Solving the QAP by Two-Stage Graph Pointer Networks and Reinforcement Learning

Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) is a practical combinatorial optimization problems that has been studied for several years. Since it is NP-hard, solving large problem instances of QAP is challenging. Although heuristics can find semi-optimal solutions, the execution time significantly increases as the problem size increases. Recently, solving combinatorial optimization problems by deep learning has been attracting attention as a faster solver than heuristics. Even with deep learning, however, solving large QAP is still challenging. In this paper, we propose the deep reinforcement learning model called the two-stage graph pointer network (GPN) for solving QAP. Two-stage GPN relies on GPN, which has been proposed for Euclidean Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). First, we extend GPN for general TSP, and then we add new algorithms to that model for solving QAP. Our experimental results show that our two-stage GPN provides semi-optimal solutions for benchmark problem instances from TSPlib and QAPLIB.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Comparison of Urinary Levels of 8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine between Young Females with and without Depressive Symptoms during Different Menstrual Phases

This study aimed to clarify the association between depressive symptoms and a marker of oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in young females. Since the menstrual cycle may confound or modify this association, depressive symptoms and urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2ʼ deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were evaluated during each menstrual phase. A total of 57 female fourth-year students (aged 21.6±0.8) from a Japanese health science university were studied. The menstrual cycle was divided into 3 phases:menstrual (days 1 to 3 after the onset of menses);proliferative (days 13 to 15);and secretory (days 24 to 26). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the self-rating depression scale (SDS). Positive depressive symptoms were defined as a score of 53 or more during 2 different menstrual phases. The association between the presence of depressive symptoms and 8-OHdG levels adjusting for the menstrual cycle was examined by two-way analysis of variance with the menstrual cycle (menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases) as the within-individual factor. The menstrual cycle did not show a significant correlation with urinary 8-OHdG levels. On the other hand, the menstrual cycle-adjusted 8-OHdG level was significantly higher in those with depressive symptoms (7.01ng/mL) than in those without them (3.98ng/mL). The ROC curve analysis showed that urinary 8-OHdG levels had reasonably high discriminative performance throughout all the menstrual cycles (0.73-0.81;all p＜0.05). These results indicated the presence of oxidative stress in subjects with depressive symptoms independent of the menstrual cycle

Complementary and alternative medicine use by visitors to rural Japanese family medicine clinics: results from the international complementary and alternative medicine survey

Abstract Background There is growing interest in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) throughout the world, however previous research done in Japan has focused primarily on CAM use in major cities. The purpose of this study was to develop and distribute a Japanese version of the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q) to assess the use of CAM among people who visit rural Japanese family medicine clinics. Methods Using a Japanese version of the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q), a cross-sectional survey was conducted in three rural family medicine clinics. All patients and those accompanying patients who met inclusion criteria were eligible to participate. Data were entered into SPSS Statistics and analyzed for use by age, gender, and location. Results Of the 519 respondents who participated in the project, 415 participants reported CAM use in the past 12 months (80.0%). When prayer is excluded, the prevalence of CAM use drops to 77.3% in the past year, or 403 respondents. The most common forms of CAM used by respondents were pain relief pads (n = 170, 32.8%), herbal medicines/supplements (n = 167, 32.2%), and massage by self or family (n = 166, 32.0%). Female respondents, individuals with higher levels of education, and those with poorer overall health status were more likely to use CAM than respondents without these characteristics. Only 22.8% of CAM therapies used were reported to physicians by survey participants. Conclusions These data indicate that CAM use in rural Japan is common. The results are consistent with previous studies that show that Japanese individuals are more interested in forms of CAM such as pain relief pads and massage, than in mind-body forms of CAM like relaxation and meditation. Due to the high utilization of certain CAM practices, and given that most CAM users do not disclose their CAM use to their doctors, we conclude that physicians in rural Japan would benefit by asking about CAM use during patient interviews, and by familiarizing themselves with the potential benefits and risks of commonly used CAM modalities.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109545/1/12906_2013_Article_1938.pd

Characterization of Tunable Magnetic Sensor Using Bias Magnetic Field of a Hard Magnetic Film Magnetized by Pulsed-Magnetic Field

A tunable magnetoresistance (MR) sensor with variable sensitivity and measuring range is fabricated and characterized. The sensor has been fabricated using a combination of Ni-Fe soft magnetic film, Fe-Co-Sm hard magnetic film. The sensor is placed in a magnetizing coil for the process of magnetizing the hard magnetic film. The sensitivity and the measuring range of the sensor are tuned by bias magnetic field produced by the magnetic poles of the hard magnetic film. The sensitivity change was about 60%, and the measuring range change was about 30% in the tunable MR sensor from the experimental results. The bias magnetic field is controlled by changing amplitude of the pulsed magnetic field in the magnetizing for the hard magnetic film. The control power for one time tuning is about 18 mu Wh.ArticleIEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS. 49(7):3854-3857 (2013)journal articl

