In this study, the relationship between the action potential in vivo and body fat percentage is clarified using an electromagnetic simulation of the human body. In general, it has been considered that there is a negative correlation between body fat percentage and the bioelectric potential observed. However, regarding consideration using the actual human body, systematic consideration was difficult because body fat percentage changes in conjunction with body type. Therefore, by using the electromagnetic simulation while fixing the form of the human body model, we changed only the body fat percentage by substituting the electrical properties of the human tissues, and the relationship between cardiac action potential observed and body fat percentage was investigated. As a result, the body fat percentage dependence of the observed action potential is small, and it became clear that dependence on body type is dominant.

The muscle fatigue is accumulated extra by abusing the muscle during exercise. These are risk of causing the injury, overwork and reduction in exercise efficiency. Therefore, detecting and manage the muscle fatigue is important. A muscle fatigue detection methods has a method using myopotential. The electrodes with adhesive gel are generally used to measure it. There are risk of causing the skin irritation and metal allergy or cannot reuse. Therefore, we aim to develop the muscle fatigue detection system without the conventional electrodes. The developed system was adopted the capacitance coupling electrodes. It can reuse without influence on the skin because the adhesive gel isn't use. We evaluated the muscle fatigue of the anterior tibialis before and after futsal. As a result, we considered there were few subject who could detect the muscle fatigue because the experimental conditions were unclear. We plan to do re-experiment after clarifying the experimental conditions.

The cardiac autonomic nervous system activity can be monitored by using the time-series data of RR interval and beat-to-beat blood pressure fluctuating even at rest condition. This monitoring has been applied in various fields such as sport and health science. On the other hand, the heart rate and blood pressure often increases during exercise, and therefore the on-line monitoring of these parameters is necessary not only for the management of exercise intensity but also for reducing the risk of accidents such as sudden death. These observations promise the advantage of wearable sensor in the area of sport and health science. In this presentation, the applicability of wearable sensor in this area will be discussed by introducing two our recent studies: 1) effect of different breathing methods on the dynamic property of ECG RR interval; and 2) the possible involvement of autonomic nervous system on the regulation of muscle contraction.

We have been developing the next generation Integrated Community Care System (ICCS) using IoT/BD/AI, and are conducting field trials in the model area of Koriyama city (from April 2016). In this session, we will present the results of the feasibility study and discuss the usefulness of IoT / BD / AI in the ICCS. This system consists of ICT and monitoring system with sensor technology (sleep sensor, water sensor) and visualization of the mind and brain by NIRS. We installed this system in the elderly family and remotely monitor heart rate, respiration rate, leaving bed in the nighttime and water usage in the daytime. In addition, we conduct psychological test and brain function measurement by NIRS at the public hall. In this presentation, we will present the results of the feasibility study and discuss the usefulness of IoT / BD / AI in the next generation ICCS.

This paper presents an automatic sleep quality assessment method based on an unobtrusive sleep monitoring system, which comprises mainly of a bed sensor monitoring heart rate, respiratory rate, body movement during sleeping and leaving the bed, and a cloud system processing the daily sleep data. The data obtained during sleep are further derived to mine features and pattern of sleep so that it can be used to rate the sleep from a predefined scale. Six subjects were employed to evaluate the validity of the proposed sleep quality assessment method. Experimental results preliminarily show that the consistency and validity of our method comparing to the reference Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), which is a traditional sleep quality assessment method.

We evaluated relationship between cognitive function and cerebral blood oxygenation (CBO) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) at rest in 291 adults (73.0±12.5 years). We employed a two channel time-resolved near infrared spectroscopy (TNIRS), which allows non-invasive measurements of baseline concentrations of oxy-Hb, deoxy-Hb, total-Hb [μM] and SO2 [%] of the bilateral PFC without any tasks. We examined cognitive functions using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Touch M which evaluates working memory function semi-automatically on a touchscreen. We found a significant positive correlation between MMSE scores and baseline concentrations of oxy-Hb and SO2. In addition, we observed significant positive correlations between Touch M scores and baseline concentrations of oxy-Hb and total-Hb. We used binomial logistic regression analysis. Regression model predicts correct value was 73.2% for the cognitive functions based on TNIRS measurement data, age and sex. TNIRS can be used to predict mild cognitive impairment objectively.

