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The condition for artificial agents to possess perceivable intentions can be considered that they have resolved a form of the symbol grounding problem. Here, the symbol grounding is considered an achievement of the state where the language used by the agent is endowed with some quantitative meaning extracted from the physical world. To achieve this type of symbol grounding, we adopt a method for characterizing robot gestures with quantitative meaning calculated from word-distributed representations constructed from a large corpus of text. In this method, a “size image” of a word is generated by defining an axis (index) that discriminates the “size” of the word in the word-distributed vector space. The generated size images are converted into gestures generated by a physical artificial agent (robot). The robot’s gesture can be set to reflect either the size of the word in terms of the amount of movement or in terms of its posture. To examine the perception of communicative intention in the robot that performs the gestures generated as described above, the authors examine human ratings on “the naturalness” obtained through an online survey, yielding results that partially validate our proposed method. Based on the results, the authors argue for the possibility of developing advanced artifacts that achieve human-like symbolic grounding.

Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple (GAFA) have expanded their platform businesses worldwide. However, alternatives to GAFA may be important for local areas and niche markets. This study was performed in cooperation with a local community platform “HamaZo”. Certain implications emerged from text mining of local resources. Based on these results, an affective search service was planned and developed from Marketing 3.0. Next, a trial market launch of this affective search service was evaluated by A/B test and interview. A series of activities showed the possibility of emergence of alternative intellectual information services that differ from personalization.

Even though the web environment facilitates our daily life, emotional problems caused by its incompatibility with human cognition are becoming increasingly serious. To alleviate negative emotions during web use, we developed a browser extension that presents memorized product images to users in the form of web advertisements. This system utilizes the cognitive architecture Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) as a model of human memory and emotion. A heart rate sensor attached to the user modulates the ACT-R model parameters, and the emotional states represented by the model are synchronized (following the chameleon effect) or counterbalanced (following the homeostasis regulation) with the physiological state of the user. An experiment demonstrates that the counterbalanced model suppresses negative ruminative web browsing. The authors claim that this approach, utilizing a cognitive model, is advantageous in terms of explainability.

This paper presents a cognitive model that simulates an adaptation process to automation in a time-critical task. The paper uses a simple tracking task (which represents vehicle operation) to reveal how the reliance on automation changes as the success probabilities of the automatic and manual mode vary. The model was developed by using a cognitive architecture, ACT-R (Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational). We also introduce two methods of reinforcement learning: the summation of rewards over time and a gating mechanism. The model performs this task through productions that manage perception and motor control. The utility values of these productions are updated based on rewards in every perception-action cycle. A run of this model simulated the overall trends of the behavioral data such as the performance (tracking accuracy), the auto use ratio, and the number of switches between the two modes, suggesting some validity of the assumptions made in our model. This work shows how combining different paradigms of cognitive modeling can lead to practical representations and solutions to automation and trust in automation.

