Hayashi's Quantification Theory Research Articles

Factors affecting patient safety culture in a university hospital under the universal health insurance system: A cross-sectional study from Japan.

We conducted a cross-sectional study of patient safety culture aimed at examining the factors that influence patient safety culture in university hospitals under a universal health insurance system. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was used. The survey was distributed to 1066 hospital employees, and 864 responded. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the results to the 12-composites model. The highest positive response rates were for "(1) Teamwork within units" (81%) and "(2) Supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety" (80%), and the lowest was for "(10) Staffing" (36%). Hayashi's quantification theory type 2 revealed that working hours per week had the greatest negative impact on patient safety culture. Under a universal health insurance system, workload and human resources might have a significant impact on the patient safety culture.

Tear Strip Meniscometry and Its Clinical Application: Analysis of More Than 2000 Cases.

PurposeTo evaluate the association of strip meniscometry tear meniscus volume measurement with signs and symptoms related to dry eye.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled 2234 consecutive outpatients and used dry eye symptomatology and related ocular surface examinations, including the Schirmer test, fluorescein tear film break-up time (BUT), corneal fluorescein vital staining and strip meniscometry. The strip meniscometry cut-off was estimated using a receiver operating characteristic analysis. The subjective symptoms consisted of six binarized items: dryness, fatigue, photophobia, pain, irritation, and blurring. The clinical signs were also binarized by the cut-off in each test. The presence of all signs and symptoms were then analyzed using Hayashi's quantification theory type III analysis.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 59.3 ± 17.3 years. The mean values for Schirmer test, BUT, corneal fluorescein staining, and strip meniscometry were 13.6 ± 9.6 mm, 3.1 ± 2.1 seconds, 0.40 ± 0.66, and 2.4 ± 2.7 mm, respectively. The Schirmer test was negatively correlated with age (r = –0.152; P < 0.01), whereas the BUT and strip meniscometry were not. All pairs of Schirmer test, BUT, and strip meniscometry had significant correlations, but the greatest correlation was found between BUT–strip meniscometry (r = 0.238; P < 0.01). An strip meniscometry cut-off length of 2.5 mm (area under the curve = 0.618) was calculated. Hayashi's analysis found high similarity among the presence of signs by strip meniscometry, BUT. and corneal fluorescein staining, and three nonvisual symptoms (pain, irritation, and dryness) had a distinct similarity.ConclusionsStrip meniscometry results using the cut-off of 2.5 mm could be a useful clinical indicator for the initial screening of dry eye.Translational RelevanceThis large-scale case-control study further confirmed tear strip meniscometry with the new cut-off is a useful tear function examination for dry eye; it is a 5-second noninvasive procedure and associated with clinical symptoms and corneal parameters.

Verifiability of genus-level classification under quantification and parsimony theories: a case study of follicucullid radiolarians

AbstractThe classical taxonomy of fossil invertebrates is based on subjective judgments of morphology, which can cause confusion, because there are no codified standards for the classification of genera. Here, we explore the validity of the genus taxonomy of 75 species and morphospecies of the Follicucullidae, a late Paleozoic family of radiolarians, using a new method, Hayashi's quantification theory II (HQT-II), a general multivariate statistical method for categorical datasets relevant to discriminant analysis. We identify a scheme of 10 genera rather than the currently accepted 3 genera (Follicucullus,Ishigaconus, andParafollicucullus). As HQT-II cannot incorporate stratigraphic data, a phylogenetic tree of Follicucullidae was reconstructed for 38 species using maximum parsimony. Six lineages emerged, roughly in concordance with the results of HQT-II. Combined with parsimony ancestral state reconstruction, the ancestral group of this family isHaplodiacanthus. Five other groups were discriminated, theParafollicucullus,Curvalbaillella,Pseudoalbaillella,Longtanella, andFollicucullus–Cariverlineages. The morphological evolution of these lineages comprises a minimum essential list of eight states of four traits. HQT-II is a novel discriminant analytical multivariate method that may be of value in other taxonomic problems of paleobiology.

