Inferior Values Research Articles

Ability to avoid falls among aged residents in a barrier-free welfare institution

This study was carried out to investigate the physical functions of the elderly, living in a barrier-free home for the aged and to obtain basic data for giving appropriate guidance on exercise and daily life. A total of 38 women were tested. These included 18 persons (aged 72-87: mean: 80.7) who were living in the home for the aged, and 20 (aged 75-86: mean: 78.3) who voluntarily participated in the "fall prevention school", established in Tokyo Kosei-Nenkin Hospital. The following examinations were done: 1) BMI, Waist/Hip ratio; 2) good walker's index consisting of 10 m walking times, maximum length of steps, and 40 cm-staircase climbing; and 3) equilibrium examination done by gravinography. Statistical analysis was carried out using a paired t-test (p < 0.01). Values for the "good-walker's index" were significantly lower in, the "home" group than in the "school" group (p < 0.01). This was especially obvious with 40 cm-staircase climbing. Many of the subjects from the institution group required assistance and there was a significant difference in the chi-squire square distribution between the two groups. Furthermore, on gravinography, the "home" group had significantly inferior values in total length (cm) and Romberg's ratio (p < 0.01). It was clear that residents in the barrier-free home had a significant reduction in good-walker's index, indicating an apparent weakening of physical function.

ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS IN PEDIATRIC UROLOGY: PREDICTION OF SONOGRAPHIC OUTCOME FOLLOWING PYELOPLASTY

Purpose Computerized artificial neural networks are analogous to biological neuronal systems. Since they may be trained to recognize the relevance of complex patterns in data, neural networks may be useful for decision making in the multifactorial management of ureteropelvic junction obstruction. We determine the ability of a customized neural network to predict sonographic outcome after pyeloplasty in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Materials and Methods A data set was constructed with 242 demographic, clinical, radiological and surgical elements. We analyzed the available retrospective data in 100 consecutive children who underwent unilateral pyeloplasty for ureteropelvic junction obstruction chosen from all 144 surgically treated for ureteropelvic junction obstruction between 1993 and 1995. One radiologist reviewed all film data and provided a final sonographic outcome designation in each case. We wrote a set of computer programs to construct a neural network. A composite 4-layer network was built with output nodes representing 4 possible sonographic outcomes. The 100 patient data set was randomly divided into 84 training and 16 testing examples. Results The neural network correctly predicted all 5 of 5 significantly improved, 7 of 7 improved, 2 of 2 same and 2 of 2 worse sonogram results after pyeloplasty. Therefore, sensitivity and specificity were 100% for all 4 outcomes. Linear regression analysis of the data yielded inferior sensitivity and specificity values (52 to 94%), confirming that ureteropelvic junction obstruction is a nonlinear data analysis problem. Conclusions The 100% accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of our neural network in this pilot study provide evidence of the value of the neural computational approach for the modern exploration and modeling of the clinical problem of pediatric ureteropelvic junction obstruction.

Scanning Laser Polarimetry in Corneal Haze after Excimer Laser Refractive Surgery

We evaluate the technique of retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurement using scanning laser polarimetry in cases of central corneal haze due to photorefractive keratectomy. Nerve fiber layer thickness was measured using a Nerve Fiber Analyzer II (Laser Diagnostic Technologies, Inc., San Diego, CA, U.S.A.) in eight eyes of eight individuals with mild to pronounced corneal haze owing to earlier excimer laser refractive surgery, and in nine eyes of nine control volunteers. Neither total and sectorial nerve fiber layer thickness values, nor superior/ inferior quadrant thickness ratio differed in a statistically significant manner between the two groups (unpaired t test, p > 0.05). Reproducibility in the "haze" and control groups was 4.3% and 3.4%, respectively, for mean nerve fiber layer thickness calculated from all quadrants around the disc. The figures were 4.9% and 5.2%, respectively, for the superior quadrant thickness; 8.2% and 8.8%, respectively, for the temporal thickness values; 5.4% and 4.6%, respectively, for the inferior thickness values; and 4.1% and 5.0%, respectively, for the nasal quadrant thickness values. For the superior/inferior quadrant thickness ratio the reproducibility was 4.4% and 6.8%, respectively. None of the corresponding values for reproducibility differed significantly between the two groups (F-test, p > 0.05). Corneal haze did not cause an artificial increase of the thickness values measured with scanning laser polarimetry and did not diminish the reproducibility of the measurement. The results suggest that scanning laser polarimetry may be a suitable method for the precise measurement of the nerve fiber layer thickness even in eyes with persistent corneal haze after excimer laser refractive surgery.

