Sensor-based Knowledge Discovery from a Large Quantity of Situational Variables

A new methodology called “sensor-based knowledge discovery”, which utilizes wearable sensors and statistical analysis, is proposed and evaluated. This methodology facilitates identifying new knowledge that can improve business outcome. It utilizes wearable sensors to unobtrusively capture people’s location, motion, and social interaction with others. The captured data is converted into multi-dimensional situational variables and then statistically analyzed to deliver a “rule set,” which forms the basis of new knowledge related to business outcome. The methodology was evaluated through a case study at a retail store. A hypothetical rule, that is, a particular area (a so-called “hot spot”) in the store where employee’s presence correlates with average sales per customer, was identified. Based on the identified rule, a measure to concentrate employees in that area was initiated. Consequently, increasing employees’ presence (“staying time”) in the hot spot by 70% increased average sales per customer by 15%. This result demonstrates the effectiveness of the methodology; namely, the new sensor-based knowledge discovery can improve actual business performance

Analysis of Cancer Mortality among Atomic Bomb Survivors in Hiroshima Prefecture, 1968-1997

The Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine has a cohort of atomic bomb survivors, residents of Hiroshima Prefecture, followed up since 1968. An epidemiological project on cancer mortality has been extended by the 5 years from 1992 to 1997. In this paper we aim to evaluate the relative risk pattern of specific cancers by radiation dose over time and during this recent 5 years. We obtained the late effects and temporary changes from cancer sites on mortal ity such as leukemia, all cancers except leukemia, and cancers of the lung, esophagus, liver, stomach, colon, pancreas, breast and uterus. Although results for the additional 5 years were not statistically significant due to the relatively small sample size, we observed decreasing trends for many cancer sites including all cancers except leukemia, esophagus, colon, stomach, liver and breast cancers. In particular the sharply increased excess relative risk for female breast cancer shown in 1988-1992 dramatically declined during the period 1993-1997

Thyroid abnormality trend over time in Northeastern Regions of Kazakstan, adjacent to the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site: a case review of pathological findings for 7271 patients

From 1949 through 1989 nuclear weapons testing carried out by the former Soviet Union at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site (SNTS) resulted in local fallout affecting the residents of Semipalatinsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Pavlodar regions of Kazakstan. To investigate the possible relationship between radiation exposure and thyroid gland abnormalities, we conducted a case review of pathological findings of 7271 urban and rural patients who underwent surgery from 1966–96. Of the 7271 patients, 761 (10.5%) were men, and 6510 (89.5%) were women..

NCRT with S-1 plus irinotecan for LALRC

Background and purpose: Preoperative 5-fluorouracil-based chemoradiotherapy is a standard treatment for locally advanced lower rectal cancer (LALRC). We performed a phase I study to develop a new regimen combining irinotecan and S-1. Materials and methods: Patients with LALRC (T3-4, N0-2) were studied. The radiation dose was 45 Gy in 25 fractions. S-1 (80 mg/m2/day) was administered on days 1–5, 8–12, 22–26, and 29–33. Irinotecan was administered on days 1, 8, 22, and 29. The dose of irinotecan was initially 60 mg/m2 (level 1). Surgery was performed 6–10 weeks after the chemoradiotherapy. Results: Twenty patients were enrolled, of whom 18 patients were analyzed. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) did not occur in the first 3 patients treated with irinotecan at 80 mg/m2 (level 2), but developed in 3 of the 6 patients who received irinotecan at 90 mg/m2 (level 3). Then DLT occurred in 3 other patients at level 2. At level 2 or 3, DLT comprised neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and diarrhea. Level 2 was designated as the maximum tolerated dose, and level 1 as a recommended dose (RD). The pathological complete response rate was 28%, and the down-staging rate was 56%. Conclusions: Our results suggested that the RD of irinotecan when combined with preoperative S-1 and pelvic radiation was 60 mg/m2

Results of the search for inspiraling compact star binaries from TAMA300's observation in 2000-2004

We analyze the data of TAMA300 detector to search for gravitational waves from inspiraling compact star binaries with masses of the component stars in the range 1-3Msolar. In this analysis, 2705 hours of data, taken during the years 2000-2004, are used for the event search. We combine the results of different observation runs, and obtained a single upper limit on the rate of the coalescence of compact binaries in our Galaxy of 20 per year at a 90% confidence level. In this upper limit, the effect of various systematic errors such like the uncertainty of the background estimation and the calibration of the detector's sensitivity are included.Comment: 8 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses revtex4.sty The author list was correcte

Observation results by the TAMA300 detector on gravitational wave bursts from stellar-core collapses

We present data-analysis schemes and results of observations with the TAMA300 gravitational-wave detector, targeting burst signals from stellar-core collapse events. In analyses for burst gravitational waves, the detection and fake-reduction schemes are different from well-investigated ones for a chirp-wave analysis, because precise waveform templates are not available. We used an excess-power filter for the extraction of gravitational-wave candidates, and developed two methods for the reduction of fake events caused by non-stationary noises of the detector. These analysis schemes were applied to real data from the TAMA300 interferometric gravitational wave detector. As a result, fake events were reduced by a factor of about 1000 in the best cases. The resultant event candidates were interpreted from an astronomical viewpoint. We set an upper limit of 2.2x10^3 events/sec on the burst gravitational-wave event rate in our Galaxy with a confidence level of 90%. This work sets a milestone and prospects on the search for burst gravitational waves, by establishing an analysis scheme for the observation data from an interferometric gravitational wave detector

Survival Analyses of Atomic Bomb Survivors in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, 1968-1982. : Cancer Mortality Risk among Early Entrants

We examined the mortality risk due to all causes of death and due to malignant neoplasms during 1968-82 among 204,209 atomic bomb survivors, including 49,215 early entrants. We used data compiled by the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine at Hiroshima University, which conducts mortality surveillance of these survivors in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The purposes of this study were to investigate whether there was any relationship between exposure status and mortality risk among survivors, not altered by adjustment for confounding factors, and whether there were any differences among early entrants to the region within 2 km of the hypocenter after the bombing in mortality risk associated with date of entry and duration of stay. The mortality risk in directly exposed survivors decreased with distance from the hypocenter, even after adjustment for confounding factors. Entrants who entered the region on the day of the bombing had a significantly higher risk of mortality due to malignant neoplasm than those who entered thereafter, even after adjustment for the length of stay. The same results were obtained throughout the study period