Hiroshi Ashikaga

I received my M.D. and Ph.D. from University of Tokyo, Japan. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. I am a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist as well as a researcher with expertise in medical image processing, mathematical modeling and cardiac biomechanics.Website

I have several preliminary research ideas and I plan to finish at least one of them during by the end of the Summer School. I am open to any comments and suggestions.

1. The Heart as a Complex System

With simple rules of operation and no central control, the heart orchestrates self-organized, emergent behaviors of 2 to 3 billion heart cells to perform sophisticated, well-timed pumping of the blood. In addition, most cardiac arrhythmias are emergent behaviors of a large number of heart cells rather than a cellular event unless one has a genetic defect in ion channels.

1) Cardiac Conduction Network Topology and Cardiac Fibrillation

Clinical observation suggests that the topology of the cardiac conduction network plays a critical role in the generation of chaotic arrhythmia called cardiac fibrillation. I want to quantify the topology of the cardiac conduction network to understand how it stabilizes or destabilizes electrical wave transmission.

2) Information Theory of the Heart

The heart is a dynamic information processing system, which transmits digital information (0 – resting, 1 – excited) in the form of electrical wave. I want to establish a theoretical basis to quantify information transmission within the heart using information theory and network theory. My hypothesis is that arrhythmias and heart failure following heart attacks result from a adaptive mechanism to optimize information transmission in abnormal hearts.

2. Mathematical Geopolitics

This is for fun. One of my hobbies is reading books on world history and international politics.

1) Determinants of Peninsular Stability

Throughout the history there have been a number of nation state conflicts and wars involving peninsulas, including the Iberian, Italian, Balkan, Korean and Crimean peninsulas. Using network theory and agent-based modeling, I want to identify the factors that make peninsulas geopolitically unique and identify the determinants of geopolitical stability within a peninsula. My hypothesis is that geopolitical stability is an optimization problem with economics as a major constraint.

2) Quantitative Assessment of Global Balance of Power

The global balance of power theory as a grand strategy of nation states will play a critical role in international politics in multipolar world. Using network theory and agent-based modeling, I want to quantify the most logical diplomatic strategy for a given nation state to optimize their survival and provide security to its citizens.