beneath calc-silicate layers could have enhanced dehydration of biotite to orthopyroxene, and produced layers of coarse-grained charnockite adjacent to calc-silicate layers.

How did incumbents in Japanese publishing maintain resale price maintenance (RPM)? This article sheds light on the inter- and intra-industrial structure that enabled the protection of RPM, or the fixed price system, amid the country-wide liberalisation in the 1990s. By analysing textual data including governmental reports, trade papers in publishing and leaflets adopted for lobbying, the critical decade was reconstructed. It addresses a scarcity of business history literature about the link between RPM and business organisations, particularly concerning lobbying.

This technical note discusses a contact-force control problem for a flexible arm. This flexible arm includes a Timoshenko beam, and thus we call it the flexible Timoshenko arm. The aim of the force control is to control the contact force at the contact point. To solve this problem, we propose a simple boundary controller and show the exponential stability of the closed-loop system by the frequency domain method. Finally, we describe simulation results carried out to investigate the validity of the proposed controller for the force control problem.

This paper focuses on grasping and manipulation of an object by two one-link flexible arms. By taking rolling constraints between the arm tip and the grasped object, the arms have the potential to grasp and manipulate an object at the same time. To realize grasping and manipulation by two flexible arms, a boundary controller is derived from a Lyapunov functional related to the total energy of a dynamic model described by a hybrid partial differential equation-ordinary differential equation (PDE-ODE) model. The derived controller consists of the bending moment at the root of the arm, the rotational angle, and the angular velocity of the motor. In particular, the controller does not need the feedback of the information of the grasped object, and thus, it is easy to implement the controller. Further, it is shown that the derived controller realizes stable grasping and orientation control of the object as well as vibration control of the arms. Finally, experiments and numerical simulations are conducted to investigate the validity of the derived boundary controller.

In many haptic training systems, the users need to wear a finger holder in order to interact with the system and learn fine motor skills. This procedural requirement of using a finger holder is known to decrease the user force-detection capability at the fingertip, which could lead to poor learning outcomes. In order to increase the fingertip force-detection capabilities of the user, one possible way is to use Stochastic Resonance (SR). However, the effects of SR on a fingertip placed inside a finger holder are hitherto unknown. In this paper, first we investigate the effects of SR on the user haptic performance when the fingertip is placed inside a finger holder. Then, we propose a new haptic training method that utilizes haptic feedback and SR to improves the user performance outcomes. The results show that the user fingertip sensitivity significantly increases even when the fingertip is enclosed by a finger holder. We performed a force learning task to compare the user performance under two conditions: (i) haptic feedback with SR (proposed method), and (ii) haptic feedback without SR. The results demonstrate that the user performance, measured through task accuracy, increases with the proposed method. These findings indicate the effectiveness of the proposed haptic training method and application of SR in motor-skill learning.

Grounding of kinesthetic feedback against a user's hand can increase the portability and wearability of a haptic device. However, the effects of different hand-grounding locations on haptic perception of a user are unknown. In this letter, we investigate the effects of three different hand-grounding locations-back of the hand, proximal phalanx of the index finger, and middle phalanx of the index finger-on haptic perception using a newly designed wearable haptic device. The novel device can provide kinesthetic feedback to the user's index finger in two directions: along the finger-axis and in the finger's flexion-extension movement direction. We measure users' haptic perception for each grounding location through a psychophysical experiment for each of the two feedback directions. Results show that among the studied locations, grounding at proximal phalanx has a smaller average just noticeable difference for both feedback directions, indicating a more sensitive haptic perception. The realism of the haptic feedback, based on user ratings, was the highest with grounding at the middle phalanx for feedback along the finger axis, and at the proximal phalanx for feedback in the flexion-extension direction. Users identified the haptic feedback as most comfortable with grounding at the back of the hand for feedback along the finger axis and at the proximal phalanx for feedback in the flexion-extension direction. These findings show that the choice of grounding location has a significant impact on the user's haptic perception and qualitative experience. The results provide insights for designing next-generation wearable hand-grounded kinesthetic devices to achieve better haptic performance and user experience in virtual reality and teleoperated robotic applications., 8 pages, 11 figures, 1 table

This chapter introduces a novel four-limbed robot, WAREC-1, that has advanced locomotion and manipulation capability with versatile locomotion styles. At disaster sites, there are various types of environments through which a robot must traverse, such as rough terrain filled with rubbles, narrow places, stairs, and vertical ladders. WAREC-1 moves in hazardous environments by transitioning among various locomotion styles, such as bipedal/quadrupedal walking, crawling, and ladder climbing. WAREC-1 has identically structured limbs with 28 degrees of freedom (DoF) in total with 7-DoFs in each limb. The robot is 1,690 mm tall when standing on two limbs, and weighs 155 kg. We developed three types of actuator units with hollow structures to pass the wiring inside the joints of WAREC-1, which enables the robot to move on rubble piles by creeping on its stomach. Main contributions of our research are following five topics: (1) Development of a four-limbed robot, WAREC-1. (2) Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) using laser range sensor array. (3) Teleoperation system using past image records to generate a third-person view. (4) High-power and low-energy hand. (5) Lightweight master system for telemanipulation and an assist control system for improving the maneuverability of master-slave systems.