Measurement of Pleural Fluid Cholesterol and Lactate Dehydrogenase: A Simple and Accurate Set of Indicators for Separating Exudates From Transudates

To evaluate the usefulness of diverse combinations of pleural cholesterol concentration, pleural or serum protein, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels for the differentiation of pleural exudates and transudates.Prospective laboratory study of pleural effusions.Medical school hospital.One hundred eighty consecutive internal medicine ward patients in whom the etiologic diagnosis of their pleural effusion was confirmed.Cholesterol concentration in pleural fluid and protein and LDH both in pleural fluid and blood serum.According to their etiology, 49 (27.2%) of the effusions were transudates and 131 (72.7%) were exudates. Using a cutoff point of 45 mg for pleural cholesterol and values for protein and LDH of Light et al, the best diagnostic power corresponded to the combination of pleural cholesterol and LDH: cholesterol level over 45 mg/dL and/or LDH over 200 IU/L identified exudates with a sensitivity of 99% and a specificity of 98%. All the other combinations showed inferior values and the criteria of Light et al reached 98 and 82%, respectively.The measurement of pleural cholesterol and LDH permits the separation of pleural exudates from transudates with an accuracy similar to the original report of Light et al, with the advantage of requiring only two laboratory determinations and no simultaneous blood sample.

Investigation of alternative protein sources in practical diets for juvenile shrimp, Penaeus monodon

A 42-day feeding trial was conducted using juvenile Penaeus monodon (4.86 ± 0.52 s.d. g mean initial weight) to evaluate the efficacy of five isoproteic (40%), isolipidic (4–5%) practical diets containing various (fish and crustacean) protein sources in different combinations. The diets contained laboratory preparations of scallop waste and shrimp head meals (D1), sardine and shrimp head meals (D2), sardine and lobster waste meals (D3), sardine and shrimp head meals with lupinseed meal replacing soybean meal and wheat flour (D4) and commercial preparations of fish and shrimp meals (D5). Diet D1 produced significantly greater weight gain than all other diets ( P < 0.05). Similar responses of feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and apparent protein utilization (APU) values were observed for shrimp fed diets D1 and D3, and they gave a significantly better performance in FCR ( P < 0.05) and APU ( P < 0.05) than the three other diets. Shrimp fed diet D4 containing lupinseed meal had significantly inferior values of FCR ( P < 0.05) and PER ( P < 0.05) compared to the four other diets, while diet D5 gave the worst response in terms of weight gain and protein gain ( P < 0.05). The survival and whole body composition of juvenile P. monodon were not significantly different among the test diets with a range of 96 to 100% (% survival) and 72.1–74.1%, 8.0–8.8%, and 13.8–15.8% for crude protein, lipid and ash content, respectively ( P > 0.05). The best pellet stability was displayed by diets D1 and D3 and the poorest stability by diet D4 ( P < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that the combination of various dietary protein sources produced significantly different biological responses in juvenile P. monodon. The diet combining scallop waste and shrimp head meals as major protein sources (D1) was found to be relatively superior to other diets for juvenile P. monodon, followed by the diets containing sardine and shrimp head meals (diet D2) and sardine and lobster waste meals (diet D3). The commercial fish and shrimp meal based diet (D5) and the sardine and shrimp head meal based diet containing lupinseed meal (D4) gave the poorest performance.

Monotonicity maintenance in information-theoretic machine learning algorithms

Decision trees that are based on information-theory are useful paradigms for learning from examples. However, in some real-world applications, known information-theoretic methods frequently generate non-monotonic decision trees, in which objects with better attribute values are sometimes classified to lower classes than objects with inferior values. This property is undesirable for problem solving in many application domains, such as credit scoring and insurance premium determination, where monotonicity of subsequent classifications is important. An attribute-selection metric is proposed here that takes both the error as well as monotonicity into account while building decision trees. The metric is empirically shown capable of significantly reducing the degree of non-monotonicity of decision trees without sacrificing their inductive accuracy.

Monotonicity Maintenance in Information-Theoretic Machine Learning Algorithms

Decision trees that are based on information-theory are useful paradigms for learning from examples. However, in some real-world applications, known information-theoretic methods frequently generate nonmonotonic decision trees, in which objects with better attribute values are sometimes classified to lower classes than objects with inferior values. This property is undesirable for problem solving in many application domains, such as credit scoring and insurance premium determination, where monotonicity of subsequent classifications is important. An attribute-selection metric is proposed here that takes both the error as well as monotonicity into account while building decision trees. The metric is empirically shown capable of significantly reducing the degree of non-monotonicity of decision trees without sacrificing their inductive accuracy.

