Granules for Association Rules and Decision Support in the getRNIA System

This paper proposes granules for association rules in Deterministic Information Systems (DISs) and Non-deterministic Information Systems (NISs). Granules for an association rule are defined for every implication, and give us a new methodology for knowledge discovery and decision support. We see that decision support based on a table under the condition P is to fix the decision Q by using the most proper association rule P〵Rightarrow Q. We recently implemented a system getRNIA powered by granules for association rules. This paper describes how the getRNIA system deals with decision support under uncertainty, and shows some results of the experiment

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma presenting with rapidly progressive severe visual disturbance: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is one of the most difficult tumors to diagnose correctly at the initial phase because of the occasional lack of nasal symptoms. The perineural spread of the trigeminal nerve is one of the most common and important routes in the intracranial paracavernous extension of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, but visual loss is very rare. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 54-year-old Japanese man with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, who presented with rapid and severe disturbance of left monocular visual acuity and eye movement with a 10-month history of ipsilateral otitis media and facial pain. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion in the left fossa of Rosenmüller, pterygopalatine fossa, sphenoid and ethmoid sinus, and the left cavernous sinus extending to the orbital apex through the superior orbital fissure. The histopathological diagnosis was nonkeratinizing undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Epstein–Barr virus was detected by in situ hybridization. Although focal radiotherapy induced remarkable tumor shrinkage and relieved ocular motor disturbance and facial pain, his visual acuity did not improve. CONCLUSION: The awareness of cranial nerves in addition to intracranial and orbital apex involvement, as in this case, is important for appropriate diagnosis and treatment planning of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Rough Set-Based Information Dilution by Non-deterministic Information

We have investigated rough set-based concepts for a given Non-deterministic Information System (NIS). In this paper, we consider generating a NIS from a Deterministic Information System (DIS) intentionally. A NIS Φ is seen as a diluted DIS ϕ, and we can hide the actual values in ϕ by using Φ. We name this way of hiding Information Dilution by non-deterministic information. This paper considers information dilution and its application to hiding the actual values in a table.14th International Workshop on Rough Sets, Fuzzy Sets, Data Mining, and Granular-Soft Computing, RSFDGrC 2013, October 11-14, 2013, Halifax, NS, Canad

Relationship between the Hip Abductor Muscles and Abduction Strength in Patients with Hip Osteoarthritis

This study aimed to determine which muscle the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus (Gmin), or tensor fasciae latae (TFL) contributes most to hip abduction strength and to identify effective sites for cross-sectional area (CSA) Gmin and TFL measurement in hip osteoarthritis (OAhip) patients. Twenty-eight patients with OAhip were included. The muscle CSA and volume were determined using magnetic resonance imaging. Peak isometric strength was determined using hand-held dynamometry. Muscle volumes were normalized to the total muscle volume of hip abductors. Multiple regression analysis was performed. The difference between the CSA of Gmin and TFL was calculated, and correlations with volume and muscle strength were determined. Gmin volume was related to abductor muscle strength (p=0.042). The peak CSA of the Gmin correlated with muscle volume and strength. The CSA of the TFL correlated with volume, with no difference between the CSA of the most protruding part of the lesser trochanter and peak CSA. Gmin volume was strongly related to abductor muscle strength. Peak CSA is a useful parameter for assessing the CSA of the Gmin among patients with OAhip. The CSA of the TFL should be measured at the most protruding part of the lesser trochanter

A step-down photophobic response in coral larvae: implications for the light-dependent distribution of the common reef coral, Acropora tenuis

Behavioral responses to environmental factors at the planktonic larval stage can have a crucial influence on habitat selection and therefore adult distributions in many benthic organisms. Reef-building corals show strong patterns of zonation across depth or underwater topography, with different suites of species aggregating in different light environments. One potential mechanism driving this pattern is the response of free-swimming larvae to light. However, there is little experimental support for this hypothesis; in particular, there are few direct and quantitative observations of larval behavior in response to light. Here, we analyzed the swimming behavior of larvae of the common reef coral Acropora tenuis under various light conditions. Larvae exhibited a step-down photophobic response, i.e. a marked decrease in swimming speed, in response to a rapid attenuation (step-down) of light intensity. Observations of larvae under different wavelengths indicated that only the loss of blue light (wavelengths between 400 and 500 nm) produced a significant response. Mathematical simulations of this step-down photophobic response indicate that larvae will aggregate in the lighter areas of two-dimensional large rectangular fields. These results suggest that the step-down photophobic response of coral larvae may play an important role in determining where larval settle on the reef

Synthesis of Stable Isotope Labeled Lactosamine

講演番号：4 G4 14　日本化学会第69春季年会, 平成7年3月27日～3月30日, 京

Thrombocytopenia in pegylated interferon and ribavirin combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the therapeutic effect and prognostic indicators of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) combination therapy in thrombocytopenic patients with chronic hepatitis C, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis, and those who underwent splenectomy or partial splenic embolization (PSE). METHODS: Of 326 patients with HCV-related chronic liver disease (252 with genotype 1b and 74 with genotype 2a/2b) treated with PEG-IFN/RBV, 90 were diagnosed with cirrhosis. RESULTS: Regardless of the degree of thrombocytopenia, the administration rate was significantly higher in the splenectomy/PSE group compared to the cirrhosis group. However, in patients with genotype 1b, the sustained virological response (SVR) rate was significantly lower in the cirrhosis and the splenectomy/PSE groups compared to the chronic hepatitis group. No cirrhotic patients with platelets less than 80,000 achieved an SVR. Patients with genotype 2a/2b were more likely to achieve an SVR than genotype 1b. Prognostic factors for SVR in patients with genotype 1b included the absence of esophageal and gastric varices, high serum ALT, low AST/ALT ratio, and the major homo type of the IL28B gene. Splenectomy- or PSE-facilitated induction of IFN in patients with genotype 2a/2b was more likely to achieve an SVR by an IFN dose maintenance regimen. Patients with genotype 1b have a low SVR regardless of splenectomy/PSE. In particular, patients with a hetero/minor type of IL28B did not have an SVR. CONCLUSIONS: Splenectomy/PSE for IFN therapy should be performed in patients expected to achieve a treatment response, considering their genotype and IL28B