It is 1975 that we gave elderly women cosmetic treatments for the first time as "an daily appearance seminar" at an elderly facility in Iwate prefecture . At the present when nearly 40 years passed, various cosmetic therapies to the difference in life stage and complaint of the woman is suggested. Meanwh ile we clarified that there were a mild effect of the stress, protective eff icacy of the cognitive functional decline also to the woman of a young gener ation using technique of the medical engineering methods, and reported some of results in this society.In this presentation here, I would like to settle the history and results of research of the integrated community care using cosmetic treatment and prospect its current and future condition.

In recent years, brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) using auditory attention have been studied. Previous studies employ spatially distributed auditory stimuli using multiple speakers or several kinds of sounds for stimulation. The former has less portability while the latter makes users remember correspondence of stimuli with functions of BMI. In the present study, we examined the possibility that the target of auditory attention can be estimated using auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) related to attention to binaural sound with a single pure tone. In the experiment, earphones were used to present left monaural, right monaural or binaural pure tone of 2 kHz to subjects. The subjects attended to left or right auditory stimulus and maintained a mental count of the attended stimulus. We investigated that P300 components could be confirmed when the auditory stimulus was presented at the attended side based on ERP analyses.

Our purpose is clarifying P300 characteristics related to spatial attention. In this paper, we design two experiments. We investigate the P300 features caused by the difference of sound source's direction with comparing each result. In a directional discrimination task, stimuli (1[kHz] pure tone) are presented to a subject on a left and a right speaker. The target stimuli are generated on one of the left or the right speaker. The non-target stimuli are generated on opposite to the target sound source. In an oddball task (right speaker), stimuli (target: 1[kHz], non-target: 500[Hz] pure tone) are presented on the right speaker. In an oddball task (left speaker), stimuli are presented on the left speaker. The stimuli are presented 250 times (target: 50, non-target: 200) in each task. Results suggested the difference of P300's potential between a left and a right target appears when the subjects discriminate the direction of the stimulus.

In previous studies, it was shown that the working memory of musician renews faster and has larger capacity compared with it of non-musician. However, the kind of musical skill related working memory was not clear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between several musical skills and working memory ability measured by EEG. As a result, it was shown that the significant positive correlation between P300 amplitude evoked by sound stimulus and absolute pitch for chord. It was also shown that the significant negative correlation between P300 peak latency evoked by image stimulus and sing at sight. On the other hand, the significant positive correlation between P300 peak latency evoked by image stimulus and relative pitch for chord was shown. This result contradicts former two results. This contradiction may be caused by small number of subjects. As a future study, we plan to apply more subjects.

In our previous study, we performed experiments with wet gel electrodes and analyzed these SSVEPs with our detecting algorithm. However, wet gel electrodes give users discomfort.In this study, we record the SSVEP with dry electrodes.The previous algorithm cannot distinguish stimulus presentation state from rest state. We propose new algorithm to distinguish stimulus presentation state from rest state.The flickering frequency in pattern reversal stimulus is 10, 12 and 15Hz on the experiment. Each subject watch a flickering stimulus for 10 seconds. New algorithm focus on peak frequency around target SSVEP's frequency, because power spectrum has same level of each frequency in resting state. As results, we can record SSVEP with dry electrodes. The averaged detection ratio of stimulus presentation state is 83.7% and the averaged detection ratio of rest state is 89.0%.

We developed a low-cost, event-related desynchronization (ERD) measurement system using consumer-grade EEG system (Emotiv Epoc) for application of motor-imagery (MI) related brain machine interface (BMI). We investigated accuracy of ERD power detection of Epoc by comparing the ERD power calculated from simultaneously recorded EEG via Epoc and medical-grade EEG system (g.USBamp: g.tec medical engineering). Eleven healthy participants performed MI of holding a rolling tennis ball and opening the grasped hand under the observation of hand movement video. The mean ERD power was comparable between Epoc and g.USBamp with both hand gestures tested. ERD detection accuracy of Epoc was 70.5% of the all trials tested. Considering the price of Epoc, our results suggest that Epoc could be a good substitute for medical-grade EEG systems for the purpose of MI-based BMI.

Our purpose of this study is to quantify degree of mental fatigue by EEG signals and FPG signals. In this paper, we observe fluctuations of EEG power spectrums and FPG power spectrums by degree of mental fatigue during the reading tasks. Subjects read sentences aloud in the reading tasks. Subjects are instructed to read 50-sentences aloud and to take a 60-seconds rest in one trial. In this experiment, subjects take a 60-seconds rest in the first time and then repeat the trials ten times.Subjects perform a RAS check before and after a experiment and after trial 5. The Fourier transform is applied to the EEG and the FPG data during each interval period. We calculate α, β and γ band in EEG power spectrums and LF and HF band in FPG power spectrums.As results, fluctuations are observed in EEG power spectrums, FPG power spectrums as the experiment progresses.