Investigating vehicle interior designs using models that evaluate user sensory experience and perceived value

AbstractThis study adopted a Kansei engineering methodology to examine users’ Kansei values toward automotive interior designs by conducting experiments under two models: sensory experience and perceived value evaluation models. In the sensory experience model, 60 participants were recruited to experience using 27 vehicle samples and to assign scores to eight Kansei keywords. Hayashi's quantification theory type 1 was used to calculate the weight of 12 interior space items and 40 interior design categories. In the perceived value evaluation model, 60 participants completed a questionnaire on the influence levels of the Kansei keywords on their Kansei values from the perspectives of four consumer perceived value dimensions. The questionnaire scores were then evaluated using factor analysis to extract nine primary factors affecting participants’ perceptions. This study determined that the interesting and dynamic perceptions corresponded to five design items under the Excitement Quality factors, vigorous and recreational perceptions corresponded to four items under the Relaxation and Comfort factor, and technological and luxurious perceptions corresponded to six items under the Luxury and Splendor factor and the Esteemed Image factor. These findings can help designers and researchers in the relevant sectors create automotive interior designs that fulfill the expectations of users.

圃場整備済区域内の不耕作地への農業参入の可能性に関する考察

The first purpose of this research is to clarify the relation between the situation of fallow farmlands in the settlement and community people's interest to entrants into agriculture. The second purpose is to clarify what factors have affected the situation of fallow farmlands and interests to entrants. Finally the author considered the possibility of entering into the agriculture. The research methods and results are as below. Hayashi's quantification theory type 2 was used for clarifying what has affected the individual farmland use and for quantifying the cultivating condition of the farmland. In that regard, 10 indicators of the cultivating condition were set as the explanatory variable and the farmland use was set as the explained variable. Among 10 indicators, the size of farmland, the slope of farmland and the contiguity with forests influence the result of the discrimination highly. The situation of fallow farmlands in the settlement was evaluated by 2 indicators, namely, the cultivating condition of the fallow farmlands and the distribution of the fallow farmlands. The interests to entrants was defined by interviewing the representative of the settlement's agricultural group. Then the situation of fallow farmlands was compared to the interests to entrants. By this method, there is no relation between the two. It shows that the interests to entrants is affected by the social environment of the settlement. The appearing process of the fallow farmlands had been revealed by interviewing the representative of settlement's agricultural group. Then KJ-method was used to analyze what factors has influenced the situation of fallow farmlands. The author extracted 4 factors, namely, the irrigation, the location of farmland, the land allocation and the governance capacity of settlement. By analyzing the relation 4 factors and the interests to entrants, the following are shown: 1. The representative of settlements with water shortage tend to have negative interest to entrants. 2. The representative of settlements near to forests tend to have positive interest to entrants. 3. The representative of settlements with the strong governance capacity tend to have positive interest to entrants. Considering the situation of fallow farmlands and the interest to entrants, the author suggests the following policies: propulsion by the local government, reducing the business risks, integrating some fallow and solidarity by some settlements. Except for settlements which need no entrants, settlements will be able to deal with entrants according as these policies. For increasing the opportunity of entering to agriculture, it will be needed that each settlement regards entrants as better partner than now. The author suggests that local governments should enhance “the governance capacity of settlements”.

Analysis of Behaviors along the Waterside in a Chinese Residential Quarter

The aim of this study is to investigate the behaviors of residents along the waterside in a Chinese residential quarter. Based on Hayashi's Quantification Theory Type III and Cluster Analysis and information collected through this study, the waterfront spaces are classified into nine types, each of which have unique statistical characteristics concerning behaviors. The results show that the residents tend to wait for companions of their respective defined groups frequently while they are walking along the brook. They rarely play with water in the pond if they are uncertain about the water depth, and also stay longer chatting with friends if they can find vacant benches on the deck along the pond. The residents typically hang around more frequently in waterfront spaces to either play in shallow water, if the weather permits, or enjoy the view of the brook although they may stop for a shorter time on stepping-stones. Scientifically identified human behaviors have shown that they are influenced by these different types of waterfront spaces that are described in detail in this paper.