A network-based trans-omics approach for predicting synergistic drug combinations

Background Combination therapy can offer greater efficacy on medical treatments. However, the discovery of synergistic drug combinations is challenging. We propose a novel computational method, SyndrumNET, to predict synergistic drug combinations by network propagation with trans-omics analyses. Methods The prediction is based on the topological relationship, network-based proximity, and transcriptional correlation between diseases and drugs. SyndrumNET was applied to analyzing six diseases including asthma, diabetes, hypertension, colorectal cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Results Here we show that SyndrumNET outperforms the previous methods in terms of high accuracy. We perform in vitro cell survival assays to validate our prediction for CML. Of the top 17 predicted drug pairs, 14 drug pairs successfully exhibits synergistic anticancer effects. Our mode-of-action analysis also reveals that the drug synergy of the top predicted combination of capsaicin and mitoxantrone is due to the complementary regulation of 12 pathways, including the Rap1 signaling pathway. Conclusions The proposed method is expected to be useful for discovering synergistic drug combinations for various complex diseases.journal articl

Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Dioxins on Mental and Motor Development in Japanese Children at 6 Months of Age

Several studies have shown that prenatal and/or postnatal background-level exposure to environmental chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins, induces adverse effects on the neurodevelopment of children. However, other studies have not detected any harmful influences on neurodevelopment. Furthermore, except in western countries, no developmental tests have been carried out in relation to detailed assessment of exposure to PCBs and dioxins. In this study (the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children’s Health), the effect of prenatal exposure to background levels of PCBs and dioxins on infant neurodevelopment in Japan/Sapporo was elucidated. The associations between the total or individual isomer level of PCBs and dioxins in 134 Japanese pregnant women’s peripheral blood and the mental or motor development of their 6-month-old infants were evaluated using the second edition of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The mean level of total toxicity equivalency quantity (TEQ) was 18.8 (4.0–51.2) pg/g lipid in blood of 134 mothers. After adjustment for potential confounding variables, the total TEQ value was shown not to be significantly associated with mental developmental index (MDI) or psychomotor developmental index (PDI). However, the levels of one polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (PCDD) isomer, total PCDDs, and total PCDDs/polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were significantly negatively associated with MDI, and the levels of two PCDD isomers and three PCDF isomers were significantly negatively associated with the PDI. In conclusion, the background-level exposure of several isomers of dioxins during the prenatal period probably affects the motor development of 6-month-old infants more than it does their mental development

Nursing Practices of Advanced-Care Planning by Home-Visit Nurses in Service Homes for the Elderly

Article目的：サービス付き高齢者向け住宅（以下，サ高住）における訪問看護師のアドバンス・ケア・プランニング（Advance Care Planning：以下，ACP）に関する看護実践を明らかにする． 方法：サ高住で高齢者を看取った訪問看護師11 人を対象にACP に関する看護実践について半構造化面接を実施した．面接内容をデータとし，Berelson,B. を参考に内容分析を行った． 結果：ACP に関する看護実践として，93 サブカテゴリ，44 カテゴリ，16 コアカテゴリが抽出された．16コアカテゴリは，【状態が悪化したタイミングでの療養者・家族・多職種との医療・ケア・看取りの方針の話し合い】【療養者の意思を汲み取った対象理解】【療養者・家族・多職種との情報共有と連携】等であった． 結論：療養者の家族が身近にいないサ高住では，訪問看護師が洞察や多職種との連携を通して，意図的にタイミングを捉え，看護実践に繋げていることが示唆された．Objective: To clarify the nursing practices of visiting nurses related to advanced-care planning (ACP) in housing establishments for the elderly with home-care services, also known as service homes. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with eleven visiting nurses who were present at the time of an elderly patient's passing at service homes were conducted. The interview data were analyzed with reference to Berelson. Results: With regard to nursing practices related to ACP, 93 subcategories, 44 categories, and 16 core categories were extracted. The 16 core categories included: discussion of medical care, nursing care, and end-of-life care policies with caregivers, family members, and other professionals at the time of deterioration; understanding the target patient by understanding the intention of the patient; and, information-sharing and collaboration with patients and their families, as well as among different medical professionals. Conclusion: In service homes, where the families of persons receiving medical treatment are not nearby, visiting nurses intentionally grasp the timing of the discussion by gaining necessary insight into the situation, and cooperating with other professionals in order to improve their nursing practices.原著群馬県立県民健康科学大学紀要16,3-17(2021)departmental bulletin pape