Kinetics of the patellofemoral joint is important for analyzing the knee joint or a whole lower limb, because it effects the moment arm length of quadriceps around a knee joint. However, there have been little data about the patellofemoral kinetics, especially during deep knee flexion. Therefore we performed a simulation with changing the anterior-posterior position of a tibia, considering a large femoral roll back at deep knee flexion. The model was 2D on a sagittal plane. Tibia was settled as referring literature, and moved anterior by 5mm. As a result, patellofemoral joint dislocated at deep flexion with 15mm of tibial anterior translation. Moreover, although patellofemoral contact force reduced by the tibial anterior translation, patella tendon force did not change very much except just before the lift off. It indicated that patella would work as a lever arm of quadriceps regardless of the tibial anterior translation.

Falling of elderly is related to the decline of the gait function. There are many elderlies whose lower limb joint movement range is decreasing. Therefore, in evaluating the gait function, it seems necessary to pay attention to the influence of the reduction of the range of motion of the knee joint related to the lower limb joint group during walking.In this study, the effects of limited knee joint mobility on walking characteristics such as foot pressure during walking, range of motion of lower limb joint, and some parameters of gait cycle are investigated. As a result, the clearance of the tiptoe at heel contact and the dorsiflexion angle of the MP joint at toe-off were reduced. Therefore, it is considered that the limitation of the knee joint mobility effects the clearance and the toe-off.

The skin aging process caused by not only aging but also ultraviolet irradiation, could be related to the depression of metabolic function. The microcirculation system should be an important guideline of skin care for anti-aging. Rheological behavior of interstitial in epidermal and dermal tissue, including blood micro-circulation, can vary skin mechanics in micro scale, i.e. visco-elasticity. The purpose of this study is to visualize the tomographic flow velocity of red blood cell in capillaries below human epidermal skin using Optical Coherence Doppler Velocigraphy (OCDV). In order to validate OCDV system, this was in vivo applied to human forearm skin just after releasing a tourniquet. Consequently, time course of capillary blood flow velocity, visualized by OCDV system, could be evaluated tomographically in terms of reperfusion around epidermis and dermis.

In-line phase-contrast CT (IPCT) provides high sensitivity to analyze biological tissue structure. Here, we applied IPCT combined with a single-distance phase retrieval to quantify the bone repair process in mice.Female mice underwent ovariectomy or sham-operated at 10 weeks of age. Two weeks later, a 0.5-mm hole was created at a tibial diaphysis, and the ovariectomized mice were subdivided into OVX and OVX/EET groups. The OVX/EET mice received the 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acid. In-vivo IPCT was performed on postoperative days 3, 7 and 11 in SPring-8 radiation facility.No between-group difference was found in bone repair until postoperative day 7. On the day 11, however, mineral density histogram shows the peak at a lower value in OVX than in sham. Bone volume fraction and mean mineral density were significantly higher in OVX/EET than in OVX, showing the improved bone repair. Thus, IPCT may have the potential to evaluate bone repair dynamics.

In type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance causes insufficient GLUT4 trafficking to the cell membrane of striated muscles and adipocytes. We investigated the effect of pulse-wave stimulation on GLUT4 gene transcription and microtubule motor transport protein levels in skeletal muscle cells. RNA from each side of the bilateral anterior tibial muscles were extracted and reverse-transcribed to cDNAs, after pulses (0.7 ms, 5 V) were administered only to the right-side muscles for 1 hour at 30 or 400 ppm under general anesthesia. The GLUT4 (SLC2A4), kinesin-1 heavy chain (KIF5B), and dynein heavy chain (DYNC1H1) mRNA levels were measured relative to those of GAPDH, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. mRNA and blood glucose levels were significantly upregulated and decreased, respectively, only in the 400-ppm-stimulated muscles (n=7, p<0.05). Our study may contribute to developing non-drug therapies for diabetes by expressing GLUT4 in cell membranes and using blood glucose in the skeletal muscles.

The final goal of this study was to establish the methodology for chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells using mechanical stimuli. In this study, we evaluated the effects of cyclic compressive stimuli on chondrogenesis of ATDC5 cells cultured in agarose gel. The ATDC5 cell-seeded agarose gels were cultured under cyclic compressive stimuli (1Hz, 10% compressive strain). Cell proliferation and sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content were quantified to evaluate the chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells. As the results, the compressive stimuli promoted the chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells using the compressive stimuli.