Plant capacity affects some basic indices of treated water quality: multivariate statistical analysis of drinking water treatment plants in Japan

The quality of treated water produced by a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) is affected by many factors. Relative impacts of various factors that affect the following treated water quality indices—turbidity, color, aluminum concentration and aggregate organic constituents—were investigated. Multivariate statistical analysis based on Hayashi's Quantification Theory Type 1 was performed on a dataset comprised of statistics on raw and treated water quality collected from thousands of DWTPs throughout Japan. Explanatory factors were the source of the raw water, water treatment process employed, plant capacity, total plant capacity of the water supplier (TCWS), raw water quality and pH of treated water. The statistical analyses mainly revealed that not only did obvious factors such as raw water quality affect treated water quality, but also more obscure factors such as plant capacity and TCWS. The results also imply that the larger the water supplier a DWTP of a given size belongs to, the higher the quality of treated water will be.

子どもの遊びを取り巻く環境とその促進要因:世代間を比較して

The present study was performed to clarify the reasons for the reduction in the amount of time spent by the current generation of elementary school children playing outside or participating in sports, based on opinions from both the children themselves and their guardians and teachers, data that could be used to establish methods of promoting outdoor activities or sports. This survey was conducted using a questionnaire that targeted 3,752 elementary school students in Kanagawa prefecture (broken down into 999 4th grade boys, 891 4th grade girls, 933 6th grade boys and 929 6th grade girls), 5,017 of the guardians of these students (685 males and 4,332 females), and 1,202 education-related personnel (423 males and 779 females). In order to process the results, we categorized the figures into 3 groups of children, adult generation 1 (20 to 30 years of age), and adult generation 2 (40 to 50 years of age), and analyzed them on the basis of Hayashi's quantification theory. In examining the characteristics of play and activities, we found that children played less frequently outside in locations such as open spaces and empty land lots, and that they tended to play alone more often when compared with recollections by adult generations 1 and 2. Furthermore, we found that playing outside or engaging in sports was not passed on to children as types of activity that could be enjoyed in groups. We also observed that the types of play activities children adopted are greatly affected by the media. Regarding the relationship between play activity environments and the variety of outdoor play and sports, we found that regardless of generation classification the experience of playing in natural settings such as mountains, the sea, rivers or similar locations served as a large factor in providing variety for recreational activities, and that participation in sports clubs and the involvement of adults were also major factors in promoting such activities. Based on these findings, we suggest that establishing and maintaining locations where children can play with a sense of freedom, and the involvement of adults in passing on play activities and introducing play-related ideas, are essential for the promotion of outdoor play activities and sports for children.

The utility of Hayashi's quantification theory for assessment of land surface indices in influence of dust storms: a case study in Inner Mongolia, China

Abstract It is difficult to conduct the assessment of dust storms under the influence of land surface indices with accurate statistical theory in the dust source region of China due to problems, especially those that emerge in the data of land surface that has no accurate data for soil moisture and hardness from meteorological records, no quantitative data for dust emission and a deficient proper theory using the capacity to combine quantitative data with qualitative data. This paper selected Erlianhaote of Inner Mongolia in northern China as a study example, and compiled the data of land surface condition of soil moisture and hardness as well as the data of dust storms and wind during 2001–2003. The authors determined the threshold value from the influences in different land patterns on dust emission processes by discrimination, quantitatively described the integrated influence of wind speed and soil moisture as well as soil hardness impact on dust storms using Hayashi's quantification theory type 2, and also discussed the related problems of potential errors in the data sets. This theorem could provide the obvious numeral materials about multi-factor cause–effect relationship for decision making and is useful in the quantificational assessment for factors impacting dust storms during the study period. Land surface condition diversity research had obvious scale effect characteristics. A clear evidence is that the combined contribution of soil moisture and hardness in dust emission is 48.79% of that of total contribution of wind speed, approximately the same as that of wind speed.

