Okayama University 3 articles published in JoVE Behavior Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS) Wu Wang1, Jiajia Yang2,4, Yinghua Yu2,3,4, Qiong Wu5,2, Satoshi Takahashi2, Yoshimichi Ejima2, Jinglong Wu6,2 1Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, 2Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, 3Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 4Section on Functional Imaging Methods, National Institute of Mental Health, 5School of Education, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, 6Beijing Institute of Technology Presented is the tactile semiautomated passive-finger angle stimulator TSPAS, a new way to assess tactile spatial acuity and tactile angle discrimination using a computer-controlled tactile stimulus system that applies raised angle stimuli to a subject's passive fingerpad, while controlling for movement speed, distance, and contact duration. Medicine Model of Ischemic Heart Disease and Video-Based Comparison of Cardiomyocyte Contraction Using hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes Yun Liu*1, Yin Liang*1, Mengxue Wang*1, Chen Wang1, Heng Wei2, Keiji Naruse1, Ken Takahashi1 1Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, 2Institute of Laboratory Animals, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University We present a model of ischemic heart disease using cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells, together with a method for quantitative evaluation of tissue damage caused by ischemia. This model can provide a useful platform for drug screening and further research on ischemic heart disease. Chemistry Novel Techniques for Observing Structural Dynamics of Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals Masaki Hada1, Shohei Saito2, Ryuma Sato3, Kiyoshi Miyata4, Yasuhiko Hayashi1, Yasuteru Shigeta3, Ken Onda4 1Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, 2Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, 3Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 4Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University Here, we present the protocols of differential-detection analyses of time-resolved infrared vibrational spectroscopy and electron diffraction which enable observations of the deformations of local structures around photoexcited molecules in a columnar liquid crystal, giving an atomic perspective on the relationship between the structure and the dynamics of this photoactive material.