Prevalence of asthma in patients with bronchiectasis in Hong Kong

Eighty five Chinese patients with diffuse or localized bronchiectasis (non-cystic fibrosis) were studied regarding the prevalence of asthma. Twenty three of the 85 had concomitant asthma, diagnosed by history and reversibility on lung function testing either spontaneously or after bronchodilator. None fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Asthma preceded the onset of bronchiectasis in 13 patients and developed after long duration of bronchiectasis in seven, while the temporal onset could not be differentiated in three patients. Patients with both asthma and bronchiectasis had inferior spirometric values, higher prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, higher prevalence of skin atopy, elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), and more sputum eosinophilia, compared with their non-asthmatic counterparts. Possible mechanisms by which asthma and bronchiectasis predispose to each other include asthmatic obstruction contributing to development of bronchiectasis, and sensitization of airways with increased lability due to microbial colonization of the ectatic bronchial tree.

A short note on the generalized Euler transform for the summation of power series

Applying the generalized Euler transform to the firstn partial sums of a power series results in a triangular array whose inferior diagonal givesn approximate values of the sum of this series. The aim of this short note is to estimate the best of thesen values and to compare it with the actual best one for a collection of test series.

High prevalence of asthma in patients with bronchiectasis in Hong Kong

Eighty five Chinese patients with diffuse or localized bronchiectasis (non-cystic fibrosis) were studied regarding the prevalence of asthma. Twenty three of the 85 had concomitant asthma, diagnosed by history and reversibility on lung function testing either spontaneously or after bronchodilator. None fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Asthma preceded the onset of bronchiectasis in 13 patients and developed after long duration of bronchiectasis in seven, while the temporal onset could not be differentiated in three patients. Patients with both asthma and bronchiectasis had inferior spirometric values, higher prevalence of bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, higher prevalence of skin atopy, elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), and more sputum eosinophilia, compared with their non-asthmatic counterparts. Possible mechanisms by which asthma and bronchiectasis predispose to each other include asthmatic obstruction contributing to development of bronchiectasis, and sensitization of airways with increased lability due to microbial colonization of the ectatic bronchial tree.

Proposal of a new anisotropy quality evaluation of nonoriented magnetic steel sheets

The standard method for defining the quality of magnetic steel sheets, especially the anisotropy, is unsatisfactory and can mislead users. Investigations of the directional dependence of magnetic properties in some samples show that inferior values can also appear between control points. The authors deal with a new quality evaluation of anisotropic properties of nonoriented steel sheets with consideration of planes which also have a physical background. >

A question of values: Conservatives and the culture of poverty

Every society has within it some individuals and groups who are successful and some who are less successful. Explanations for these differences range from the political to the economic and from the cultural to the religious. For American conservatives, the differences in individual levels of achievement can be explained primarily in cultural terms. The conservative mythology argues that there are clearly superior and clearly inferior cultural values and that good values produce successful individuals. This article deals with the fundamentally tautological nature of this argument: Why is so-and-so successful? Because he or she has better values. How do we know he or she has better values? Because he or she is successful. After elaborating this intellectual problem, an empirical test is made of the existence of different values among America's social groups. Using census data and national survey data, the personal goals and attitudes of various societal groups and their relative economic accomplishments are presented and compared. This analysis demonstrates that few of the culture-based differences which are asserted by conservatives can be validated empirically.

Signal-to-noise-ratio improvement of a linear seismic array

The aim of this paper is improvement in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) through the use of a linear seismic array. The noise is considered to be composed of a coherent part with nature similar to that of incoming signals and an incoherent part having a constant power all across the array. All possible values of seismometer positions which minimise the coherent noise power are derived. Advantages of the delayed-summation processing technique, in so far as it enables us to obtain superior values of the signal-to-noise-ratio improvement, and furnishes unique values of signal wavelengths and signal amplitudes as compared to the simple-summation technique which gives relatively inferior values ofSNR, and enables us to obtain the signal wave-lengths as solutions of a trigonometric equation are brought out analytically. Being suitable for field work due to its simple nature, the simplesummation technique is studied in detail. Upper limit on the value of array aperture for actual improvement of all the expected signals are found. Requirements to be met for achieving the optimum value of theSNR improvement are deduced.