Background/Aim: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) was developed and evaluated for various malignancies. This study evaluated the clinical impact of the SII in patients with gastric cancer (GC) who received curative treatment. Patients and Methods: Patients who underwent curative resection for GC at Yokohama City University between 2005 and 2020 were chosen consecutively based on their medical records. SII was calculated as follows: platelet (cell/mm³ ×10³)× neutrophil (cell/mm³)/lymphocyte (cell/mm³). Three measurements were obtained preoperatively. Results: In total, 258 patients were enrolled in this study. Based on the 3- and 5-year survival rates and previous studies, we set the cutoff value of the SII to 550. The 258 patients were classified into the SII-low (n=152) and SII-high (n=106) groups, respectively. The 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 82.6% and 78.7%, respectively, in the SII-low group and 74.5% and 61.9%, respectively, in the SII-high group. There were significant differences between the two groups (p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis of factors associated with OS, the SII was identified as an independent prognostic factor (hazard ratio=1.816; 95% confidence interval=1.075-3.069, p=0.026). Similar results were observed for recurrence-free survival. In addition, the incidence of postoperative surgical complications was 30.9% in the SII-low group and 45.2% in the SII-high group (p=0.019). Conclusion: The SII was an independent prognostic factor for GC. Thus, the SII may be a promising biomarker for the treatment and management of GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: This study aimed to investigate the differences in the postoperative dietary intake (DI) loss between men and women after radical resection for early gastric cancer (GC), and to identify effective nutritional support for both sexes. Patients and Methods: This prospective, observational study enrolled patients who underwent gastrectomy for GC. DI was assessed using the food frequency questionnaire containing 82 food items (FFQW82) during nutritional counseling before surgery and one and three months postoperatively. Results: The median preoperative DI of all participants was 1,856.3 kcal/day, and DI at 1 and 3 months were 1,532.5 kcal/day and 1,637 kcal/day, respectively. The median preoperative DI was 1805 kcal/day (1,300-2,330 kcal/day) and 1481 kcal/day (1,126-1,957 kcal/day) in men and women, respectively (p<0.0001). The median DI at 1 month was 1627 (1,101-2,195) kcal/day and 1,308 (986-1,915) kcal/day in men and women, respectively (p<0.0001). At 3 months postoperatively, the median DI was 1737 (1,130-2,443) kcal/day in men and 1428 (816-2,005) kcal/day in women (p<0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the DI loss rate at 1 month (median: -9.7% vs. -9.3%, p=0.765) and 3 months (median: -3.5% vs. -4.8%, p=0.137) between men and women. Conclusion: Although the DI loss rate in men and women after gastrectomy for GC was almost similar, the postoperative DI and DI loss differed significantly. Therefore, differences in DI loss after gastrectomy between men and women should be considered while assessing the efficacy of additional nutritional support such as oral nutritional supplements after gastrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The albumin to fibrinogen ratio (AFR) has been identified as a promising prognostic marker for some malignancies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical impact of AFR in esophageal cancer patients who received curative resection. Patients and Methods: The present study included 123 patients who underwent curative treatment for esophageal cancer between 2005 and 2020. The prognosis and clinicopathological parameters were compared between patients with high and low AFRs. Results: The overall survival (OS) stratified by each clinical factor was compared using the log-rank test, and a significant difference was observed when using a pretreatment AFR of 1.23. When comparing the patient backgrounds between the high-AFR (AFR ≥12.3) and low- AFR (AFR<12.3) groups, significant differences were noted in the pathological T status. The high-AFR group had significantly higher OS rates at 3 years (70.8%) and 5 years (59.3%) after surgery in comparison to the low-AFR group (46.6% and 37.4%, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses for OS showed that the AFR was a significant prognostic factor. In addition, when comparing the site of first recurrence, a marginally significant difference was noted in hematological recurrence. Conclusion: The AFR is a significant risk factor in patients with esophageal cancer, holding promise as a valuable prognostic factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Based on gastric shape, patients with gastric cancer can be divided into storage (hook-shaped and ptotic stomach) and reverse outflow (steerhorn and cascade stomach) groups. In patients with gastric cancer, postoperative loss of lean body mass (LBM) is associated with a poor prognosis. This study investigated the influence of preoperative gastric shape on LBM loss 1 month after curative distal gastrectomy. Patients and Methods: Between May 2011 and May 2019, we enrolled 487 patients with pathological stage IA/IB/IIA gastric cancer who underwent curative distal gastrectomy and did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients were divided into storage (n=370) and outflow (n=117) groups according to whether barium was stored in the stomach during the preoperative fluoroscopic examination. Clinicopathological features, LBM 1 month after gastrectomy, and predictors of postoperative LBM loss were compared between the groups using multivariable logistic regression. Results: The incidence of >5% LBM loss and >7.5% body weight loss 1 month postoperatively were significantly higher in the storage group than in the outflow group (p=0.003 and p=0.009, respectively). Multivariable analysis revealed that gastric shape [odds ratio (OR)=3.30, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.95-5.59, p<0.001], male sex (OR=3.20, 95% CI=2.07-4.96, p<0.001), and Roux-en-Y reconstruction (OR=1.69, 95% CI=1.08-2.64, p=0.02) were independent predictors of LBM loss. Postoperative dietary problems, especially dumping syndrome, diarrhea, and reflux were more common in the storage group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Gastric shape may be a useful independent predictor of postoperative LBM loss in patients with gastric cancer undergoing distal gastrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: A new modified nutritional risk index (mNRI), calculated using serum albumin (g/l)+body mass index (BMI) [weight (kg_/height² (m²)], is a good predictor of postoperative complications and cancer survival. However, no study has used this index in patients with gastric cancer (GC). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of the preoperative mNRI values in patients with GC who underwent curative resection. Patients and Methods: We examined 449 patients who underwent curative resection for GC at Kanagawa Cancer Center between 2013 and 2017. The mNRI cutoff value obtained using a receiver operating characteristic analysis was 23.31. Patients were divided into high and low mNRI groups according to the cutoff value, and the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results: In terms of clinicopathological characteristics, the high mNRI group had a higher proportion of men, higher BMI, and a higher proportion of patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class 2/3 compared with the low mNRI group; the low mNRI group had significantly worse 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than the high mNRI group (OS, p=0.005) (OS, p=0.006; RFS, p=0.018) did. In the multivariate analysis, a low mNRI was an independent predictor of OS (p=0.006) and RFS (p=0.013). Conclusion: Preoperative mNRI may be a useful recurrence and prognostic biomarker in patients with GC who have undergone curative resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) is a promising prognostic marker in some malignancies. The present study evaluated the clinical impact of the PLR in patients with gastric cancer who underwent curative resection. Patients and Methods: This study included 258 patients who underwent curative treatment for gastric cancer between 2005 and 2020. The prognosis and clinicopathological parameters between the high- and low- PLR statuses were analyzed. Results: The overall survival (OS) stratified by each clinical factor was compared using the log-rank test, and a significant difference was observed using a pretreatment PLR of 150. When comparing the patient backgrounds between the high-PLR (PLR≥150) and low-PLR (PLR<150) groups, there were no significant differences between the two groups. The OS rates at 3 and 5 years after surgery were significantly higher at 70.8% and 60.4%, respectively, for the high-PLR group than at 83.6% and 79.7%, respectively, for the low-PLR group. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the OS showed that the PLR was a significant prognostic factor. In addition, when comparing the first recurrence sites, there were significant differences in peritoneal recurrence. Conclusion: The PLR is a significant risk factor for gastric cancer, making it a promising prognostic factor for patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]