In this paper, we propose two control methods for driving a power-assisted cart made for walking assistance for the elderly. The optimal assistance ratio (OAR) and disturbance observer-based (DOB) methods properly adjust the motor output of the cart with high operational efficiency in response to changes in the environment. Healthy subjects walked with the cart on several road surfaces under various conditions, and the experimental results indicate the high operational efficiency of the two proposed methods. Meanwhile, their drawbacks are also discussed herein. The two methods can be used separately or combined according to the application. The OAR method is more suitable for indoor use, while the DOB method is applicable for outdoor applications. Combining these two methods could overcome the mentioned drawbacks.

This study aimed to build an innovative system to deliver a systemic small interfering RNA (siRNA) treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. We combined arginine-histidine-cysteine based oligopeptide-modified polymer micelles with siRNA targeting the nuclear factor κB subunit, RelA (siRelA). This is a key molecule in the control of inflammation. We tested the cellular uptake of siRNA and its effects on inflammatory cytokine levels in vitro using synoviocytes, and siRNA distribution and therapeutic effects in vivo in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). These studies showed that arginine-histidine based oligopeptide modified micelles produced effective cellular siRNA uptake and suppressed inflammatory cytokine levels in synoviocytes. In vivo, these micelles produced marked accumulation of siRNAs in arthritic paws in CIA mice, with much less accumulation in healthy mice. The siRelA-polymer micelle complexes also produced more effective suppression of RelA mRNA expression and inflammatory cytokine levels in the arthritic paws of CIA mice and reduced their clinical symptom scores and paw thickness.

Energy policy literature tends to emphasise the impact of taxation on energy preference. However, the present case concerning extremely low acceptance of diesel cars in Japan could not be explained by taxation. As a possible factor, the paper sheds light upon discourse around the energy policy. The policy aimed to characterise diesel technology as emitting particulate matter and nitrogen oxide (NOx). The paper contributes to extending the existing understanding of the role of public policy by embracing the linguistic interactions complemented by visualisation.

In the Wang Nam Khiao area, Nakhon Ratchasima, northeastern Thailand, there are various mafic-ultramafic plutons composed of hornblendite, hornblende gabbro and hornblende microgabbro. The rocks are generally dominated by hornblende, plagioclase and clinopyroxene. The mineral chemistry and whole-rock geochemistry of hornblendite, hornblende gabbro and hornblende microgabbro show their similarities, suggesting a close relationship of their magmatic evolution. The flat REE pattern and low HREE concentration indicate fractional crystallization from hydrous magma. The enrichment in LILE (e.g. Ba, K, Sr) and depletion of HFSE (e.g. Nb, Ta, Zr) together with compositions of clinopyroxene and hornblende reflect arc-related subduction. Hornblende-plagioclase geothermometry and Al-in-hornblende geobarometry indicate the PT conditions of crystallization are 5.3–9.8 kbar and 670–1000 °C, 7.6–9.0 kbar and 850–950 °C, and 7.6–8.8 kbar and 750–850 °C for hornblendite, hornblende gabbro and hornblende microgabbro, respectively, at the lower crustal depth (28–31 km). Zircon U-Pb age of hornblende microgabbro dike, that intruded into hornblendite, yields 257 Ma of intrusion age, suggesting the emplacement of the mafic-ultramafic rock in this area is related to Late Permian arc magmatism resulted from subduction of Palaeo-Tethys beneath Indochina Terrane.

We describe the development of a haptic interface that can present the sensation of softness to multiple fingers. Human hands experience the sensation of softness when touching a yielding object like a human body. In virtual training systems for medical procedures such as palpation, how to display softness at multiple fingertips is an essential and demanding problem. To solve it, we develop a softness-display device using a flexible sheet and realize a haptic interface able to present softness sensations at multiple fingers. The haptic interface combines the newly developed device and our previously developed multifingered haptic interface robot, which consists of a five-fingered hand and an arm. We then carry out several experiments and demonstrate the validity of the developed haptic interface.

Studies on star employees in an organization have found that stars achieve high individual performance, and they positively or negatively influence coworkers in teams. However, scholars have not em...

