Symbol Emergence as an Interpersonal Multimodal Categorization.

This study focuses on category formation for individual agents and the dynamics of symbol emergence in a multi-agent system through semiotic communication. In this study, the semiotic communication refers to exchanging signs composed of the signifier (i.e.

Hierarchical Spatial Concept Formation Based on Multimodal Information for Human Support Robots.

In this paper, we propose a hierarchical spatial concept formation method based on the Bayesian generative model with multimodal information e.g., vision, position and word information.

Cleanliness of Linen and Clothing Items Professionally Laundered or Dry-Cleaned.

We asked 14 professional cleaners (laundry services) to clean various unused (new) linen and clothing items with a microbial contamination level of <1 cfu/cm(2) and then evaluated the bacterial/fungal contamination of the laundered or dry-cleaned items. After laundering, 6 (21.4%) of the 28 samples from 4 of the 14 cleaners (28.

Microbial contamination of surgical instruments used for laparotomy.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the risk of contamination of surgical instruments according to the type of instrument and the surgical procedure.

Methods: Microbiologic examination was conducted on 140 pairs of forceps used in 24 elective laparotomies. These included 60 pairs of tissue forceps and 80 pairs of DeBakey forceps.

Evaluation with a focus on both the antimicrobial efficacy and cumulative skin irritation potential of chlorhexidine gluconate alcohol-containing preoperative skin preparations.

Background: Important characteristics for ideal skin preparations include long-lasting antimicrobial efficacy and low potential for skin irritation.

Methods: A total of 55 healthy adult subjects were enrolled to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of 3 test formulations applied to inguinal, abdominal, and antecubital sites at post-treatment time points of 30 seconds, 72 hours, and 7 days. To investigate skin irritation potential, the 3 formulations were tested in a 21-day repeat-insult patch test conducted on the skin of the backs of 23 healthy subjects.

Comparison of adenosine triphosphate, microbiological load, and residual protein as indicators for assessing the cleanliness of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes.

Background: This study evaluated 3 potential indicators of gastrointestinal endoscope cleanliness: adenosine triphosphate (ATP), microbiological load, and protein.

Methods: Before and after cleaning, ATP and microbiological load were determined from swabs of exterior surfaces and rinses of interior suction/accessory channels. Similarly, before and after cleaning, residual protein was determined from rinses of interior suction/accessory channels.

Microbiological safety and cost-effectiveness of weekly breathing circuit changes in combination with heat moisture exchange filters: a prospective longitudinal clinical survey.

Aim: To assess the safety and cost effectiveness of a usage for seven days of breathing circuit systems (BCSs) in combination with heat moisture exchanger filters (HMEF) in operation room anesthesia.

Method: In a prospective longitudinal clinical study, the contamination on high-risk surfaces (HMEF together with inner and outer surface of BCS) was monitored over 1, 2, 5, and 7 days. RESULTS of endogenous respiratory patient flora and contamination flora of BCS, HMEF and bag were compared.

A comparative clinical study focusing on the antimicrobial efficacies of chlorhexidine gluconate alcohol for patient skin preparations.

Comparative efficacy study data showed that skin preparations formulated with more than 0.5% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) in alcohol produced significant reductions in microbial populations at the inguinal, abdominal, and antecubital sites at each sample time (P < .05) relative to baseline, and there were no significant differences statistically, including persistent effects within 24 hours (P > .

Heterogeneously vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (hVISA) emerged before the clinical introduction of vancomycin in Japan: a retrospective study.

Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) and its precursor, heterogeneous VISA (hVISA), are increasingly the cause of vancomycin treatment failure. Prolonged glycopeptide treatment causes the emergence of these pathogens. However, we recently reported that hVISA can be generated by methicillin-resistant S.

Studies on Viral Disinfection: An Evaluation of Moist Heat Disinfection for HBV by Using A0 Concept Defined in ISO 15883-Washer-Disinfectors.

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15883 for washer-disinfectors has introduced the A(0) concept to allow comparison of the lethality of moist heat processes. The A(0) value is the equivalent disinfection time in seconds at 80 °C calculated on the basis of microbial killing kinetics when the disinfection temperature is over 65 °C. Hepatitis B virus (HBV), transmissible only to humans and chimpanzees, is an important heat-resistant, blood-borne pathogen.

Factors affecting performance of hospital infection control in Japan.

Background: In Japan, hospital infection control (IC) programs are frequently underresourced, and their improvement is considered a pressing issue.

Methods: In 2005, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 638 teaching hospitals (most with 300 or more beds) and 882 nonteaching hospitals (most with fewer than 300 beds) in Japan. We analyzed associations among resources, infrastructures, activities, and performance related to IC.

Impact of hospital accreditation on infection control programs in teaching hospitals in Japan.

Background: In Japan, hospital infection control (IC) programs are frequently under-resourced, whereas their improvement is considered a pressing issue. Hospital accreditation may have a positive impact on IC program performance. The Japan Council for Quality Health Care (JCQHC) is a hospital accreditation organization that now prescribes broad elements of IC as part of its accreditation standards.

National hospital infection surveillance on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

National hospital infection surveillances on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had been carried out in 1995 and 1996. Recently, in the UK and the USA, the prevalence of MRSA has increased and strict precautions against MRSA are recommended. In Japan, hospital infection rates of MRSA have appeared to be stable in recent years, but a reevaluation is required to confirm this assumption.

Effects of applying povidone-iodine just before skin closure.

Many surgeons apply povidone-iodine (PVP-I) to the skin around an incision before closing a wound to reduce wound infection rates. However, the effectiveness of this procedure has not been proven. Forty-seven cases of gastric surgery and 60 cases of colorectal surgery performed at Kanto Medical Center between July 2004 and December 2004 were randomly assigned to the group with PVP-I or the group without PVP-I.

[Evaluation of patient entrance dose rate of interventional X-ray equipment].

Because interventional radiology (IVR) procedures are being performed with increasing frequency, patient X-ray exposure dose for X-ray fluoroscopic and radiographic procedures should not be ignored. In order to avoid excessive X-ray exposure, exposure dose rate limits are specified in the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) and by civil law at 50 mGy/min for usual fluoroscopy and 125 mGy/min for high-dose fluoroscopy. In the present study, we examined the difference in patient incident dose rate before and after using an X-ray generator that satisfied the above requirements.

Using surveillance data to direct infection control efforts to reduce surgical-site infections following clean abdominal operations in Japan.

We initiated surveillance for surgical-site infections (SSIs) in a Japanese hospital using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions and the approach of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System. Patients were observed following clean and clean-contaminated abdominal operations. SSI rates were higher than those of the NNIS System, but there was a trend toward decreased SSI rates in the latter half of the study period.

Keynote lecture: perspective of infection control and prevention in hospitals-importance of antisepsis.

Since the end of the 20th century, precautions of hospital infection have been re-evaluated with rationalization. Evidence-based precautions are proposed to be discussed. Problems of hospital infection in the early 21st century are highlighted as follows: (1) infections in compromised patients; (2) emergence of resistant bacteria; (3) terminal infection; (4) bloodborne virus infection; (5) neonatal infections; (6) emerging and re-emerging diseases.

Clinical estimation of vancomycin measurement method on hemodialysis patient.

The fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) method is used to perform measurement of vancomycin hydrochloride (VCM) at many institutions. However, the values measured by the FPIA method are more vulnerable to overestimation than the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. In particular, it was not reported to perform exact therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) measurement.