A Cross-Cultural Study of Vehicle Front Mask Design Using Kansei Engineering Approach

This paper reports a kansei engineering study of vehicle front mask design conducted in Japan, UK, and US. The objective is to compare three different countries in terms of kansei meaning and kansei construction as well. The subjects in three countries evaluated 24 passenger-car front masks on the 5-point SD scale. The 24 front mask pictures were presented on computer screen. The experimental results of three groups were analyzed through Factor Analysis and Hayashi's Quantification Theory Type I and compared the similarity and difference in kansei evaluation among subjects from three countries. Three factors are extracted from the set of SD scales in describing vehicle front masks: Factor 1 “Value” with words such as “deluxe“, Factor 2 “Performance” with words such as “sporty”, and Factor 3 “Tradition” with words such as “classic” or “simple“. For feelings associated with the three factors, the overall shape of the whole mask, front grill shape and type, and headlight patterns have the broadest influence. No significant cross-cultural difference was identified in the perception of vehicle front masks.

An investigation of the disabled elderly in a geriatric health services facility in an urban area of Japan and attitudes of their family caregiver.

We investigated characteristics of 72 clients in a geriatric health services facility (hereafter called GHSF), conditions of their family caregivers, and the factors associated with the caregivers choice of discharge destination. Most of the clients were elderly females with a low degree of independence, and dementia was observed in about 60% of them. The clients had children, but many of them lived alone before admission to the GHSF. The rate of admission from hospitals was high (54%), and that of discharge to hospitals was also high (50%). Sixty-seven percent of the clients stayed in for a period of over six months. Most of the family caregivers were daughters or daughters-in-law, and considered themselves to be healthy. Sixty-three percent of them had jobs, and most of the caregivers had no sub-caregiver to assist them. The family caregivers desired the client's home (19.4%), hospital or another GHSF (54.2%), or nursing home (26.4%) as the discharge destination from the GHSF. According to Hayashi's quantification theory type II, the factors related to the home as the discharge destination desired by client's family caregivers are as follows; caregivers used formal home public health nursing visit service before entering the GHSF, the job of the caregiver was a part-time job, the client did not show dementia, the period of care experience was shorter than one year.

RESOCIALIZATION AND CONTINUITY OF INVOLVEMENT IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG ELDERLY JAPANESE

The purpose of this study was to examine which determinants discriminate between resocialization and continuity patterns of physical activity among elderly Japanese. Information was collected through face-to-face interviews with two groups of elderly Japanese: one that was inactive in middle age and became active after retirement (resocialization group), and another that was active both in middle age and after retirement (continuity group). Discriminant analysis (Hayashi's Quantification Theory II) was used to compare these two groups in four personal and contextual dimensions: personal attributes, socializing situation, socializing agent, and cognitive involvement. The findings indicated that socializing agents such as friends and leaders influenced the resocialization group more than the continuity group. Conversely, the continuity group was more affected by activity programs than the resocialization group.

The utility of Hayashi's quantification theory type 2 for the rapid assessment of the epidemiological survey in the developing countries--in a case of the vaccine coverage survey in Yunnan Province, China.

It is difficult to conduct the epidemiological survey with accurate statistical theory in the developing countries due to the problems especially emerged in the developing countries such as no availability of the accurate population data, limitation of the time for survey, geographical obstacle and financial problems. In the consideration of the health needs in those countries, results of the epidemiological survey should be reflected in the present health projects as rapidly as possible. The authors conducted the survey for the immunization coverage of oral poliomyelitis vaccine(OPV) in China by the questionnaire and interview. The data was analyzed by using the Hayashi's quantification theory type 2 and made clear about the relationship between the health behaviors for immunization among residents and several factors. It is considered that this theorem can provide the obvious numeral materials about multi-factorial cause effect relationship for the decision making and is useful for the rapid assessment or initial survey in the developing countries.