Background: The reported prevalences of IgG autoantibodies (AAbs) to FcεRIα and IgE in sera from patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) have varied, and these AAbs are also often observed in healthy control subjects. Regarding the histamine release activity of purified IgG from patients with CSU, the number of examined patients has been small. Thus, we sought to determine the prevalence and FcεRI crosslinking ability of these AAbs in a large number of patients with CSU and non-atopic control (NC) subjects. Methods: We compared the concentrations of anti-IgE and anti-FcεRIα AAbs and the abilities of these AAbs to cause FcεRI aggregation in patients with CSU (n = 134) and NC subjects (n = 55) using ELISA and an in vitro elicitation test, respectively. Results: The concentration of anti-IgE AAbs was significantly different between the NC subjects and the CSU patients (P

In this paper, we discuss a force control problem of one link flexible arm. To solve this problem, we propose a controller based on an infinite dimensional model. The proposed controller consists of a contact force and a time derivative of the strain at the root of the arm, and the physical parameters are not used in the implementation of the controller. Then, we analyze the stability of the closed-loop system, and we show that the closed-loop system can be exponentially stable by setting the feedback gains so that the eigenvalues are located on the left half-plane. In addition, we carried out numerical simulations to confirm its stability and robustness against the uncertainty of the physical parameters.

In recent years, various robots have been developed for operations in dangerous environments such as those found after large-scale disasters. Most of the conventional rescue robots are controlled by tele-operation. We have developed an intuitive tele-operation system, called the virtual marionette system, in order to improve the operability of a legged rescue robot. A previous study showed that one of the problems of the virtual marionette system was a low success rate in a ladder recovery task. To solve this problem, we introduced a force presentation function based on the determination of the contact between an environmental CG model and a robot CG model in a virtual space. In addition, an arrow indication and dolly function for the viewpoint was newly installed to improve the operability visually.

The term “sustainable development” has become very popular among researchers, practitioners and policymakers since the 1980s. The sustainability concept is now applied in the field of groundwater management. Excessive groundwater pumping is taking place in many parts of the world and the means to achieve sustainable groundwater management has become an urgent need. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how to promote sustainable groundwater management, with a focus on Orange County Water District (OCWD), California, USA. OCWD faced excessive groundwater pumping in the 1920s. Since then, the district introduced various policies including a pump tax and basin equity assessment to tackle the problem, and continues to use groundwater as the primary supply. Investigation into the factors that enable OCWD to use groundwater continuously provides useful information to policymakers in other areas who are engaged in groundwater management. In addition, policy implications in terms of sustainability are drawn from OCWD’s groundwater management.

Water scarcity is a global concern that necessitates a global perspective, but it is also the product of multiple regional issues that require regional solutions. Water markets constitute a regionally applicable non-structural measure to counter water scarcity that has received the attention of academics and policy-makers, but there is no global view on their applicability. We present the global distribution of potential nations and states where water markets could be instituted in a legal sense, by investigating 296 water laws internationally, with special reference to a minimum set of key rules: legalization of water reallocation, the separation of water rights and landownership, and the modification of the cancellation rule for non-use. We also suggest two additional globally distributed prerequisites and policy implications: the predictability of the available water before irrigation periods and public control of groundwater pumping throughout its jurisdiction.

This paper focuses on a haptic training system for fine motor skills using multiple fingers. To transfer skills involving such fine motor tasks, instruction on how to move the fingers and use fingertip forces is essential. In this paper, we propose an optimal method for transmitting knowledge regarding fingertip forces from trainer to trainee; we then construct a haptic training system based on the proposed method. The resulting system conveys knowledge of fingertip forces and positions in three-dimensional space by combining an image display system with a five-fingered haptic interface robot capable of alternating force presentation. Finally, we describe several experiments carried out to optimize and evaluate the performance of the proposed method. HighlightsWe proposed optimal switching method for transferring multiple fingertip forces.Based on the proposed method, a haptic training system was developed.The proposed method enhanced the training effect compared with our earlier method.

In the present study, we aimed to map canopy heights in the Brazilian Amazon mainly on the basis of spaceborne LiDAR and cloud-free MODIS imagery with a new method (the Self-Organizing Relationships method) for spatial modeling of the LiDAR footprint. To evaluate the general versatility, we compared the created canopy height map with two different canopy height estimates on the basis of our original field study plots (799 plots located in eight study sites) and a previously developed canopy height map. The compared canopy height estimates were obtained by: (1) a stem diameter at breast height ( D ) – tree height ( H ) relationship specific to each site on the basis of our original field study, (2) a previously developed D – H model involving environmental and structural factors as explanatory variables ( Feldpausch et al., 2011 ), and (3) a previously developed canopy height map derived from the spaceborne LiDAR data with different spatial modeling method and explanatory variables ( Simard et al., 2011 ). As a result, our canopy height map successfully detected a spatial distribution pattern in canopy height estimates based on our original field study data ( r = 0.845, p = 8.31 × 10 −3 ) though our canopy height map showed a poor correlation ( r = 0.563, p = 0.146) with the canopy height estimate based on a previously developed model by Feldpausch et al. (2011) . We also confirmed that the created canopy height map showed a similar pattern with the previously developed canopy height map by Simard et al. (2011) . It was concluded that the use of the spaceborne LiDAR data provides a sufficient accuracy in estimating the canopy height at regional scale.