すれ違いこう合患者における臨床所見と関節円板の転位に関連する因子の検討

Thirty patients who visited our hospital with a chief complaint of mismatched dentures and were subsequently diagnosed as class C 1 according to Eichner's classification (mean age: 66.6 years) were the subjects. The oral cavity of each patient was examined. In addition, questions were asked and X-rays and MRI were taken to investigate the relationship between disc displacement and factors such as condyle position and the state of the oral cavity.Fisher's exact probability test and multivariate analysis utilizing Hayashi's quantification theory were applied for statistical analysis.The results were as follows:1. MRI imaging revealed disc displacement in 20 joints of 13 patients (43.3%).2. Condylar bone changes were seen in 11 joints of 8 patients.3. A lateral or bilateral posterior shift of the condyle position was seen in 54% of the patients with disc displacement.4. Statistical analysis revealed significant difference in the type of artificial teeth, deviations in the opening and closing movements of the mouth, past history of temporomandibular arthrosis, and joint click between the patients with disc displacement and healthy individuals.5. The presence of disc displacement most strongly correlated with the past history of temporomandibular arthrosis, followed by deviations in the opening and closing movements of the mouth.

観光画像情報からみた観光資源に関する一考察 : 北九州市を事例として

This paper contains a report on examination of landscape photographs of sightseeing resources by using Hayashi Quantification Theory. Result shows as follows ; (1) Sightseeing photographs consist of four factors ; waterfront, mountain and hill, architecture, and festival. (2) Composition of the sightseeing photographs are classified into six typical groups ; landscape of waterfront, landscape of waterfront and festival, landscape of festival, landscape of natural resources, landscape of architectures, and landscape of amusement. (3) Viewpoints of the each typical composition need to involve open space, and background scenery of the resources plays an important part in the sightseeing photographs.

Multivariate analysis of occult lymph node metastasis as a prognostic indicator for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity

The biologic aggressiveness of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is reflected in its ability to metastasize to regional cervical lymph nodes. Patients with clinically negative cervical lymph nodes are believed to have a good prognosis; however, the prognosis of patients with lymph node metastasis occurring after excision or radiotherapy of the primary tumor is poor. Univariate and multivariate analyses for occult lymph node metastasis (ONM) in 172 patients with clinically negative cervical lymph nodes were performed by the authors to elucidate the clinical and histologic tumor risk factors to enhance their ability to predict ONM. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model and Hayashi's quantification theory type II were used to analyze prognostic factors and to determine the probability of ONM. Using Cox's proportional regression model, the factors linked to cancer specific survival were selected: tumor differentiation (P = 0.0330), mode of carcinoma invasion (P = 0.0175), and ONM (P = 0.0433). Pathologically identified metastatic lymph nodes were found in 21.5% of the cases studied (37 of 172 cases). The 5-year cancer specific survival was 94.0% for patients without lymph node metastasis, and 51.0% for patients with ONM (P < 0.0001, log rank test). The most significant predictors for ONM of each of the clinical and histologic factors, in descending order, were: mode of carcinoma invasion, intensity of lymphocytic infiltration, degree of differentiation, number of mitotic figures, and type of growth by means of Hayashi's quantification theory type II. The presence or absence of ONM in 147 of 172 patients (85.5%) was correctly predicted by the score at the point of intersection of the two curves, which was -0.03. Further investigation revealed that 28 of 32 new cases were differentiated accurately by means of this diagnostic system. The results of the current study suggest that this method of analysis can establish a reliable predictor of ONM, thereby facilitating correct choices for surgical procedures to enhance the survival rates of patients with clinically negative cervical lymph nodes.

広重の浮世絵風景画に描かれた河川景観の構図に関する一考察

In order to obtain a guide to design river landscape, this study examined the features of the composition in the river landscape paintings drawn by HIROSHIGE which is representative paintings in Japan. Analyzed indices is 'the position', 'the place', 'the width', 'the function', of the river, and 'the elements in the short distance landscape', 'the elements in the medium distance and long distance landscape' drawn along the river, and 'the ratio of the water surface', 'the degree of the look down', 'the inclination of the streem', which are the painter's visual features. We clalified the features of the composition by analyzing the correlation of the indices by using cross analysis. And we examined the greatly influence factor on the composition by using Hayashi Quantification Theory 3.

Studies on the classification of clinical stage and histopathological grade of gastric cancer, the contribution of clinical findings and clinico-pathological changes including immunological responses

The data from 329 gastric cancer patients (206 males and 123 females) were applied to the following statistical analysis. The stage of gastric cancer progress, which was determined by the general rules for the gastric cancer study in Japan, the counterpart of the TNM classification was predictable by a multi-variative mathematical model based on Hayashi's quantification theory which allowed to use qualitative variables as well as quantitative ones for the calculation using the variables relevant to clinical findings consisted of the grade of surgical operability, the grade of histopathological change, positive or negative liver metastasis, positive or negative histopathologically detectable lymph-node metastasis and so on. The variables relevant to clinical findings predicted accurately the stage by the above-cited model and multi-variative correlation coefficient (R2) was 0.9475, suggesting that 95% of the values predicted by those variables could identical to the observed value of the cancer stage. The variables relevant to clinical findings contributed only 29% (R2 = 0.2902) to the prediction of the histopathological grade. The stage and the histopathological grade also were predictable with the multi-variative regressive equations using the data of the clinico-pathological examinations which were administered on the day before the operation to 239 patients (139 males and 95 females) of gastric cancer and 82 control surgical patients (50 males and 32 females). The clinico-pathological indicators consisted of the SI values of Con A and PHA, leukocytes' count, lymphocytes' count, serum albumin concentration, B- and T-cell numbers. The factors which contributed to the stage, or the histopathological grade of gastric cancer were extracted respectively through principal component analysis using the respective correlation matrices consisted of the variables used for the calculation of the multi-variative regression equations in order to predict the stage or histopathological grade. For the male patients, the aging factor contributed to both of the stage and the histopathological grade. For the female patients, the factor relevant to the complication such as infectious diseases and low-nutrition emaciating the patient contributed to the cancer stage and the factor relevant to T-lymphocyte function contributed to the histopathological grade.

Assessment of postoperative pain: Contributing factors to the differences between patients and doctors

This study was undertaken to compare the assessment of pain intensity by 50 patients and by their doctors according to a visual analog scale 5 h and 20 h after major abdominal surgery, and to examine the relationships between the differences in rating of patients and doctors and the factors inherent in the patients which include preoperative expectation of pain, level of anxiety, and the surgical history of the patient. The ratings given by the patients were significantly higher than those given by the doctors at both time periods. However, the correlation between the ratings given by the two was low:r=0.31 andr s=0.27 at 5 h after the operations, andr=0.58 andr s=0.49 at 20 h. The results of analysis using Hayashi's quantification theory Type II indicated a moderate association between the rating difference and the patient's age, surgical history, preoperative state of anxiety, and expectation of pain. It is concluded that postoperative pain management, whether in clinical practice or in research, necessitates more consideration of the several above-mentioned individual factors and a preoperative interview in which the patient's level of anxiety and the amount of information the patient has concerning the surgery and post-operative pain is clearly assessed.

Effects of regular health practices on subjective evaluation of health.

The effects of Breslow's seven health practices on health were examined. The Today Health Index (THI), a questionnaire for self-evaluation of physical and mental health, was applied to male workers of a private company as well as their wives. The subjects resided in the suburbs of Tokyo and the average ages of the males and females were 41.5 and 38.4 years, respectively. Statistical results were obtained using Mann-Whitney U-test, analysis of covariance, and Hayashi's quantification theory I. A statistically significant decrease in the THI scale scores among subjects observing six or more health practices when compared with those observing three or less was demonstrated in vague complaints and irritability in males, and in respiration in females. In males, the THI scale scores of vague complaints, respiration, and the mouth and anus significantly decreased by sleeping well. Those of irritability and irregularity of life decreased by not smoking and those of vague complaints and irritability decreased by not eating between meals. In females, the THI scale scores of vague complaints, eye and skin, and the mouth and anus significantly decreased by exercising regularly. Those of irregularity of life decreased by not smoking. Those of respiration decreased by good weight control. Those of respiration and the mouth and anus decreased by not eating between meals. Exercising regularly in females was a good predictor of vague complaints using multi-variate analysis adjusted for age. Subjective evaluation of health improved by Breslow's recommended health practices.